What grab bars does Ella offer for its walk-in tubs?

The grab bars Ella's Bubbles lists on its walk-in tub spec sheets are a chrome stainless steel deck-mount bar that bolts through the tub deck, a wall-mount bar, and, on the Standard and Zen only, a U-shape deck and wall-mount bar. Which of these come with a given tub is set by the model, every included bar is chrome, and replacement interior bars and add-on security grab bars are available beyond what is in the box. The bar most owners ask about is the loose one in the parts box, explained in What Is a Deck-Mount Grab Bar on a Walk-In Tub?, and this page covers the whole range.

Which Bars Come with Which Tub

Per the current spec sheets, the included grab bars break down by model as follows.

The practical difference is where your hands land. A deck-mount bar sits at the point where you step in, sit down and stand up. A wall-mount bar helps once you are standing, showering or turning. Models that list only one type, or none, are the ones where extra wall bars are worth planning with your contractor before the walls are finished. Included bars are supplied in chrome only, so a different finish means custom plating, covered below.

The Deck-Mount Bar and Its Kit

The deck-mount bar ships loose in its own kit rather than installed, and your installer bolts it through the deck on site. The kit contains one chrome bar, two escutcheons, four rubber washers, two large metal washers, two bolts and an Allen wrench. Each bolt is assembled in this order: metal washer, then rubber washer, up through the shell from underneath, then another rubber washer, then the escutcheon, and threaded loosely into the bar before both are tightened with the supplied Allen wrench. The metal washer spreads the load across the acrylic. Installing the bar without it can crack the shell and voids the warranty, so keep the two large metal washers with the bar on delivery day.

Interior Bars and Replacements

Interior grab bars are drilled into the tub at the factory, so their mounting holes and spacing are fixed. Ella can supply a replacement interior bar, and the key to a fit is the center-to-center distance between the two holes already in your tub. The team asks for a photo of the mounts with a tape measure laid across them, plus your model, serial number, where the tub was purchased and a shipping address, sent through a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support. Bars come in more than one span. When the exact span is not in stock, the team offers the nearest span available and tells you whether the holes need to be opened up slightly so the feet align, which your plumber or installer can do with a drill. If no loose bars are in stock, the team may offer a bar taken from a tub already built in the Chicago facility, and dealers in the Chicago area can ask about warehouse pickup. The full request steps are in Replacement Interior Grab Bars: Matching the Hole Spacing on Your Tub.

Add-On and Security Grab Bars

Ella's accessory line-up, shown in the video on this page, lists security grab bars alongside the 4-fold bath screen, the 10 inch rain shower head and the bathtub wall pillow. Any bar you add goes on the walls around the tub, anchored into studs or solid in-wall backing confirmed by a licensed contractor, never drilled into the tub shell or deck, because any alteration not done by Ella is excluded from warranty coverage. Ella's guidance follows ADA practice: horizontal wall bars 33 to 36 inches above the tub floor, plus a vertical bar near the door, kept clear of the door swing and of any screen or valve. Drywall alone will not hold a bar under a person's weight, and suction-cup grab bars are not recommended. Placement details are in where and how grab bars should be installed around a walk-in tub.

Finish Options and Custom Plating

Ella does not offer its included bars in any finish other than chrome, and Ella does not plate or refinish parts. Owners who want a different finish have their contractor remove the hardware after delivery and send it to a plating shop. The deck-mount bar and the door handle already ride loose in the parts box, so they can go straight to the plater on delivery day, while the factory-installed interior bars have to be unfastened and later reinstalled to match their hole spacing. Plating is a modification, and the published warranty excludes tubs modified by anyone other than Ella's Bubbles, so ask the team how it affects coverage first. Removing grab bars, the door handle and controls for custom plating explains the test-one-part-first approach.

Grab Bars on Ella Showers

Ella shower kits are a separate product with their own bars. A kit ships with the stall, the drain and the grab bar set listed for that kit, packed loose and mounted during installation into the reinforced backing built into the wall panels. Confirm the grab bar count against your order when you unpack. What comes in the box with an Ella shower kit lists what is included and what you still need to buy.

Watch: Why Homeowners Choose Ella’s Walk-In Tubs | Safety, Speed Drain & Spa Options with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Grab Bars: What Is Included, Installing the Deck-Mount Bar, and Add-On Wall Bars
• Grab Bar Length, Diameter, Weight Rating and Wall Spacing
• Can Ella Factory-Install a Grab Bar From Another Supplier?

Common Questions