How Do You Install a Folding Glass Shower Screen Over a Walk-In Tub?

A folding glass shower screen mounts to the side wall beside the tub, not to the tub itself. Its wall channel is set level, at a height where the rubber gasket along the bottom of the glass brushes the tub deck lightly and evenly. The horizontal seal is then trimmed to length and finished with its end cap. The screen is described in What Is the 4-Fold Shower Screen on a Walk-In Tub?. This page covers the planning, the order of work and the checks that decide whether the finished screen stays dry.

Know the Screen and Choose the Wall First

The Ella folding screen is a 44 by 42 inch tempered glass screen in a chrome ionized aluminum frame. Its four panels are 1/8 inch tempered clear glass joined by PVC geared hinges. There is a doorknob on both sides, and a 90 degree pivot at the wall channel. The panels fold accordion style and rest flat against the wall when you are not showering, and the whole screen pivots out of the way for entry.

Several decisions are easier to make before anything is mounted:

• It needs a side wall. The screen is an accessory that mounts to the wall beside any Ella walk-in tub that sits in a corner or an alcove. If you are not sure how your tub is placed, What Is an Alcove Installation for a Walk-In Tub? explains the three-wall layout most bathrooms use.
• It goes on the wall side away from any extension panel. If a panel fills the gap at one end of your tub, the screen belongs on the opposite wall.
• It is reversible. The same screen sets up for a left or a right installation, so there is no handed version to order.
• It can be added later. The screen does not have to go in on the same day as the tub. It can be added after the tub is installed.

Decide Between Four Panels and Three Before Mounting

Removing one section turns the 4-fold screen into a 32 inch wide 3-fold screen. This is how the screen fits when a 52 inch tub sits in a 60 inch alcove with an extension panel. Make this decision on the floor, before the screen goes on the wall, because the conversion is done with the screen lying flat.

The video on this page shows the conversion from start to finish. In order, it shows the following steps:

1. Lay the four panel screen carefully on a soft surface.
2. Elevate the third panel, counting from the wall side, and remove the inside screw. Do the same on the other side, removing the outside screw.
3. Use any long screw you have on hand to pull out the plastic retainer insert. This releases the panel connection. Repeat on the other side.
4. Go to the other side of the screen and repeat the same process. Remove the screw on the third panel, then both plastic retainer inserts. The third panel is now free and can be lifted out completely.
5. Remove one plastic spacer and make sure the other spacer remains in place.
6. Bring the outside panel in to connect with the middle panel, keeping the spacer in place, and reconnect the hinge.
7. Replace the plastic retainer insert and secure it with the same screw. Tighten securely, but do not over torque. Repeat for all connections.
8. Snap the screw caps onto the top side of the screen. It is now a three panel screen, ready for installation.

The video also notes that the three panel screen can be used on its own. On Ella's large two-person tub it can be combined with a four panel screen.

Set the Wall Channel Height so the Gasket Seals

This is the step that decides whether the installation succeeds. An inward-angled rubber gasket runs along the bottom of the screen and brushes the tub deck lightly and evenly. That gasket is the seal. The height and level of the wall channel therefore determine whether the screen stays dry.

• If the channel is set too low, the gasket is pressed hard against the deck and gets damaged.
• If the channel is set too high, the gasket does not reach the deck and water escapes underneath.
• If the channel is out of level, the gasket seats at one end and lifts at the other, which leaves a gap that sprays.

Before the channel is fastened, hold the screen in position and swing it through its travel. Confirm that the gasket touches the deck with the same light contact along its full length. Confirm also that the rubber is angled inward, toward the tub, so water that runs down the glass drains back into the bath. A licensed installer should choose fixings suited to your wall. The printed manual supplied with the screen lists the parts, the tools and the full step sequence.

Trim the Horizontal Seal and Fit the End Cap

The horizontal seal runs along the bottom of the screen and rides on the tub deck to keep spray inside the tub. Installers cut this seal to length, and the cut should be made conservatively. If the seal is cut short, there may not be enough left to protect the tub deck under the end cap. A new cap will not fix a wet deck on its own.

The end cap fits onto the end of the horizontal seal. It holds the seal in place and covers the cut edge. The printed installation manual covers attaching it in steps 4 and 5. Clean the cap, the end of the seal and the deck first. Fit the cap in the position the manual shows, and let any sealant the manual calls for cure before the first shower. If a cap comes loose or goes missing later, Replacing or Reattaching the End Cap and Horizontal Seal on a Folding Shower Screen explains how to refit it. It also covers when to order a fresh seal along with the cap kit.

Plan Around the Swivel Tray, Then Check Your Work

The Elite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion and Escape have a swivel tray as standard. It pins into a threaded fitting near the door, so it sits close to where a screen folds and pivots. The tray can interfere with a glass screen, which means the two should be planned together before either is installed. Position the screen so the tray can still swing clear for entry and exit. What Is the Swivel Tray on a Walk-In Tub? shows where the fitting sits on the deck.

After the screen is up, run the hand shower against the glass and watch the bottom edge. If water shows up there, check three things. Level the screen. Set the height so the gasket seats on the deck. Confirm the rubber gasket is angled inward toward the tub.

For everyday care, clean the glass with warm soapy water and a lint-free cloth after use. Never use alcohol, petroleum liquids, chemical cleaners or anything gritty on the screen.

If a leak continues after those checks, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Have your tub model and serial number ready, and say whether the screen is set up as 4-fold or 3-fold. Include a photo of the gasket and a photo of where the water appears.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Three Fold Shower Screen Assembly with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Folding Glass Shower Screen: Which Side It Mounts On, How Much Room It Takes Folded, and Confirming Stock
• How Do I Fix a 4-Fold Shower Screen That Leaks or Will Not Fold Flat?
• How Do I Replace the Bottom Gasket on an Ella Glass Shower Door?

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