Which Install Parts Come From Ella and Which From a Hardware Store?

Only a short list of the parts used to install an Ella walk-in tub are true hardware store items: the 1/2 inch NPT supply lines used on older faucets, a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch reducer or NPT adapter, the shut-off valves, and everything in the drain run past the PVC elbow. The matched parts should come from Ella: the hand shower hose and handset, the 3/4 inch supply lines on current fast-fill faucets, the PVC drain elbow with its gasket, and door hardware such as the handle, hinge pins and caps. The change that made the rest of the drain run generic is explained in Is the Flexible Drain Hose Still Available? The PVC Elbow That Replaced It.

What Your Plumber Works from, and What Is Not in the Crate

Which parts your job needs depends on the model, so your licensed plumber and electrician work from the owner's manual and the specification drawing for your tub. Ella's technical support answers their questions by phone at (800) 480-6850 at no charge, and the quickest way to settle a question about one fitting is a photo of the actual part. Two things are never in the crate and are always supplied by your plumber: shut-off valves and PVC drain fittings. Plan easily accessible shut-off valves near the tub so the supply lines can be isolated later without opening a wall.

Everything that does ship with the tub travels inside the crate. Supply lines are individually wrapped, boxed and placed inside the tub or under the frame before the tub is crated, and the hand shower hose ships with the faucet set. If a line seems to be missing, look inside the tub and under the frame before ordering anything, keep all packaging material, and report anything missing or damaged within 48 hours of receipt.

The Parts Side by Side

The dividing line is what the part connects to. Anything that threads onto the Ella faucet body, seals against the brass drain under the tub or holds the door is built to match that assembly, and a near equivalent can leak or fail to thread on. Anything that only has to meet standard plumbing, such as the valves on your supply stubs and the pipe carrying water away from the elbow, is ordinary plumbing stock, and your plumber can buy it wherever they normally shop.

Supply Lines: Where Thread Direction Matters

Both Ella fast-fill faucet sets ship with two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided supply lines, one for hot and one for cold, and a third line under the deck feeds the spout. Current sets use the 3/4 inch line, which the team normally has on hand, so a replacement for a current faucet comes from Ella rather than from a store shelf. Older faucets used 1/2 inch NPT lines. Those are standard fittings a hardware store carries, and if Ella does not have them you can buy them locally or fit a 3/4 inch line with a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch reducer.

The one caution before shopping locally is thread direction. On some faucets the line is reverse-threaded at the faucet end, so a generic line may not thread on at all. Photograph the actual line on your tub, including the end that connects to the faucet, and send it in before buying. The same rule applies when an older faucet is being replaced with the 5-piece fast-fill set: the new set uses 3/4 inch lines, and when the check valves under the tub have 1/2 inch connections your plumber fits a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch NPT adapter, a standard plumbing part. The hot, cold and spout lines are not all the same, so say which one you are replacing. Sizes and how to identify each line are in Replacement Hot and Cold Faucet Supply Lines: Sizes, Threads and Where to Get Them, and what each line does under the deck is in What Are the Supply Lines on a Walk-In Tub Faucet?.

The Drain: A Matched Elbow, Then Ordinary PVC

The flexible drain hose and the older PVC p-trap connection are no longer supplied. Both were replaced by a standard 90-degree PVC drain elbow with a gasket that connects to the brass drain under the tub. That elbow and its gasket are the matched part, and replacement elbows come from the support team. The LayDown walk-in tubs are the exception: they use a PVC elbow designed specifically for that model, so name the model when you order.

Past the elbow there is nothing proprietary. Your plumber continues the drain line in ordinary PVC from any plumbing supplier to the house drain, including a reducer when the house plumbing is 1.5 inches, because the tub drain is 2 inch. Fit the new elbow with its gasket and tighten it snugly without forcing it, since excess force can crack a PVC fitting, and keep the run supported so no weight or side load rests on the elbow. An elbow that cracks or drips later is usually carrying strain from a drain line that pulls or pushes against it. Fill the tub, drain it, and check every joint while the water is running out.

Hand Shower and Door Hardware Stay Matched

The hand shower hose is not a specialty part in the sense of being hard to get, but it is not a hardware store part either. Every Ella fast-fill faucet set includes an extendable multi-function hand shower with five spray settings on a 5 foot retractable hose, with flow limited to 1.9 GPM by plumbing code. The hose carries a back-flow prevention valve, and a small blue check valve sits inside the head where it threads onto the hose. Those two valves help protect your home's water supply, which is why the handset and hose are treated as a matched pair rather than as generic plumbing. Both are available as matched replacements through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and because the handset threads onto the hose by hand, a cracked or side-spraying wand can be swapped on its own while the hose, deck mount and faucet stay in place. Will a Hardware Store Hand Shower Hose or Head Fit an Ella Faucet? covers the washer and check valve checks to make before ordering anything.

If you plan to put the hand shower on the wall, the Leak Elimination Kit is the part Ella recommends so nothing drips onto the deck or behind the tub. Door hardware is matched too. The outward-swing composite doors carry a paddle or T bar handle that sits on tabs over the latch mechanism, while the stainless steel inward-swing door uses a chrome locking handle, and the styles are not interchangeable. Hinge pins and caps come from Ella as well. Where Can I Find a Replacement Walk-In Tub Door Handle? explains how the handle is identified from your model, serial number and a photo.

Before You Buy Anything Locally

• Have your model and serial number ready. The serial number is on the label behind the magnetic access panel next to the door.
• Photograph the actual part on your tub. For a supply line, include the end that connects to the faucet so the thread direction can be seen.
• Say which line it is: hot, cold or spout.
• For drain parts, say how many elbows you need and whether the tub is a LayDown.
• Send the photos to your Ella dealer or the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850. The team will confirm whether a store equivalent will fit before you buy it.

Related Guides

• What Is in the Crate: Loose Parts, Panels, Supply Lines, Drain Caps and Documents to Account for Before the Installer Starts
• Common Installation Questions: Tile Order, Leveling Legs, Subfloor, Panels, Drain Size and the Outdoor Test
• The pre-installation water test: catch leaks before your walls are finished

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