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Before Your Installer Leaves: The 16 Checks Explained in Plain Language and Why Each One Protects Your Warranty

Updated September 2026

▶Glossary6
  1. The Sixteen Checks and Why Each One Matters
  2. Video: The Installation Tips Your Installer Should Already Know
  3. What You Can Watch and Photograph
  4. If Your Installer Skipped Items
  5. Related Guides
  6. Common Questions

Before your installer packs up, there is a checklist on the warranty activation form that they initial line by line, and every line exists because it prevents a specific leak, shock hazard or service headache we have seen before. This article explains the sixteen checks in plain language, tells you what you can watch and photograph during the handover, and what to do if any were skipped. Getting through the list is also how your installer confirms the tub is ready for the activation form, which is covered in how to activate your warranty.

The Sixteen Checks and Why Each One Matters

  1. Tub level in all directions, all support legs touching the ground. Misleveling is the number one cause of door leaks: the frame twists, the door drifts out of alignment and the seal stops meeting the frame evenly. Misleveling also voids the warranty.
  2. Installed by a licensed electrician. Ella requires licensed electrical work, and the form asks for the electrician's license and insurance information.
  3. Dedicated GFCI circuit breaker. A shared circuit can trip under load, and a circuit without GFCI protection removes the safeguard that makes a bath with electrical equipment safe.
  4. Frame properly grounded. The stainless frame must be bonded to the electrical ground so that a fault trips the breaker rather than energizing the frame.
  5. Door seal cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Construction dust on the seal leaves a path for water. Alcohol removes it without damaging the silicone.
  6. Temperature control valve operated on hot and cold. Where your faucet package includes the TCV, this confirms it mixes correctly before you rely on it. If your configuration has no TCV, your installer notes that.
  7. Both diverters function. Water should switch cleanly between spout and hand shower.
  8. Hand shower works on every setting without leaking. Each spray pattern is tested at the head and at the deck.
  9. Supply lines checked for leaks with both diverters on. Full flow finds a loose or over-tightened connection. Over-torquing damages the internal gasket in a braided line.
  10. Drains open and close properly. A drain that does not open fully drains slowly; one that does not close fully loses bath water.
  11. Locking nut tightened on both stoppers. A loose locking nut lets the stopper creep, and the tub slowly empties during a bath.
  12. Door seal watertight after a minimum 20 minute fill. Twenty minutes gives a slow seep time to show itself, which a quick fill and drain would miss.
  13. Hydro and air pumps run at least 20 minutes with every connection watertight. Unions and jet fittings are checked under vibration and pressure, not just static water.
  14. Chromatherapy light and ozone working. When the ozone runs by itself it makes a light humming noise, which is normal and is a good sign, not a fault.
  15. All drain fittings checked while the tub is draining. Drain leaks only appear with water moving, so the installer watches the fittings with a flashlight during a full drain.
  16. Unit installed with access to plumbing and electrical. Code-required service access is the owner's responsibility, and the aprons and panels must stay removable.

Video: The Installation Tips Your Installer Should Already Know

Ellas Bubbles: Walk-In Tubs Installation Tips and Recommendations
Chapters in this video
  1. 0:00 Pre-Installation Checks and Tips Before installation, the video emphasizes checking tub dimensions, inspecting for damage, and leak-testing the tub with water.
  2. 1:34 Dual Drain System Installation The video demonstrates how to install Ella's exclusive dual drain system, showing various configurations and recommending a two-inch house drain.
  3. 3:09 Leveling and Door Alignment The technician levels the tub, ensuring proper door alignment for a leak-proof seal, and advises leaving the door unlocked when not in use.
  4. 3:53 Water Supply and Electrical Connections The video shows connecting fast-fill faucets with three-quarter inch supply lines and emphasizes using GFCI-protected outlets and breakers for electrical connections.

This walkthrough covers the fit check against your tub's actual dimensions, the leak test before the tub goes into the room, the dual drain hookup with its four T-type ports and caps, leveling with a slip of paper under each foot, and the door gasket check. It also recommends 3/4 inch supply lines with shut-off valves, warns never to over-torque supply lines, suggests filling the tub and leaving the water in overnight as a leak check, and calls for a 20 minute run of air, hydro and electrical systems under flashlight inspection with dedicated GFCI outlets and GFCI breakers. Check your model's current spec sheet for dimensions rather than the figures quoted in the video.

Ella's Bubbles: Leveling legs are critical to a proper functioning tub
Chapters in this video
  1. 0:00 Leveling Legs Are Critical Many Ella's Bubbles walk-in tubs have up to eight leveling legs to evenly disperse weight and ensure proper function.
  2. 0:14 Secure Each Foot The technician checks if each foot is securely on the ground, as an unsealed door could leak.
  3. 0:28 Check Tub Levels The technician checks levels on all sides of the tub to ensure all feet sit securely on the floor.
  4. 0:41 Proper Door Alignment Proper leveling assures correct door alignment and closure for your walk-in tub.

Many Ella tubs have as many as eight leveling legs to spread the weight. This short clip shows the simple test: every foot sits securely on the floor, levels are checked on all sides, and each leg is adjusted until none can move. That is what makes the door align and close correctly, which is why leveling is the first line on the checklist. The full procedure is in the leveling guide. Watch: Ella's Bubbles-Leveling legs are critical to a proper functioning tub. with chapters and a full transcript.

What You Can Watch and Photograph

  • Ask to see the tub full for the 20 minute seal test with the panels off, and take a photo of the dry floor under the door.
  • Watch the pumps run and look at the unions with a flashlight while they do.
  • Watch the tub drain with the apron off and photograph the drain fittings while water is moving.
  • Photograph the breaker panel label for the dedicated GFCI circuit and the grounding connection on the frame.
  • Write down the serial number from the label behind the magnetic access panel next to the door. You will need it on the activation form.
  • Never lean on the door or apply your weight to it during any test. The door holds its own weight only, and pressure changes the alignment.

If Your Installer Skipped Items

Run the parts of the pre-installation water test that still apply with the walls closed: wipe the seal, fill the tub 3 inches above the highest jet, let it stand 30 minutes and inspect, then run every system for 30 minutes and inspect again. If anything weeps, or if you cannot verify the electrical items, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support/new or call (800) 480-6850 with photos and the serial number and our technical team will guide your installer through the fix. Activation is required to put the warranty in force, so submit the signed form promptly once the checks are complete; if it was not done at install time, you can complete it now. Installation choices that affect coverage are explained in installation choices that affect your warranty.

Common Questions

What should my installer test before leaving?
All sixteen items on the warranty activation form checklist above, initialed line by line: leveling, licensed electrical work on a dedicated GFCI breaker with a grounded frame, the cleaned door seal, the TCV, diverters and hand shower, supply lines under full flow, drains and stopper locking nuts, the 20 minute seal test, the 20 minute pump run, chromatherapy and ozone, drain fittings while draining, and service access.
Why does the checklist ask for a 20 minute fill?
A slow seep at the door seal takes time to show itself. Twenty minutes of standing water gives that seep a chance to appear, which a quick fill and drain would miss entirely. Ask to watch this test with the panels off and photograph the dry floor under the door as a record for your file.
What does frame grounded mean?
It means the stainless steel frame is bonded to the electrical ground. If a fault ever energizes the frame, that bond lets the breaker trip instead of the tub becoming live. It is one of the electrical items you can photograph at the handover, along with the breaker panel label for the dedicated GFCI circuit.
Why do the stoppers need a locking nut check?
The locking nut holds the stopper adjustment in place. If it is left loose, the stopper can creep open and the tub slowly loses water during a bath. Tightening the nut on both stoppers is a quick step that prevents a frustrating complaint later.
Should I watch the tub drain with the panels off?
Yes. Drain fitting leaks only appear while water is moving, so a full drain with the apron off and a flashlight on the fittings is exactly the right time to look. Photograph the fittings while the water is running out so you have a record from the day of installation.
What if my tub has no TCV?
Not every faucet configuration includes the thermostatic control valve. Where your package does include the TCV, the installer operates it on hot and cold to confirm it mixes correctly before you rely on it. If yours does not, the installer notes that on the form, and the rest of the list still applies in full.
What if my installer skipped some items?
Run the parts of the pre-installation water test that still apply with the walls closed, photograph anything that weeps, note any electrical items you could not verify, and open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with the photos and the serial number so our technical team can guide your installer through the rest.
Does the humming after the pumps stop mean something is wrong?
No. When the ozone sterilization runs by itself it makes a light humming noise, and that sound is normal. Hearing it is actually a good sign, because a working ozone system is one of the sixteen checklist items your installer confirms.

Have the completed checklist in hand and still have a question? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support/new or call (800) 480-6850 and we will help you finish the handover with confidence.

About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.

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