Video Guide: Installing a Replacement Door Seal, Including the LayDown Glass Door

Installing a replacement door seal on an Ella's Bubbles walk-in tub is a hand-tool job: adhesive remover to help the gasket slide, a plastic spatula to seat it, and diagonal cutters for a few relief cuts at the curves. The LayDown glass door uses its own seal and has its own support video, but the working principles are the same: the gasket must sit fully in its channel along the whole loop, the ends must finish cleanly, any silicone must cure before the tub is filled, and the door is water-tested for 20 minutes and then left ajar.

When a New Seal Is the Right Fix

Replace the seal only after the quick checks have been done, because most door leaks are not seal failures. Clean the gasket and the frame with rubbing alcohol, squeeze and reform any flattened section, reseat any part that has popped out of the groove, confirm every leveling leg is firmly on the floor, and leave the door ajar for about a day before refilling. The full first-check order is in water at the door: what to check first. If the gasket is torn, permanently deformed or keeps working out of the channel after reseating, send photos through ellasbubbles.com/support. The seal is covered by the Lifetime Limited Warranty, and after verification the replacement ships to the original customer address.

Step by Step: Replacing a Walk-In Tub Door Seal

The video shows the full procedure on an Ella door. In summary: Watch: How To Install a Walk-In Tub Door Seal (Step-By-Step) with chapters and a full transcript.

1. Spray adhesive remover onto the gasket. It lets the seal slide more easily into the door channel.
2. Seat the gasket with a spatula. Gently press the seal into the groove and keep going until it is fully seated. Do not use a metal tool that could scratch the door.
3. Make four V-shaped relief cuts at the outer curves. Where the gasket bends around the outer edge of the door, use diagonal cutters to make four V-shaped cuts so the seal can follow the curve without bunching. Keep the cuts above the gasket reach line shown in the video. Where the door bends inward, a straight vertical cut is all that is needed.
4. Continue to the end and finish. Keep applying adhesive remover and guiding the gasket into place with the spatula, then make a small angled cut at the end point so the tip of the gasket slightly overlaps but is fully inserted into the groove.
5. Water test. Lock the door, fill to a normal bathing level, and watch the seal line for 20 minutes.

The full written version of this procedure, together with routine seal care, is in caring for your door seal: cleaning, reseating and replacing the gasket. If the seal has a history of working loose, a thin bead of silicone in the channel keeps it in place. Let the bead set for 20 minutes before inserting the gasket and allow 24 hours for it to dry before filling the tub. The silicone the team recommends is GE Advanced Silicone 2 Kitchen and Bath, clear.

The LayDown Glass Door

LayDown60 and LayDown72 tubs have a tempered glass inward-swing door in an aluminum frame with a safety close handle and a single bar lock that lifts up and down. The LayDown seal is a different part from the walk-in tub gaskets above, so mention your model and serial number when you request it, and use the LayDown-specific video that the team sends for these tubs. Day-to-day use of this door is covered in operating and caring for the LayDown glass door.

This is a short support clip, so follow along with the picture. It shows the LayDown seal being removed from the aluminum door frame and the new seal being worked into place around the frame, with attention to the corners and to keeping the seal fully in its channel. If the new seal seems longer than the channel or stands proud at one end, it is usually not seated all the way around; repeat the reinstallation procedure from the video, and if it still will not sit flush, send the team a photo of exactly where it is coming out of the groove. Once it is aligned, allow any silicone to cure, lock the door, fill the tub and check the seal line for 20 minutes, then leave the door ajar until the next bath.

Glass Door Versus Stainless Steel Door

• Stainless steel inward doors (Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion, Escape) have an integrated stainless jamb and the gasket sits in the door channel. The step-by-step video above applies directly.
• The LayDown glass door sits in an aluminum frame and uses a lift-up bar lock rather than a rotating handle. Alignment of the seal in the aluminum frame is everything, so use the LayDown clip.
• Outward U-shape and L-shape doors compress their gasket with a gear-and-shaft lock. The maintenance video covers seal care on both inward and outward doors; before replacing an outward-door seal, ask the team which video applies to your door, and confirm the handle orientation is correct afterward using the door latch and handle guide.

Every door clip, listed by door family, is in our door video library.

Common Questions

For anything specific to your model or serial number, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850, and please attach photos so the team can help you quickly.