Is a loose grab bar covered under warranty, and how is it replaced?

The Ella's Bubbles Lifetime Limited Warranty is a parts warranty. It covers defects in workmanship and material on the tub and its supporting equipment, including fixtures and all plated finishes, and verified replacement parts ship under it while labor never does. A grab bar that comes loose is therefore reviewed in two steps: whether the bar or its mounting failed on its own or was pulled loose by how it was installed or handled, and then which replacement fits your tub, since interior bars are matched by the spacing of the holes already drilled rather than by a part number, as Replacement Interior Grab Bars: Matching the Hole Spacing on Your Tub explains. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with photos and your model number, and the team confirms how the warranty applies to your specific tub.

What the Warranty Covers, and What It Leaves Out

The published Lifetime Limited Warranty covers the bathtub shell, frame, door, door seal and finish, and all supporting equipment, including fixtures and plated finishes, for the first purchaser at the original installation address. It is a parts warranty. After verification, Ella's Bubbles ships the replacement part to the original customer's address, and it does not pay for removal, replacement or installation labor, so an installer's bill for refitting a bar is not reimbursed even when the bar itself is covered. Two exclusions matter for grab bars in particular. Improper or negligent installation is excluded, so a bar that pulled loose because of how it was mounted falls outside the warranty. Modifications and repairs by anyone other than Ella's Bubbles are excluded too, which is why a bar from another supplier fitted in the factory holes carries only its own maker's warranty. Ella's Bubbles is also not bound by warranty promises made by dealers, retailers or contractors, and the warranty is put in force only once the activation form signed by you and your installer has been returned. None of this is a ruling on your bar. The team reviews the photos and tells you where your case lands.

How Grab Bars Are Mounted on an Ella Tub

Ella tubs carry two kinds of bars. Interior grab bars are drilled into the tub at the factory, so the holes are already in place and their spacing is fixed. The deck-mount grab bar ships loose in the parts box packed inside the crate, along with the door handle, and your installer mounts it on site. It fastens through two holes in the acrylic deck, with washers seated against the shell on the far side of the mounting, and each fastener is finished with a watertight seal. Those holes are placed at the factory to match the standard bar, which is why any replacement has to match them exactly or be fitted by opening them up slightly. The bars are anchored to steady a person while stepping in, sitting down and standing up. They were never meant to carry the tub, and Lift Your Walk-In Tub by the Frame, Never by the Grab Bars explains that prying on them can loosen the mounting, crack the acrylic around the holes or bend the bar itself. The correct lifting point is the tubular stainless steel frame beneath the shell.

Why a Bar Comes Loose

• The tub was lifted, carried or tilted by its grab bars during delivery or installation, which stresses the mounting points and the acrylic around them.
• A washer was lost or worn, or a fastener was never seated against the shell with a watertight seal, so the bar was not held the way the mounting is designed.
• The thread on a mounting screw has stripped, or the bar has bent. The team asks you to photograph both because the photo shows what went wrong.
• A bar from another supplier was fitted in the factory holes and its spacing did not match exactly, so a fastener could not seat properly.
• Hardware was removed for plating or refinishing and was not reinstalled snugly with its gasket and checked for leaks.

Whatever the cause, stop using the bar for support until it has been refitted or replaced, and have a plumber or installer look at it rather than tightening it blindly.

Re-Securing a Bar That Is Still Sound

If the bar is straight and the threads are intact, your plumber or installer can usually refit it using the holes already in the tub. Have them remove the bar, keep its washers, check the acrylic around the holes for cracks, and remount the bar with the washers seated against the shell and a watertight seal at each fastener. Tighten snugly, then check for leaks around every mounting point before the tub goes back into service. If a washer is lost or worn, ask the team for a matching replacement washer rather than substituting one from a hardware store. If the thread is stripped, the bar is bent or the acrylic around a hole is cracked, stop there and open a ticket, because those are the cases where a replacement bar, and possibly a slightly wider span, is the right fix. Ella's Bubbles does not send technicians. It ships the part, and your local plumber or installer does the labor. Removing Grab Bars, the Door Handle and Controls for Custom Plating or Refinishing describes how the hardware comes off and goes back on when it is removed deliberately, and the same care applies to a repair.

Getting a Replacement Bar

1. Remove the existing grab bar if it is still mounted, or measure across the mounts if it has already come off.
2. Lay a tape measure across the two holes and photograph it so the center-to-center distance is readable.
3. Photograph the bar itself if it is damaged, for example a bent bar or a stripped thread on the mounting screw.
4. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, or call (800) 480-6850, with the photos, your model and serial number, where the tub was purchased and your shipping address.
5. The team checks stock, tells you the closest span available and whether the holes need widening, which your plumber can do with a drill, and ships the bar once you confirm.

Stock of individual spans varies. If the team does not have your exact spacing, it offers the nearest span and tells you whether the holes need to be opened up slightly. If no loose bars are in stock at all, the team may offer a bar taken from a tub already built in the Chicago facility, whose visible part is in good condition though the screw side may carry some silicone and debris that cleans off before installation, or it can order a bar from the supplier. The team can send a photo of the bar on offer first. A bar that arrived bent or loosened in shipping is a freight matter and must be reported within 48 hours of receipt. If you are considering a bar from another supplier instead, Can Ella Factory-Install a Grab Bar From Another Supplier? explains why its hole spacing must match the factory holes exactly and why that swap is a modification outside the warranty.

Related Guides

• How do I add a grab bar without cracking the tub acrylic?
• Which Screws to Use for a Grab Bar on the Tub, and Why You Must Pre-Drill
• Does Drilling Holes for a Faucet or Grab Bars Void the Ella Warranty? Pre-Drilled Holes, Reinforced Walls and Choosing an Installer

Common Questions