How do I prepare and carry an Ella walk-in tub up stairs?

Moving an Ella walk-in tub up a flight of stairs starts at ground level: open the crate, inspect the tub, take out the boxed parts, then remove the front apron, the access panels and the end panels before the tub moves anywhere, and carry the bare tub by its stainless steel frame only. Most standard-size single-seat tubs weigh 200 to 240 pounds net and are a two-person carry on a flat floor once stripped, but a staircase calls for extra hands, as Can two people carry an Ella walk-in tub up a flight of stairs? explains. This page puts the whole job in order, from measuring the route to setting the panels back on.

Step 1: Measure the Route Against Two Numbers

Ella tubs ship fully assembled and cannot be taken apart to fit a tight spot, so the route is decided with a tape measure before delivery day, not on the landing. Every spec sheet prints two sets of figures. Shipping size is the crated dimension, and it is the number for the path from the curb to wherever the crate is opened. Actual size is the measured tub, and it is the number for every doorway and hallway the bare tub must pass once the crate is off. What Are Shipping Size and Shipping Weight on a Walk-In Tub? explains the two, and the packaging adds several inches and a good deal of weight to the tub itself.

• Walk the route and write down the narrowest doorway, the tightest turn, any stair landing and the ceiling height over the stairs.
• Compare each against the shipping size if the crate will go up intact, or against the actual size if you will uncrate at the bottom and carry the bare frame.
• A crate that will not clear a landing does not mean the bare tub will not, which is why most stair jobs are uncrated at ground level.
• Work in inches and pounds. The kilogram conversions printed on some sheets are misprints and should not be used.

Will a Crated Walk-In Tub Fit Up Stairs, Through Doorways or in an Elevator? applies the two figures to each kind of obstacle and lists the published sizes by model.

Step 2: Uncrate and Inspect at Ground Level

Freight damage must be claimed within 48 hours of receipt, so the inspection starts at the truck and continues as the crate comes apart. Photograph the crate before it is opened and any mark you find afterward, and keep all the packaging material, because a claim depends on it. The inspection is visual and operational: check the shell, door, panels and fittings by eye, and confirm that the parts move and fit as they should rather than assuming an unmarked crate means an undamaged tub. If you find damage, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 inside that window with the photos and the serial number.

The crate is heavy and awkward in its own right. On the Standard, for example, the crate cover alone takes two people to remove, so plan on at least two people for the uncrating even if the tub will later travel on equipment. Clear a flat, dry area large enough to lay the crate parts down without stepping over them, take out the boxed parts and set them somewhere they will not be kicked, and lift the tub off the skid by the frame.

Step 3: Strip the Panels and Prepare the Tub for the Carry

1. Remove the screw caps that hide the panel fasteners, then unscrew the fasteners with a Phillips head screwdriver.
2. Take off the front apron, the access panels and the end panels, and set them aside flat where nobody will step on them. Keep the screws and caps together so they go back on in the bathroom.
3. Leave the door open or ajar for the carry so nothing presses on the door seal while the tub is tilted or bumped.
4. Protect the underside. The air jets under the tub can break off if the tub is set down on them or dragged, so never rest the bottom on a stair nosing and never slide it across a tread.
5. Keep the front of the tub, where the apron sits, off the floor and the stair treads throughout the move.

Stripping the panels does two things at once. It takes the most easily damaged parts out of harm's way, and it exposes the stainless steel frame so every pair of hands has a solid grip on the one part of the tub that is meant to be lifted.

Step 4: The Carry Itself

Lift and carry only by the stainless steel frame, never by the panels, plumbing, faucet, door or jets. Across the line, net weights run from 160 to 328 pounds and shipped weights from 220 to 531 pounds, with the LayDown60 the lightest shipped unit at 220 pounds and the Big4Two the heaviest at 531 pounds. A single-seat tub in the 200 to 240 pound range is a two-person carry on a flat floor, while the two-seat models sit outside that range and need a larger crew whether or not stairs are involved. On a staircase, add hands beyond the pair that would carry the tub on the flat, keep one person free to watch the landing turn and the ceiling height you measured in step 1, and stop and reset rather than twist the tub around a corner. Once the tub is in the bathroom, set it down on its adjustable leveling legs, and refit the panels only after the plumbing and electrical connections are complete, since the front apron must stay removable for the life of the tub.

If the Stairs Are the Problem

If the route will not work with the crew you have, inside delivery can sometimes be arranged as an added carrier service before the tub ships. It moves the crate to an agreed spot on your property, such as inside a garage, and it does not include placing the tub in the bathroom or any installation work, as White Glove and Inside Delivery Options for a Walk-In Tub Order explains. Describe the steps, their height and the stairs when you ask, because the carrier sets what it will agree to from that description. For a tight spot you want checked before delivery, have the model name, the shipping size from the spec sheet and your own measurements of the doorway, hallway and any stair turn ready when you open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850.

Related Guides

• How Do I Uncrate and Move a Walk-In Tub Without Damaging It?
• Delivery day: inspecting, moving, and preparing your walk-in tub the right way
• Lift Your Walk-In Tub by the Frame, Never by the Grab Bars

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