Where Can I Find a One-Piece Tub and Shower Combo Unit?

Ella's Bubbles does not build a tub and shower combo as a separate one-piece model. Every Ella walk-in tub with an Ella deck-mount fast-fill faucet can be used as a shower, and the optional shower column kit adds an overhead rain shower, so the combo is put together from a tub, a faucet set and a column chosen through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Where can I buy a walk-in tub shower combo with professional installation? covers the full order, and this page explains what replaces the one-piece unit you may be searching for and how the pieces go together.

Why There Is No Single One-Piece Unit to Look for

When people search for a one-piece tub and shower combo, they usually want one product that lets them soak and shower in the same space. In the Ella line that product is a walk-in tub that showers, not a separate combo model. Ella's Bubbles is the manufacturer, its walk-in tubs are assembled in America at its facility in Chicago, and none of them is listed as a dedicated combo. Two pieces turn any of them into a shower, and they are chosen with the tub when you place your order.

The good news is that this gives you more choice, not less. You are not limited to one combo size. You start with the walk-in tub that fits your bathroom and your bather, then add the showering pieces to it. What Is the Best Walk-In Tub and Shower Combo? explains how to pick that starting tub, including the two-seat models. The Tub4Two and the Companion, for example, come with a 2-piece fast-fill faucet set, so they work as shower combos the same way the single-seat tubs do.

The Pieces That Make an Ella Tub a Shower Combo

A combo order is a short list of parts that work as one system once the tub is installed:

• The walk-in tub. The model, door side, therapy package, faucet and accessories are confirmed with your Ella dealer or the team before the tub is built and tested.
• A 2-piece or 5-piece fast-fill faucet set. Both include an extendable multi-function hand shower, so you can rinse while seated even without a column.
• The shower column kit. It is made for walk-in tubs with deck mounted faucets and connects to either faucet set. It adds a height adjustable multi-function hand shower that tilts and swivels in several directions and detaches easily, plus a large overhead rain shower head that pivots and swivels for a standing or seated shower.
• A four-fold glass screen. It is optional, and it keeps shower spray inside the tub while you stand or sit. Mention it when you order, because the tub, faucet, column and screen are chosen together.

The shower column video on this page shows the system in use. Push the diverter button on the 2-piece faucet set, or turn the diverter handle on the 5-piece set, and you have a five-setting hand shower. Engage the diverter for the shower head and the overhead rain shower comes on. The rain head adjusts in height, with a maximum of approximately 90 inches and 14 inches of available adjustment to bring it down to approximately 76 inches. The individual fixtures, and which ones your plumber supplies, are sorted out in Where Can I Buy Tub and Shower Combo Faucet Fixtures?

How the Column Attaches to the Tub and the Wall

Because the combo is assembled, it helps to know how the column becomes part of the tub. The second video on this page shows the shower column going onto a tub with a 5-piece faucet set, and the sequence is a good one to share with your installer:

1. The hand shower receptacle is removed from the deck, and the pre-drilled hole it leaves is used for the shower column base.
2. The rubber washer, metal washer and locking collar come off the base. A little silicone is added, the base goes into the hole, and the washers and locking collar go back on. The set screws are tightened without over torquing them.
3. The height of the shower column base is set. The video recommends a height of 7 inches.
4. The riser tube screws onto the base, hand tight and then one quarter to one half turn with a wrench.
5. The one half inch shower supply line connects to the bottom side of the base unit, and its other end attaches to the diverter.
6. The mounting brackets for the riser are adjusted with an allen wrench to suit the wall, to a maximum of 2 and a half inches out or 1 and 3/8 inches in. A rubber gasket goes into each mounting plate before the bracket is attached.
7. The column is checked so it is perfectly level, and the brackets are attached to the shower wall.
8. The rain shower attaches to the riser tube. The hand shower connects with an adapter nut and the flexible shower hose, hand tight and then one quarter to one half turn with a wrench, and the hand shower sits in its holder.

Steps 2 and 5 are the reason timing matters. The base is secured and the supply line is connected from underneath the deck, which means the installer needs access to the back side of the tub. That is why the kit is installed prior to the final installation of the walk-in tub.

What to Decide Before You Order

A molded one-piece unit arrives with every decision already made. An Ella combo lets you make those decisions yourself, and a few of them need to be settled early:

• The column. Decide on it when you place your order so it can be fitted before the tub is set in place.
• The faucet set. The column connects to the 2-piece or 5-piece fast-fill set, and the diverter works differently on each, a button on the 2-piece and a handle on the 5-piece.
• The wall behind the column. The brackets fasten to your shower wall, so the finished wall surface should be planned along with the tub.
• Spray control. Choose the four-fold glass screen at the same time if you plan to shower standing.
• Installation. Ella's Bubbles does not install the tub. A local licensed plumber or electrician does the work, and the tub ships nationwide from the Chicago facility, so where you live does not limit which model you can order.

If length is your main concern, Is there a walk-in tub and shower combo six feet long? lists the Ella tubs by length, up to a full 72 inches.

If You Want a Shower Without the Tub

Some shoppers looking for a one-piece unit decide a shower alone suits them better. Ella's Bubbles also offers walk-in showers. An Ella shower kit ships with the stall, the grab bar set listed for that kit, and the drain. It does not include a shower head, a hand shower, a mixing valve or valve trim, and the wall arrives without a valve cutout, so your plumber selects the valve and cuts the openings. Where Can I Buy an Ella Walk-In Tub or Shower? describes both paths, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can help you compare them for your bathroom.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles Shower Column Installation With A 5 Piece Faucet Set with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Can you add a shower head to an Ella walk-in tub?
• Ella Fast-Fill Faucets: 2-Piece vs 5-Piece, Finishes, and the Waterfall Option
• Do You Sell Folding Glass Shower Screens for a 60 Inch Walk-In Tub?

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