How Do I Rehang a Walk-In Tub Door That Came Off Its Hinges?

If your Ella tub has the brushed stainless steel inward-swing door and it has come off its hinges, rehanging it means lifting the door back onto the hinges that are welded into the stainless steel jamb, because that door is built to lift off by design. Once it is back on, confirm that it swings freely, latches, and pulls evenly into the seal, then fill the tub above the hinge height and check the outside for moisture. That remove, rehang and test sequence is the same one Ella's technical support follows when a door comes off for a hinge repair, as described in Door Still Leaks at the Hinge After Resetting the Hinges: Remove the Door and Reseal Behind the Bottom Hinge.

Why the Stainless Steel Door Is Built to Lift Off

Ella's brushed stainless steel inward-swing door is not screwed into lumber. The door hangs on an integrated stainless steel jamb, the door seal is integrated into that same jamb, and the hinges are welded into the jamb, so there are no small hinge screws that can loosen or fail. The door itself is solid, at roughly 30 pounds, and the video on this page shows it being lifted off the hinges by hand. That lift-off design is intentional. Ella's cleaning guidance says the stainless door is meant to be detached so you can reach behind and beneath it and around the seal, as covered in Cleaning the Glass Shower Screen, Stainless Door, and Chrome Fixtures.

So a stainless door found off its hinges after a cleaning session, a move, or a bump from a family member has not broken anything by coming off. It has simply been lifted past the point where the hinges hold it. The tubs that carry this door are the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe and Ultimate, and the two-seat Companion and Escape, all of which use the custom brushed stainless steel door with a frosted tempered glass panel. Ella's other inward-swing doors, the acrylic S-shape and the aluminum door, and the outward-swing U-shape and L-shape doors are different constructions, and the lift-off guidance on this page is written for the stainless door.

Rehanging the Door, Step by Step

1. Drain the tub if there is any water in it, and dry the door edge, the hinge area and the floor so nothing is slippery while you work.
2. Look at the welded hinges on the jamb and at the matching hinge side of the door before you lift. The door goes back on the side it came from. Swing direction is built into the shell, the door frame and the latch, and it cannot be reversed in the field, as Can My Walk-In Tub Door Be Changed to Swing the Other Way? explains.
3. Lift the door with a straight back, or with a second person if about 30 pounds is more than you want to handle alone, and bring the hinge side of the door to the welded hinges.
4. Lower the door onto the hinges until it seats fully and hangs on its own. It should settle into place the same way it came off, without forcing.
5. Swing the door open and closed a few times. It should move freely without rubbing the jamb.
6. Close the door and turn the long handle to the locked position. The handle on this door is long on purpose, so it works like a torque bar for anyone with arthritis or limited grip, and it clicks into place so you know the door is sealed.

If the door will not seat on the hinges or rubs after it is back on, do not try to correct it at the hinge. The hinges are never the fix for a door that does not close properly. A door that no longer meets the jamb squarely is telling you the tub has moved underneath it, which is handled in the next section.

Checks to Make Once the Door Is Back on

Ella's technical support runs the same checks whenever a door has been off for any reason: confirm alignment, confirm latching, then test with water.

• Handle orientation. The handle faces away from the hinges when unlocked and toward the hinges when locked. A handle fitted the other way will not pull the door tight to the seal. If the handle itself feels loose or wobbles at the pivot, stop and take photos before going further, following What Do I Do If My Walk-In Tub Door Handle Broke Off?.
• Level. Ella tubs have at least six leveling legs, and each must rest solidly on the floor with no gap beneath it. When a leg hangs free the shell bows, the door rubs the jamb, and the gasket may not touch on the lower handle side, which is where most door leaks begin. If the door rubbed before it came off, or rubs now, the correction is at the legs and never at the hinges. How Do I Adjust the Door Latch So the Door Seals Without Forcing? walks through checking every leg.
• Handle tension. There is no separate latch screw to turn. If you must force the handle to lock, the lock nut behind the front apron can be loosened a little at a time. If the handle moves easily but the door never pulls into the seal, tighten it. Put masking tape on the apron edge first, work in small steps, and test the handle after each one.
• Water test. Fill the tub above the hinge height and check the outside of the door and the hinge area for moisture before anyone bathes.

When the Door Came Off Because Something Else Is Wrong

A door that came off on its own, rather than during cleaning, deserves a closer look. The door and handle are designed to carry the door's own weight only, and using either one as a support when getting in or out of the tub strains the hinge and can change the door's alignment. Use the grab bars instead, and if the door sits low or rubs after a rehang, start with the leveling check above.

If the door is back on and aligned but the hinge area still drips during a fill, the water is getting in behind the hinge mounting rather than past the seal. The fix from Ella's technical support is to remove the door again, take off the laminate plate behind the bottom hinge, reseal behind the plate and around the bolt holes, seal the bolt heads, let the silicone cure for the sealant manufacturer's full time, then rehang and retest. If the door is cracked near the hinges, sealant is only a stopgap and a replacement door is the answer.

If your tub has an outward-swing U-shape or L-shape door and it has separated from its hinge, do not force it back. Photograph the hinge, the door edge and the whole door from inside and outside, then contact your Ella dealer, where you purchased, or the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850 with your model and serial number. Ella does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber can do any of this work, and Ella's technical support can answer that person's questions by phone, email or video.

Watch: Walk-In Tub Door Design Built for Maximum Comfort & Convenience: Best/Safest 2020 | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Bent or Loose Door Hinge: Diagnosis, Tightening, and Replacement
• Cracks Spreading Along the Door Near the Hinges or Latches: When a Replacement Door Is the Answer
• Ordering a Complete Replacement Door: What It Includes, What the Team Needs, and How It Installs

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