Can a Different Handle Style Replace the Curved Stainless Door Handle?

No alternative handle styles are offered for the curved handle on an Ella stainless steel inward-swing door, because Ella door handles are matched parts rather than a menu of interchangeable designs. The inward-swing stainless door uses a chrome locking handle, the outward-swing composite U-shape and L-shape doors carry a paddle or T bar handle that sits on tabs over the latch mechanism, and those styles are not swapped between doors. Is My Tub Door Inward or Outward Swing, and Which Door Do I Have? settles which door you have, and this page explains what that means for the handle, how to tell a loose handle from a broken one, and what the support team needs before a replacement ships.

Why the Handle Is Tied to the Door

On a walk-in tub the handle is not decorative hardware that can be swapped for taste. It is the lever that drives the locking mechanism, and each Ella door platform locks in its own way.

• On the stainless steel inward-swing door, the interior chrome locking handle pulls the door into its seal. Once the tub starts to fill, the weight of the water presses the door even more firmly into place, and the door will not open until the tub has completely drained.
• On the outward-swing U-shape door, turning the handle drives a three-latch gear and shaft mechanism, and the latches act together with the gasket, which compresses as the door is locked.
• On the L-shape Transfer door, a two-latch gear and shaft mechanism does the same job, with the handle on the front face of the door.

Because the handle on an outward door sits on tabs directly over that gear and shaft latch mechanism, and the handle on an inward door belongs to a different locking system entirely, a handle from one platform has nothing to engage on the other. That is why the answer to the question is the same handle, supplied for your door, rather than a catalog of shapes. The full mechanics of the outward family are in How do outward-swinging walk-in tub doors work on Ella tubs?.

Which Handle Your Tub Has

The model name decides the door, and the door decides the handle. Ella's door video, shown on this page, walks through the three main styles: the inward-swing stainless door with its interior chrome locking handle, the outward-swing U-shape door, and the L-shape outward door.

Read the table from left to right and the practical point is clear. If your tub is an Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion or Escape, the curved handle you are looking at is the chrome locking handle for the stainless inward door, and a paddle or T bar handle from the outward family will not fit it. If your tub is in the outward U-shape or L-shape family, the paddle or T bar handle is the one that matches your latch count, and the stainless door's handle will not fit there. Where a cell says not listed, Ella's published material does not name the handle, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 confirms it from your model.

Before Ordering, Check Whether the Handle Has Worked Loose

A handle that wobbles, turns too far, or no longer pulls the door tight has often simply worked loose from its latch mechanism rather than failed. A loose handle can usually be reseated and tightened at home, which is worth doing before anything is ordered. Ella's chrome handle adjustment video, shown on this page, covers the inward-door handle in four steps.

1. Remove the front apron to reach the handle hardware from below the deck.
2. Locate the protective cap and remove it.
3. Loosen the locking nut to reduce the handle's tension, or tighten it to add tension.
4. Adjust in small steps until the handle turns with the right resistance and pulls the door into the seal, then replace the cap and the apron.

On the outward-swing doors the handle sits on tabs over the latch mechanism, so a loose paddle or T bar handle is reseated onto those tabs and tightened. Work gently and leave the door alignment as it was set, because both door platforms are covered as parts under Ella's lifetime limited warranty as long as the door alignment is left as set. If you are not comfortable removing the apron, your installer or a local licensed plumber can do it, and the team can answer questions by phone or ticket while the work is done.

When the Handle Really Needs Replacing

Two symptoms point to a replacement rather than an adjustment: a handle that is cracked, or a locking bolt that will no longer hold the door tight no matter how the tension is set. In either case Ella's technical support confirms the exact part from three things before anything ships.

• Your model name, which decides the door platform and therefore the handle.
• Your serial number, found on the label behind the magnetic access panel next to the door.
• A clear photo of the handle, showing the crack or the way it sits on the door.

Send those through ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Ella does not send technicians, so the replacement handle ships to you and your installer or a local licensed plumber fits it, with the support team available by phone or ticket. Because the glass in both door platforms is a panel set inside a structural frame, a handle problem does not point to a door problem. How Reliable and Durable Is a Walk-In Tub Glass Door? explains why the frame, latches and seal carry the load rather than the glass.

If Handle Location Is the Real Question

Some owners ask about a different handle because they want the handle somewhere else, on the outside of the door rather than inside the tub, or lower on the door. That is a door family choice, not a handle choice. The stainless inward door is released from inside the tub, the U-shape and L-shape outward doors are released from the bathroom side, and each family brings its own clearance needs: the U-shape door swings about 165 degrees into the room, and Ella's door video gives 21 inches of clearance for the outward U-shape door and 36.5 inches for the L-shaped door. How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family lists the printed opening widths and swing arcs if you are choosing a tub rather than repairing one.

Related Guides

• Door Handle Loose, Wobbly or Hard to Turn: Tightening the Bolt Under the Cap and Adjusting the Lock Nut
• Bent or Loose Door Hinge: Diagnosis, Tightening, and Replacement
• Door seal or gasket looks worn, loose, or leaks: care, repair, and replacement

Common Questions