How Reliable Is a Walk-In Tub With a Glass Shower Wall?

A glass shower wall on an Ella walk-in tub is the folding tempered glass screen, and its reliability depends far less on the glass than on the frame that carries it, the rubber gasket that seals it to the tub deck and how level the wall channel was set on installation day. The glass is a panel held in a chrome ionized aluminum frame, in the same way the glass in a tub door is a panel set inside a structural frame, so a screen is no more fragile than the door covered in How Reliable and Durable Is a Walk-In Tub Glass Door?. When a screen leaks or a gasket wears, the cause is almost always height, level or the wrong cleaner, and every wearing part on the screen is sold as a replacement part.

What the Glass Wall on an Ella Tub Actually Is

Ella does not build a fixed glass wall into its walk-in tubs. The glass beside the tub is an accessory screen that mounts to the side wall when the tub sits in a corner or an alcove, and it can be added after the tub is installed. The standard version is the 4-fold screen, also called the folding glass screen, accordion screen or four-panel bath screen. It measures 44 inches wide by 42 inches high, its panels are 1/8 inch tempered clear glass joined by PVC geared hinges, and the frame is chrome ionized aluminum. A knob on each side lets you open it from inside or outside the tub, the four panels fold accordion style flat against the wall when you are not showering, and the whole screen pivots 90 degrees at the wall channel so you can step through the tub door. What Is the 4-Fold Shower Screen on a Walk-In Tub? describes the part itself; this page is about how it holds up in daily use.

Because the glass is tempered and every panel is framed and hinged rather than free standing, no single sheet is asked to carry a load or hold back water. That is the same reason a tub door with a glass panel is as reliable as a solid door. On the screen, the structural work is done by the aluminum frame, the geared hinges and the wall channel, and the glass simply keeps spray where it belongs.

Where the Water Seal Really Lives

The seal on a glass screen is not the glass and not the hinges. It is an inward-angled rubber gasket that runs along the bottom of the screen and brushes the tub deck lightly and evenly. That one detail decides whether the screen stays dry, which is why the height and level of the wall channel matter more than anything else about the installation:

• Set too low, the gasket drags on the deck and gets damaged.
• Set too high, water escapes underneath the screen.
• Angled outward instead of inward toward the tub, the gasket sends water onto the floor instead of back into the tub.

The installation video on this page shows how a lasting seal is built. The installer measures where the wall channel will sit, sets it at perfect level, marks and drills the holes, taps in the anchors and tightens the screws with a little lag before hand tightening the final turns so nothing is over torqued. The gasket is then slid into the channel at the bottom of the screen, with a little silicone lubrication if needed, anchored at the wall end by tying a knot in the loose end and tucking it into the plastic corner, and anchored at the open end with an end cap molding and two seal caps before the excess is trimmed. Only then is the screen placed on the channel to confirm the proper height and level. A screen installed this way seals on the first day and keeps sealing, because nothing about the gasket changes unless it is dragged or attacked with the wrong cleaner.

What Wears Out, and What Does Not

Owners asking about reliability usually want to know what they will be replacing over the years. On an Ella screen the wearing items are the rubber gasket, the knobs and, after an impact, a glass panel. All three are supplied as replacement parts for glass shower screens and doors. The aluminum frame and the PVC geared hinges are not treated as consumables.

Cleaning is the other place a glass wall is won or lost. Clean the glass with warm soapy water and a lint-free cloth after use. Never use alcohol, petroleum liquids or chemical cleaners on the screen, and never anything gritty. Those products do their damage to the gasket and the finish rather than to the glass, and the gasket is the seal.

If water appears at the bottom of the screen after months of dry use, the remedy is the same as the installation check: level the screen, set the height so the gasket seats on the deck, and confirm the rubber gasket is angled inward toward the tub. If the gasket itself is torn or flattened, it is replaced rather than repaired.

The Limits a Glass Wall Cannot Get Around

The screen is reliable at what it is designed to do and cannot do what it was not designed for. Ella screens are alcove screens. They mount on the wall side away from any extension panel, and they cannot close off an open end of the tub. If your tub sits against only two walls, staff have suggested framing a wall on the open side or hanging a shower curtain on a curved rod that turns the corner, as Can You Use a Shower Curtain With a Walk-In Shower? explains.

Coverage is the second limit. The 4-fold screen is 44 inches wide, so on a 60 inch tub it leaves an opening of about 16 inches at the standing end. In a 60 inch alcove where a 52 inch tub uses an extension panel, one section is removed to make the 32 inch wide 3-fold screen, which is how the screen fits the layout described in What Is an Alcove Installation for a Walk-In Tub?. A curtain covers the whole length of the tub and slides out of the way; the glass screen covers the seated end where spray from a hand shower actually lands. Many households use both.

Plan the screen together with the swivel tray if your tub has one. The tray rotates out of the way for entry and exit, and if the two are planned separately the tray cannot swing without hitting the screen. What Are My Options If My Swivel Tray Broke or Does Not Fit? covers how to position the two so they clear each other.

What to Have Ready If the Screen Leaks

Most screen tickets are solved with a level and a height adjustment, so start there. If the leak continues, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your tub model and serial number, whether the screen is set up as 4-fold or 3-fold, and a photo of the gasket and of where the water appears. Replacement gaskets, knobs and glass panels ship as parts, and your installer fits them using the same steps the video shows.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: 4 Fold Glass Door Installation Video with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Why Does My Shower Screen Gasket Have a Gap and Spray Water?
• How Do I Fix a 4-Fold Shower Screen That Leaks or Will Not Fold Flat?

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