Can a Walk-In Tub Use the Center Floor Drain From a Freestanding Tub?

In most cases, yes. Ella does not publish a maximum offset, and the tub drain does not have to sit directly over the drain already in your floor: the drain body hangs below the tub floor and can be connected from the left, the right or the center, the T-type drains have ports that let the pipe run in either direction, and the tub can be shifted sideways while your licensed plumber runs PVC beneath it to the existing trap. The one thing a freestanding tub never needed and a walk-in tub does is a wall or a knee wall behind its long back side, so the room layout changes along with the plumbing. How far can the floor drain be offset from the tub drain? covers the drain connection on its own; this page covers what replacing a freestanding tub adds to it.

How the Tub Drain Reaches a Drain That Is Not Directly Beneath It

An Ella walk-in tub is not set down over a rough-in that has to line up exactly. The drain body hangs below the tub floor, and there is space under the tub for the lines that connect it. Because the drain can be connected from the left, the right or the center, and because the T-type drain has ports that let the pipe leave in either direction, your plumber picks the most direct path from the tub drain to the trap that served the freestanding tub and runs PVC beneath the tub to reach it. If the old drain sits to one side of where the tub drain lands, the tub can also be shifted sideways within the space, so its drain is offset from the house drain instead of lined up over it. Ella tub drains go to the floor rather than the wall, so a floor rough-in is the normal case, and a center floor drain is simply a floor rough-in in a less usual spot.

There is no published figure for how far is too far, because the limit is set by the room rather than by the tub. The size and run of your house drain line and the clear space under the tub along the path decide what the plumber can connect, and those can only be measured in your bathroom. Standard house plumbing for a bathtub is an inch and a half drain, as an installer notes in one of Ella's videos. Have your plumber measure the existing line before you order, and give your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 the model name so they can confirm the drain position for that model.

Where the Drains Sit on the Tub You Choose

On single seat Ella tubs the drains sit at the end opposite the door. A right-side door tub has its drains on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, with sides taken as you face the tub. Since the tub drains have to end up on the side nearest your house drain, stand where you will face the finished tub, note which side the center floor drain falls on, and choose the door side to suit it before ordering. The door side is set when the tub is built, so this is the first decision, ahead of the model itself.

The two seat tubs are the exception. Tubs such as the Tub4Two and Big4Two drain in the middle between the facing seats, which places the drain toward the middle of the tub's length rather than at one end. If your old freestanding tub left its drain near the center of the footprint, tell the team which model you are considering so they can confirm where that model's drain lands.

The Wall the Freestanding Tub Never Needed

Ella walk-in tubs are semi freestanding. Every model includes a finished front apron and one reversible end panel, and a second end panel is available so both ends can be exposed. What no Ella model offers is a cover for the long back side opposite the door, so the back of the tub must sit against a wall or against a knee wall your contractor builds, as What Is a Knee Wall Behind a Walk-In Tub? explains. A freestanding tub that stood in open floor leaves you with a choice of layouts rather than one fixed spot.

• Against a single back wall with both ends open, with the second end panel added for a finished look.
• In the middle of the room where the freestanding tub stood, with a framed knee wall behind the back side.
• In a corner, with the included reversible end panel covering the one exposed end.
• In a three wall alcove, where the end panel may not be needed at all.

The knee wall does more than hide the back. Your contractor frames it to the finished height of your model, runs the drain under the tub if the house drain is on the far side, places outlets and shut-off valves within reach of the cords and supply lines, levels the tub with every leg touching the floor, completes the pre-installation water test, and only then closes the wall. The tub does not rely on the wall for support, since it stands on its own stainless steel frame and adjustable leveling legs. Keep the front apron and its access panels reachable, because the pumps, heater and cords live behind them, and do not insulate around the equipment. Finish the knee wall and any tiled side with a tile flange and silicone at every joint, and photograph the framing and shut-off locations before the wall closes. Can the Tub Be Freestanding? Exposed Ends, Second End Panels, and Knee Walls walks through each placement with the end panel video.

Measuring the Space Before You Order

Without an alcove to measure, take the footprint where the tub and its knee wall will stand and compare it with the actual size on the spec sheet rather than the nominal size in the model name, because a tub named 28 inches wide measures 27.5 inches and a tub named 60 inches long can measure 59 inches. How do I measure my bathtub and alcove for a replacement? lists the published ranges: walk-in widths run from 27.5 inches on the Petite to 32 inches on the LayDown72 and the two seat tubs, and heights run from 21 inches on the LayDown 30x60 to 35 inches on the Petite and Elite and 40 inches on the Lounger and Transfer60. Height matters here because it sets where the deck and seat land and what any shower curtain has to clear.

Have your plumber record the drain size, its position relative to where the tub will sit, the run back to the trap, and the clear space available under the tub along that path. With those figures and the model name, the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm the drain position and the door side, and a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a sketch or photo of the room is the easiest way to get a layout checked before you order.

Common Questions