What Kind of Defect Does a Clearance Walk-In Tub Actually Have?

The defect on a clearance walk-in tub is almost always cosmetic: a small scratch, a dent, a blemish or an off color shell on a tub that is fully functional and passed the same Chicago inspection as a regular order. Each listing describes the flaw on that one unit, identified by its serial number, and the single exception is the Handyman Special, which is sold as is because its door leaks from a manufacturing defect. How Do Clearance Tubs Work: The Defect, Photos, Payment and Pickup? walks through the whole process around a clearance unit; this page stays with the flaw itself, what it looks like, how it is disclosed, and what it means once the tub is in your bathroom.

Three Reasons a Tub Lands on the Clearance Page

It helps to know that not every clearance unit is damaged. A clearance walk-in tub, also called a warehouse tub or clearance unit, is a specific Ella tub that falls into one of three groups, and only the first involves a mark on the shell.

• A minor cosmetic imperfection. The tub came back to the Chicago warehouse with a small scratch, dent, blemish or off color area. This is the group most people picture when they hear the word clearance.
• Overstock. The tub has nothing wrong with it. It was built and is sitting in the warehouse without an order attached to it.
• A configuration that did not match an order. The tub is fully working but was built with a drain side, therapy package or option set that an order did not end up needing.

In the second and third groups there is no physical defect at all. What those tubs share with the scratched unit is that each one is a single physical tub rather than a made-to-order build, so it is offered exactly as described and never modified. The listing tells you which group your tub belongs to, which is why What Is a Clearance Walk-In Tub? asks you to read it closely before you commit.

What a Cosmetic Flaw Actually Looks Like

When a clearance tub does carry a flaw, the sources describe it the same way every time: a small scratch, a dent, a blemish or an off color shell, on a unit that is otherwise fully functional. One current listing, for example, notes acrylic damage on the tub deck that will not affect the tub's performance. The deck is the flat top surface around the bathing well, so a mark there is visible when you look down at the tub but has nothing to do with the door, the drains or the equipment underneath.

Two things follow from the flaw being cosmetic. First, it is not modified, refinished or repaired before the unit leaves the warehouse. Clearance and fixed units are sold as configured and are never changed or upgraded, and that rule covers the surface as much as it covers the jets. The scratch you see in the listing is the scratch that arrives. Second, the mark does not affect performance. Every clearance tub passes the same Chicago inspection as a regular order, and that inspection is how the team documents exactly what is different about the unit. A cosmetic clearance tub fills, seals, drains and runs its therapy systems like the same model built to order.

You do not have to take the written description on trust. Each listing carries photos, a written description and often a short video showing the flaw. If you want a closer look, the team can show you the mark over live video chat and send you images of it before you decide. Judge the scratch from those photos and that video, and keep them with your paperwork.

The Handyman Special Is a Different Kind of Defect

One category on the clearance page is not cosmetic, and it is labeled so you can tell. A unit marked Handyman Special has a door leak that is a manufacturing defect. It cannot be repaired, it is not covered, and the unit is sold as is. The intended use is a walk-in shower installation with a shower screen fitted, where the door never needs to hold water, so the leak never matters.

This label changes what the word defect means for that tub. On a regular clearance unit, a door that drips after installation is a normal leveling or seal check, not a permanent condition, and the usual adjustments apply: every leg touching the floor with no gap, the seal cleaned with rubbing alcohol and reshaped by hand if shipping flattened it, and no weight resting on the door. On a Handyman Special the leak was disclosed on the listing and no adjustment will cure it. My Clearance Tub Was Sold With a Door Leak. Can It Be Fixed? shows how to tell the two situations apart from the listing you kept with your invoice.

What the Defect Means for the Warranty

The defect also decides how the warranty line on your listing reads. On a regular clearance or open box unit, the original warranty still applies, except for the damaged or repaired surface area described in the listing. Some listings carry their own warranty line instead, such as a limited parts warranty of a stated number of years, and some carry none. Whatever that line says governs the tub, rather than the standard Lifetime Limited Warranty that comes with a built-to-order unit. For the full component list under the standard terms, see Is This Covered Under My Walk-In Tub Warranty? and then read your listing to see which parts of it your unit keeps.

On a Handyman Special, the door leak is excluded outright because it is the disclosed defect. Lifetime technical support is the one thing that does not change in any category. It comes with every Ella tub regardless of the warranty line, so a clearance owner opens a ticket with the serial number and invoice the same way a built-to-order owner does.

Checking the Defect Against the Listing on Delivery Day

Because the listing is the record of what is wrong with the tub, treat it as part of the order. Before you commit, note the serial number, the drain side, the therapy package, the stated imperfection and the warranty line, confirm the size against the model's specification sheet, and check the door side against your house drain. Keep a copy of the listing with your invoice.

When the tub arrives, compare it against its listing during the delivery inspection. The scratch or dent should be where the photos showed it and no larger. Anything unexpected, such as a mark that is not in the listing or damage to a part the listing called sound, should be noted before you sign the delivery paperwork, because the listing is what separates a disclosed cosmetic flaw from new damage. If you need a feature the listed tub does not have, such as a heated seat, jets or a particular door side, a clearance unit cannot be changed to provide it; a standard order is the way to get it, and the team can also watch the page for the configuration you need since stock changes often.

Related Guides

• Clearance and Warehouse Tubs: What Is Different, What Is Final, and What Warranty Applies
• Can optional upgrades be added to a clearance walk-in tub?
• Confirming What a Clearance Tub Includes by Serial Number: Model, Size, Door Side, Therapies and Faucet

Common Questions