What Is the Shower Column Kit on a Walk-In Tub?
Updated September 2026
The shower column kit is Ella's overhead rain shower option for a walk-in tub. The column installs at the tub deck and is braced to the bathroom wall with adjustable connector rods so it stays rigid in use. The most common question about the kit today concerns those rods: the kit now ships with two shorter connector rods, one adjustable from 2 to 3 inches and one from 3 to 4 inches, which is a change from the longer connectors described in older manuals and in the website description. If your tub will sit farther from the wall than that, plan ahead before installation day.
The Wall Connector Rods
The connector rods bridge the gap between the tub and the wall. Ella has switched to the shorter rods, so a kit ordered now arrives with the 2 to 3 inch rod and the 3 to 4 inch rod, and the current spec sheet reflects that change. Older manuals and the shower column description on the website still describe the longer connectors, and the website text has not yet been updated, so plan around the rods that actually arrive in the box rather than the older description. If the gap between your tub and the wall is wider than 4 inches, for example in an alcove installation with an extension panel, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before your installer arrives. The longer rods are no longer a standard part. The team can check whether any remain in stock, but that cannot be assumed. Rod and column replacement questions are covered in shower column connector rods and replacement column sections.
Measure Before Installation Day
Installers usually discover the rods are too short once the tub is already sitting in place, which is the hardest moment to fix it. Measure the distance from the edge of the tub deck to the wall where the column will be braced, in inches, while the tub can still be repositioned. If that distance falls within the 2 to 4 inch range the supplied rods cover, the kit installs as shipped. If it is wider, send the measurement to the team before the installer's visit so the options can be sorted out in advance rather than on the day.
What to Know as an Owner
A drip from the column after the water is shut off is explained in why the shower column drips after shutoff, and hand shower problems are covered in hand shower, hose and diverter troubleshooting. For any shower column question, have your model and serial number, the tub-to-wall gap in inches, and a photo of the column and its deck connection ready. Ella ships the parts, and a local licensed plumber or your installer handles the fitting.
Related Guides
Common Questions
Which connector rods come with the shower column kit?
Are longer connector rods available for a wider gap?
Why does the website still list the longer connectors?
What should I do if my tub sits 6 inches from the wall?
What information should I include when I ask about connector rods?
Still Need Help?
Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.
About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.
Did this solve your question?
If not, open a ticket and our team will pick it up from here.
Open a Support Ticket
Videos