What should I know before installing a walk-in bathtub?

Before installing a walk-in bathtub, settle four things: the finished size of the opening and the delivery path, which side the door and the drains will fall on, who will do the work, and which choices are locked in when the tub is ordered rather than on installation day. Ella's Bubbles builds the tub and supports your installer for the life of the tub, but a licensed local plumber and electrician do the installation, and a few decisions cannot be undone once the tub is drilled at the factory. How big is a standard bathtub, and how do you measure yours? covers the measuring in detail, and this page pulls the rest of the pre-installation checklist together.

Measure the Opening, the Path in and the Drain Side

A standard bathtub alcove is commonly 60 inches long, and that finished length between the walls, not the size of the old tub, decides what fits. Record the length between the finished walls at both ends of the alcove, the width from the back wall to the front edge, and the height from the floor to the bottom of any window sill. Compare those three figures with the actual size printed on the spec sheet of the model you are considering, never with the name on the brochure. The Ella Petite is marketed as a 28 inch tub but measures 27.5 inches wide by 52 inches long by 35 inches tall, and the Ella Elite measures 30 inches wide by 52 inches long by 35 inches tall.

• A tub shorter than 60 inches includes an extension panel that closes the gap to the end wall, so a 52 inch model goes into a 60 inch alcove and still looks finished.
• Measure every doorway and hallway on the delivery route. A crated tub is larger than the tub itself. The Escape, for example, ships in a crate measuring 40 by 76 by 49 inches at 398 pounds.
• Note which side the existing house drain is on. On every Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains are on opposite sides as you face the tub, so a right-side door puts the drains on the left and a left-side door puts them on the right. Choose the door side so the drains land near the house drain.

Who Installs It, and What Ella Provides

Ella's Bubbles manufactures walk-in tubs and never performs or charges for installation, and you are never required to purchase installation from anyone. Hire a licensed, experienced local contractor who knows your local building requirements and codes. Any licensed plumber and electrician can install an Ella tub by following the installation manuals, and certification by Ella is not required. If you are handy, much of a self-install is within reach, but the electrical connection always goes to a licensed electrician. Who Installs My Walk-in Tub? Hiring a Licensed Contractor and How Ella Supports Them explains how to find someone if you do not have a contractor in mind.

• Complete installation manuals and specification sheets for every model are on each product page's Downloads tab, and an installation requirements checklist summarizes them on one page. Hand these to your installer before they give you a written estimate.
• Free lifetime technical support by phone and email covers you and your contractor, and live video chat is available on request so the team can see the tub and lead the installer in the right direction.
• If you need an installer, the team at (800) 480-6850 can reach out to a local company from Ella's nationwide network, including Angi Pro. Share the installation address and the tub you are considering.
• Labor pricing is set by the contractor, not by Ella, so ask the installers you are considering for written estimates.

Decisions That Are Locked in When You Order

When you place an order, the tub is pulled with your name on it and drilled at the factory for the faucet and the features you selected. The video on this page walks through the faucet choices, including the two-piece and five-piece high-flow faucets and a thermostatic faucet, and makes the point that the tub is drilled for whatever faucet you select. That is why the faucet, the door side and the therapy package need to be settled before the order is placed, not on installation day.

• Door side sets drain side. Confirm the door hand against the location of your house drain before ordering.
• A wall-mounted faucet is wall work. On the Ella Waterfall faucet the hot and cold supplies are roughed into the wall at the faucet body's centers by a licensed plumber before the wall surface is closed and tiled, with solid blocking where the body and the slide bar mounts will land. Ask for the dimensioned drawing from the specification sheet before the wall is framed and plan reachable shut-off valves. The Waterfall Wall-Mount Faucet: Installation Overview, Slider Bar, Finishes and Fill Expectations lists what is in that package.
• The LayDown60 is never sold with a factory faucet and has no faucet option, so it needs a pre-existing or customer-supplied wall-mounted faucet. The LayDown72 is faucet-ready and offers optional Ella deck-mount faucets. Plan the plumbing around the faucet you will actually have.

Plumbing, Electrical and the Walls

Ella's LayDown installation guide gives drain advice worth following on any tub: verify that the house drain flows freely before connecting the tub, because a tub drain cannot guarantee fast drainage if the house drain does not function properly. Keep the run as straight as possible, since fewer turns mean less resistance and faster drainage, connect the overflow, and check both during the first fill and the first full drain. Installing the LayDown Tubs, Part 2: The Single 2 Inch Drain, Faucet by Size, Electrical, Therapy Controls and Wall Finishing shows that sequence for the LayDown family. Each therapy system needs its own dedicated electrical line, installed by a licensed electrician.

Plan the wall work at the same time. Extra grab bars belong on the walls, anchored into the framing, never drilled into the tub. Following ADA practice, horizontal bars go 33 to 36 inches above the tub floor, with a vertical bar near the door where you step in and out, and every bar must be fastened into studs or solid in-wall backing that a licensed contractor has confirmed. Drywall alone will not hold a bar under a person's weight, and suction-cup bars are not recommended. Keep the bars clear of the door swing and of any shower screen or valve you plan to add. Where and how should grab bars be installed around a walk-in tub? lists which bar ships with each model. The deck-mount bar that comes with the tub bolts through the deck on site, and its large metal washer must go under the shell, because installing the bar without it can crack the acrylic.

What This Means for the Warranty

The lifetime limited warranty covers parts. It never covers labor, installation, removal, plumbing or electrical connections, or water damage to the home. If a part fails, Ella ships the replacement under the warranty and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor, so keep your installer's contact details. Any alteration not done by Ella's Bubbles, such as drilling the shell or deck for an added bar, is excluded from coverage, and improper installation is excluded as well. Your installer choice therefore affects the depth of your warranty, which is one more reason to use a licensed contractor who follows the manual. Questions about a specific situation go to ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850.

Related Guides

• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub
• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?
• Electrical requirements by model: dedicated GFCI circuits for your walk-in tub

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