Who installs a walk-in tub, and does Ella's Bubbles offer installation?

Ella's Bubbles manufactures walk-in tubs, but it does not install them and does not send technicians to your home. Any licensed local plumber and electrician can install an Ella tub using the owner's manual, with free technical support by phone and email during the job, and the team at (800) 480-6850 can help you get in touch with installers in your area. How the order, delivery and installation fit together is explained in Where can I buy an Ella walk-in tub near me?, and this page covers who does the work at each stage and what Ella provides to the person doing it.

Who Does the Work, and Who Does Not

Ella's Bubbles is the manufacturer. Every tub is assembled and tested in Chicago to the configuration your Ella dealer or the team confirms with you, then shipped to your home. From that point the labor belongs to a local tradesperson:

• Ella does not perform installations. The company does not send technicians, and it has no installers of its own in Canada either.
• A licensed local plumber and electrician install the tub. Any licensed installer can do the job using the owner's manual. Certification by Ella is not required, so there is no special installer you have to wait for.
• In Canada, a local licensed contractor does the work. Duties, brokerage and taxes are the buyer's responsibility.
• Your installer's labor is the installer's responsibility. Ella covers parts under its warranty, not the labor to fit them.

In practice this means you hire the plumber and electrician the same way you would for any bathroom project, and Ella backs them up with product knowledge from the people who build the tub.

What Ella Provides to Your Installer

The support behind the installation is free. One of Ella's own videos makes the point directly: after you receive your tub, you or your installer can call the production facility in Chicago and an expert technician answers questions and helps solve any problem that comes up. In the published guides that support takes these forms:

• Technical support by phone and email. Your installer can call (800) 480-6850 during the job with the tub in front of them.
• Support by video. For repairs after installation, Ella technical support is available to your installer or electrician by phone or video.
• The owner's manual and spec sheet. Sharing the spec sheet and manual with your installer before delivery means the rough-in is ready when the tub arrives, which is the easiest way to shorten installation day.
• Parts shipped where the work is. When a part is needed later, it can ship to the tub's address or directly to the installer who will do the work, which is common when a dealer or contractor manages the repair.

What Your Installer Handles on Delivery Day

A few things on a new Ella tub are left for the installer on purpose, and knowing them in advance avoids a false alarm about missing parts.

1. The spout. The tub ships with the water spout uninstalled, so the opening in the acrylic deck arrives empty. The spout travels with the other loose components and is fitted by your installer during the faucet hookup, as There Is an Open Hole in the Deck of My New Tub: That Is Where the Spout Installs explains. Unpack everything and lay the parts out before reporting anything missing, and keep all packaging material until you have confirmed nothing is damaged or missing.
2. The faucet set. The 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill sets include different components, so the number of loose parts differs. The faucet hookup is normally done by your installer or a local licensed plumber.
3. The shower column kit, if you ordered one. The kit connects to the two-piece or five-piece fast-fill faucet and needs access to the back side of the tub, so it is installed prior to the final installation of the tub. Plan for it when you order. Ella ships the kit, and a homeowner or a local licensed plumber fits it. Can you take a shower in a walk-in tub? shows how the column goes onto the deck.
4. The drain connection. Ella tubs drain by gravity through 2-inch drains, and once connected to a proper 2-inch drain line a tub typically empties in two minutes or less, so the drain line your plumber provides matters to how the tub performs.

Showers Follow the Same Pattern

Ella also builds walk-in showers, and the arrangement is the same: Ella supplies the product and a local contractor does the work. For a shower, the online Shower Builder Tool lets you put together a custom design first, and a contractor then visits your home to measure the space in person and finalize the installation details. A shower kit ships with the stall, the grab bar set listed for that kit, and the drain. It does not include a shower head, a hand shower, a mixing valve or valve trim, and the wall arrives without a valve cutout, so your plumber selects the valve and cuts the openings. Where Can I Buy an Ella Walk-In Tub or Shower? describes both builder tools.

Repairs After the Tub Is Installed

The arrangement does not change once the tub is in. Heater pads and the other supporting equipment are covered under the lifetime parts warranty for the original purchaser at the original installation address. When a verified part is needed, it ships under the warranty, and your installer or a local licensed electrician or plumber does the labor, which is not covered. A heated seat pad is a typical example: you open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model and serial number, the team ships the pad by parcel carrier and emails the tracking number, and your installer fits it following the published guide. How Do I Get a Replacement Heated Seat or Back Pad for My Walk-In Tub? covers that request. The serial label is behind the magnetic access panel next to the door, so have it ready before you call.

Finding an Installer

If you do not already have a plumber or electrician, the team can help you get in touch with installers in your area. Questions about your order itself go to your Ella dealer, the team at (800) 480-6850, or where you purchased. Whoever you hire, give them the spec sheet and manual before the tub arrives and the support number for the day of the job.

Related Guides

• Common Installation Questions: Tile Order, Leveling Legs, Subfloor, Panels, Drain Size and the Outdoor Test
• Printable Installer Handoff Test Checklist
• Does the Ella Warranty Cover Installation Labor or Only the Tub Itself?

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