Who installs walk-in tubs, a plumber or a contractor?

An Ella walk-in tub is installed by local licensed trades, never by Ella's Bubbles. In most bathrooms that means a licensed contractor to remove the old tub and prepare the alcove, a licensed plumber for the water supply and drain connections, and a licensed electrician for the dedicated circuit, and one installation company can cover all three roles. Ella assembles and tests the tub in Chicago, ships it nationwide and supports whoever you hire with free technical help, as How do I find a reputable walk-in tub installation company? explains.

Plumber or Contractor: What Each Trade Does on a Walk-In Tub Job

The question comes up because a walk-in tub is more than a plumbing fixture. The old tub or shower has to come out, the alcove has to be ready, the new tub has to be set and leveled, and then it needs water, drain and electrical connections. Ella supplies the product, the specification drawing, the installation documents, the parts and the technical support, and a local licensed professional does the physical work. The table shows who normally handles each part of the job.

Read the table as one job with several hands on it rather than a choice between a plumber and a contractor. A plumber alone can be enough when the space is ready and the tub only needs its connections. A contractor takes the lead when the old unit has to be removed and the room finished around the new tub, and that contractor coordinates the plumber and electrician. Whichever way the work is arranged, every trade involved should be licensed, because Ella does not perform the labor and does not stand behind it.

What Ella's Bubbles Does, and What It Leaves to Your Installer

Ella's Bubbles is a manufacturer. Its walk-in tubs are assembled and tested at the company's Chicago facility and shipped across the country, so you do not need a store near you to receive one. What Ella does not do is the labor. It does not perform installations, and it does not employ technicians who come to your home. Here is the division of responsibility.

• Any licensed local plumber and electrician can install the tub using the owner's manual and the specification drawing, and your installer can call (800) 480-6850 during the job.
• Ella's technical support guides your contractor at no charge with manuals and live phone, email and video help.
• Installation, plumbing and electrical connections are expressly outside the warranty, so the person who does the work is also the person who stands behind the labor.
• If a part is ever needed later under the lifetime parts warranty, Ella ships the part and a local plumber or electrician does the labor.
• Certification by Ella is not required. Any licensed installer is acceptable.

This is the same division for tubs and showers. Where can I buy an Ella walk-in tub near me? walks through how an order comes together, from confirming the model, door side, therapy package, faucet and accessories through delivery and local installation.

Three Places to Find Your Installer

1. Your Ella dealer. A dealer re-sells Ella products in a territory and often installs what it sells. If you are buying through a dealer, ask whether the dealer installs or which installer it works with, because that company will already know the product and the warranty paperwork.
2. Ella's installer network. Independent installers in the network receive customer referrals from Ella. Call the team at (800) 480-6850 or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your location, and the team can refer an installer from its nationwide network.
3. A licensed contractor of your own. You are free to hire any licensed plumber, electrician or remodeling contractor you trust, and Ella's technical support is available to them just the same.

Three kinds of trade partners work with Ella: dealers who sell and often install in their territory, independent installers who receive referrals, and contractors who buy tubs for their own clients' projects. Each applies through a form on ellasbubbles.com, so an installer who says they are part of the Ella network has been through that application.

What a Reputable Installer Does Before and During the Job

• Asks for the spec sheet and installation documents before delivery, so the rough-in is ready when the tub arrives.
• Calls (800) 480-6850 with any question during the installation rather than guessing.
• Plans accessories that need the back of the tub before the tub goes in. The shower column kit that turns a deck-mounted faucet into a tub and shower combo needs access to the back side of the tub, so it is installed prior to the final installation of the tub. Where Can I Buy an Ella Walk-In Tub or Shower? describes that kit.
• Completes and signs the installer section of the warranty activation form. The form must be signed by both the customer and the installer and returned to Ella's Bubbles to put the warranty in force, and willingness to sign it is the clearest mark of a reputable installer.

Who Installs Walk-In Showers and Built-In Seating

Ella's Bubbles builds walk-in showers alongside its tubs, and the same rule applies: a local licensed contractor sets the base and wall panels and a plumber handles the valve and drain connections. An Ella shower kit ships with the stall, the grab bar set listed for that kit and the drain, but it does not include a shower head, hand shower, mixing valve or valve trim, and the wall arrives without a valve cutout, so your plumber selects the valve and cuts the openings. After you build a design in the online shower builder tool, a contractor visits your home to measure the space in person and finalize the installation details. Who installs walk-in showers, and does Ella's Bubbles install them? covers the shower side in full.

On the tub side, the seat is built into the tub itself, so no separate installer is needed for seating. The hand shower that ships with the Ella fast-fill faucet set lets you rinse while seated on that built-in seat, and when a shower column is added later a homeowner or a local licensed plumber fits it, as Can you take a shower in a walk-in tub? explains.

Related Guides

• What Installation Involves, How Long It Takes, and What Drives the Cost
• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?
• Electrical requirements by model: dedicated GFCI circuits for your walk-in tub

Related Videos

Common Questions