How Do I Clean Sticky Air and Jet Buttons on My Walk-In Tub?

A sticky air or jet button on an Ella walk-in tub is almost always residue or a bit of foreign material sitting in the spring chamber under the button, not a failed control. The fix is to pop the outer flange off the button, lift out the core unit with its spring, clean the chamber with a household cleaning solution, lubricate the core and snap the assembly back together, which takes a flat head screwdriver and a few minutes. Ella tubs run their therapy systems with mechanical push-button controls, as described in Walk-In Tub Therapy Options and Features, so the buttons can be opened and cleaned by hand.

Why a Push Button Starts to Stick

The chrome buttons on the deck are pneumatic, which means a gentle press moves a spring-loaded core inside the button housing. That housing sits in the deck, so over time it collects what the rest of the deck collects: residue from bath water and bath products and the occasional grain of grit or hair. When enough of it settles into the spring chamber, the core no longer travels freely. The button feels tacky on the way down, hesitates on the way back up, or stays down after you let go. A button that sticks can keep a system from starting or stopping when you want it to, which is usually how owners first notice the problem.

The other cause is pressure. The buttons are designed for a light touch, and a hard press is what damages the internal mechanism. If a button started sticking after someone leaned on it or pressed it as hard as they could, the mechanism itself may be damaged, and cleaning alone will not fix that. The good news in both cases is that the control box and the pumps under the tub are untouched. The button is the only part involved, and it comes apart on the deck without reaching under the tub.

What You Need Before You Start

• A flat head screwdriver with a thin blade to work under the flange.
• A household cleaning solution and a soft, non-abrasive cloth, since the acrylic deck and the chrome scratch easily.
• An ordinary lubricant for the core unit.
• An empty tub with every therapy system switched off, so nothing starts while the button is apart.

Cleaning the Button, Step by Step

1. Drain the tub and make sure the air and hydro systems are off.
2. Using the flat head screwdriver, gently work around the base of the button to pop off the outer flange. Go slowly and lift a little at a time all the way around rather than prying hard from one spot.
3. Watch for the plastic washer that sits just below the flange. It is easy to nick with the blade, and it needs to go back in undamaged.
4. Expect the button to spring up once the flange is loose. The assembly comes apart with its internal spring, so keep a hand over it and set the pieces aside in the order they came off.
5. Clean the debris out of the spring chamber and off the core unit with the household cleaning solution. Wipe everything dry.
6. Lubricate the core unit with an ordinary lubricant. This is the one place on the tub where a lubricant belongs, which is not true of the door seal, covered below.
7. Set the core unit back in place with its spring, and reassemble the flange over it.
8. Push down on the outer flange with two thumbs or fingers until you hear it snap into place. The control is ready for use again.
9. Press the button once, gently, to confirm it travels freely and returns on its own.

Pressing the Buttons the Right Way Afterward

From then on, press the deck buttons gently, with your palm if that is easier than a fingertip. Each button needs only a light touch, and the three-speed air control in particular rewards a patient press: the first press runs the air massage at high speed, the second press drops it to medium, the third press to low, and a fourth press turns the system off. If a button seems not to respond, wait a moment and press once more rather than pressing harder. Hydro massage strength is not set at a button at all. It is set with the chrome intensity dial on the deck, so a jet that feels weak is a dial question rather than a button question.

One behavior that looks like a sticky button is not. About 20 minutes after the air pump is switched off, the air system's Auto Purge starts on its own and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped, it is completely normal, and it will happen even if you are still in the tub. If your tub comes on by itself after a bath, that is the purge, not a button stuck in the on position.

Sticky Button, Sticky Seal, Dirty Touchpad: Three Different Fixes

Owners sometimes reach for the same product for every tacky surface on the tub, and that is where things go wrong. The lubricant that belongs on a button core does not belong anywhere near the door seal. A door gasket that feels sticky needs a wipe with a common household cleaner and, if it is still tacky, rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth, with no grease, oil or spray lubricant at all, as explained in My Door Seal Is Sticky. What Can I Clean or Lubricate It With?. Leaving the door open between baths keeps the gasket from sitting compressed, which is a seal habit rather than a button habit.

Tubs with the digital touchpad, which is standard on the Shak, the Big4One and the two-seat family, have no spring chamber to clean. The flat panel on the deck needs only a soft, damp cloth, and it should never be pried at with a screwdriver. If icons on the panel stop responding, start with the control box and the cable at the display connector rather than the panel surface, as described in What Is the Digital Controller (Touchpad) on a Walk-In Tub?. Even on a touchpad tub, hydro intensity is still set with the chrome dial on the deck.

When Cleaning Does Not Fix It

If the button still sticks or stays down after you have cleaned and lubricated the core and snapped the flange back on, stop there. The next step is the switch itself or the control box, and that is a job for technical support rather than another round of prying. Call (800) 480-6850 or open a request at ellasbubbles.com/support with your tub model, your order details from where you purchased, which button is affected and a short photo or video of what the button does when pressed. Ella does not send technicians. If a replacement part is needed, it ships under the parts warranty once the problem is confirmed, and a local handy person or licensed plumber can fit it if you would rather not do it yourself.

Related Guides

• How do I inspect and replace a cracked pneumatic button on my tub?
• Push-Button Air Hoses: Which Port on the Blue Box, Reconnecting a Hose That Pops Off, Red Hoses, Sealing and Replacing a Button
• Why Does a Deck Push Button Do Nothing on My Walk-In Tub?

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