What Size Supply Lines Does Each Ella Fast-Fill Faucet Generation Need?

Current Ella 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucets use 3/4 inch supply lines, and both sets ship with two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel lines, one for hot and one for cold. Older Ella faucets used 1/2 inch NPT lines, which are standard plumbing parts you can buy locally, or you can fit a 3/4 inch line with a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch reducer. The threads, and the way they turn at the faucet end, are explained in Replacement Hot and Cold Faucet Supply Lines: Sizes, Threads and Where to Get Them, and this page sets the faucet generations side by side so you can see what fits before you buy anything.

Supply Line Size by Faucet Generation

The table below collects every size and thread figure Ella publishes for its faucet lines, generation by generation. Where a figure is not published, the cell says so rather than guessing.

What the differences mean: if your tub has a current 2-piece or 5-piece set, you need 3/4 inch lines and Ella is the simplest place to get them, because the faucet end on some sets is reverse-threaded and a hardware store line may not thread on. If your faucet is an older model with 1/2 inch NPT lines, the hardware store is a fine source, since the threads are standard. Adapters only come into play where old meets new, for example a new 5-piece set landing on 1/2 inch check valves, or a new thermostatic valve replacing an older one. In every case the size of the line in the box is separate from the size of the pipe in your wall, which is covered further down.

Why Thread Direction Matters More Than Size

The two-piece installation video on this page shows the step that catches people out. After the faucet body is bolted down and its gasket checked, the installer connects the hot supply line, which has red markings, and the cold supply line, which has blue markings. Both lines have reverse threads at the faucet end. The video has the installer hand tighten each line and then add one quarter to one half turn with a wrench, without over torquing. That is why Ella asks for a photo of the actual line, including the end that meets the faucet, before you shop locally: a 3/4 inch line from the store has the right diameter but may turn the wrong way for your faucet.

• Check the faucet end of the old line, not the house end. The house end connects to your shut-off valve and uses ordinary threads.
• Keep the red and blue markings in mind so the new hot and cold lines go back on the same valves.
• Seat the gasket before threading the line on. A drip at a connection is often a washer that is missing or not seated.
• Hand tighten first, then a quarter to a half turn with a wrench. Over torquing damages the fitting.

Which Line Under the Deck Are You Replacing?

A fast-fill faucet has more than one flexible line under the deck, and they are not all the same part. Both sets have a hot supply line and a cold supply line, a third line that feeds the spout from the valves, and a hand shower hose that is a separate part of its own, riding on a 5 foot braided hose with a back-flow prevention valve. The 5-piece set adds the three short 3/4 inch, 20 inch braided lines that connect the hot and cold levers and the diverter. The team will ask whether the hot, cold or spout line is leaking or kinked, so look behind the access panel first. Each line is described in What Are the Supply Lines on a Walk-In Tub Faucet?. Shut-off valves are not included with the tub, so if you cannot isolate the faucet, that is a valve your plumber adds rather than a missing Ella part.

Your House Pipes Versus the Lines in the Box

The 3/4 inch figure describes the Ella line and the faucet tail it threads onto. It does not require 3/4 inch pipe in your wall. Ella recommends 3/4 inch house lines with easily accessible shut-off valves, because the 2-piece faucet is designed for 16 GPM at 60 PSI and the 5-piece for 18 GPM, and only a generous supply lets the faucet approach those figures. Existing 1/2 inch house lines still work, with a slower fill, and in real homes fill time runs 7 to 15 minutes depending on tub size and water supply. The sizing decision and where to place the valves are covered in Do I Need 3/4 Inch Supply Lines for the Ella Fast-Fill Faucet?. Hot water belongs in the same conversation: Ella recommends the maximum capacity water heater available for the house, and anything less than 75 gallons is not recommended. A 5 foot line only reaches as far as the rough-in you give it, so have your plumber confirm the stub-out positions against the faucet location before the tub arrives, as explained in Do Ella Faucets Come With Supply Lines Included in the Box?.

Moving from an Older Faucet to the 5-Piece Set

If your original faucet is no longer offered, the 5-Piece Fast Fill set is the replacement Ella supplies, and the supply lines are the main thing to plan for. The new set uses 3/4 inch lines, while older faucets usually have 1/2 inch lines. If the check valves under your tub have 1/2 inch connections, your plumber fits a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch NPT adapter. You do not have to replace everything. The existing spout and hand sprayer can stay in place while only the handles and valves change, with the spout supply line adapted from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch NPT. The team supplies the version sized for your existing deck plate, because the valves on the newest version of the faucet are too large to fit a replacement plate, and the 5-piece set does not use the thermostatic temperature control piece with the built-in filter that some older faucets had. The whole changeover is described in Replacing Your Walk-In Tub Faucet Set, Valves or Hand Mixer. If an older thermostatic control valve is replaced at the same time, it may have 1/2 inch supply connections while the current valve has 3/4 inch, so 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch NPT adapters are needed there too.

Ella does not publish per generation part numbers for the lines, so a photo does the identifying. Send a photo of the actual line including the end that connects to the faucet, or a short video of the leak, say whether it is the hot, cold, spout or hand mixer line, and include your model and serial number, which is on the label behind the magnetic access panel next to the door. Reach your Ella dealer or the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850. Have your plumber shut off the supply valves before removing any line. Rather than mail a loose washer that may not match, the team ships a whole new line so the washer is the right one, and a line with a poorly crimped end or one that arrived kinked is treated as a defect once the team has a photo or video showing the problem.

Related Guides

• Do I need 3/4 inch supply lines for the Ella fast-fill faucet?
• Do I need to upsize my supply lines for the fast-fill faucet?
• What Are the Supply Lines and Shut-Off Valves on a Walk-In Tub?

Questions fréquentes