How Do You Drain a Hydro Massage Walk-In Tub and Clear the Jets?

To drain a hydro massage walk-in tub, stop the hydro jets with one press of the hydro button, open the drain, and let the bath water leave through the floor drain. The water jets do not need to be purged by hand. Ozone sanitizes the hydro lines whenever the jets run, the monthly vinegar flush cleans them, and if your tub also has air massage, the automatic cycle explained in What Is Auto Purge on a Walk-In Tub? blows the air lines clear about 20 minutes after the air is switched off.

Step by Step: Ending a Hydro Bath and Draining the Tub

Every published Ella routine runs in the same order. The jets run while the tub is full, and then the tub is drained. Ending a bath follows that same order, and every function stops with its own control on the deck. None of them needs a special sequence.

1. Stop the hydro massage. Press the hydro button once. The pump stops, and the in-line heater stops with it, because the heater has no switch of its own and runs only while the hydro pump runs. On a digital touchpad, press the hydro icon once.
2. Stop the air massage, if your tub has it. The air button steps down through speeds and does not switch off on the first press. The first press is high, the second is medium, the third is low, and the fourth press turns the system off. From high, that is three more presses. On a touchpad, hold the air icon for two seconds.
3. Stop anything else that is running. The microbubble system keeps its own push button even on touchpad tubs, so press it to stop it the same way it was started. The chromatherapy light turns off with a hold of about two seconds.
4. Open the drain. Let the tub empty through the floor drain.
5. Exit normally once the tub has drained.
6. Leave the tub powered. An air massage tub still needs to run its Auto Purge after you are done, and it can only do that as long as it has power.

If you need to stop everything at once, How Do I Turn the Jets Off in an Emergency? explains how to remove all power at the tub's dedicated GFCI breakers. The tub runs on its own dedicated circuits, so nothing else in the house goes dark.

What the Drain Hardware Looks Like

Drain hardware varies by model, so it helps to know what is fitted to your tub before the first bath. The LayDown 32 by 72 video on this page shows large, easy to turn drain controls on the tub. It also points out the oversized two inch drain, which the video describes as providing fast, efficient draining. The Ella Standard is built with one 2-inch gravity floor drain with an overflow and an emergency pull-up chain. These are gravity drains, so no pump empties the tub. You open the drain and the water runs out on its own.

If you are not sure which drain control your tub has or where it is, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support. You can also call your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Have your serial number ready so the team can look up your exact configuration.

What Clears the Jets: Two Systems with Two Different Answers

The answer to "how do I purge the jets" depends on which kind of jet you mean. A walk-in tub can carry water jets, air jets, or both, and each system is kept clean in its own way.

• Hydro (water) jets. There is no purge cycle for the hydro lines. Ozone sterilization runs whenever the hydro jets are on, so the hydro lines are sanitized during every bath. Because the systems are fully plumbed, flushing after every bath is not necessary.
• Air jets. After an air bath, a little water flows back into the air piping and into the jets on the floor and seat. If it sat there, it could grow mold and mildew. So the system waits about 20 minutes after the air pump is switched off, then runs the blower for 120 seconds to push that water out through the jets. The cycle is fully automatic and cannot be interrupted, and it stops on its own. If it starts while you are still in the tub, there is no need to get out.

Hydro-only and soaking tubs have no air blower and therefore no purge cycle. That includes the Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60 and Flow. If you own one of those models and never hear a burst of air after your bath, nothing is wrong. Any Ella tub ordered with the three-speed air massage does have Auto Purge, whether the air system came alone, as Hydro plus Air, or in a triple package.

Auto Purge clears the air lines and ozone sanitizes the hydro lines. Neither one replaces the monthly vinegar flush.

The Monthly Vinegar Flush Is What Cleans the Hydro Jets

The one owner task that actually cleans the jet lines is the vinegar flush. There is one recipe, and it is used both before the first bath and once a month afterward:

1. Mix 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water.
2. Fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets.
3. Add the vinegar and water mixture.
4. Run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain.

The flush pairs with a quick clean of the pump inlet cover, which only tubs with the hydro massage option have, because it protects the intake for the water pump. The cover sits between the calf jets, just below the seat. Clear any hair, then wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner. Keeping it free of hair and debris is what keeps the hydro jets strong. Some newer tubs use a fixed intake screen instead of a removable cover. That screen cannot be taken off, so clean it in place with a gentle brush and dish detergent in addition to the regular vinegar washes. If you are not sure which style your tub has, a photo of the intake lets support tell you. The cover location and the safe everyday products are in Which Cleaners Are Safe on Your Walk-In Tub and Where to Find the Pump Inlet Cover. The other everyday upkeep answers are gathered in Common Maintenance Questions.

Between flushes, the tub surface is wiped down about twice a month with a non-abrasive cleaner. Formula 409 or Dawn dish detergent with a soft cloth or sponge is safe on the acrylic shell, the chrome fixtures and the stainless steel parts. If your home is on well water, clean the tub a little more often than the standard schedule to stay ahead of mineral build-up.

What to Check If Something Seems Off After the Tub Drains

• A burst of air about 20 minutes after your bath. This is Auto Purge on an air massage tub, and it is completely normal. It can run after the tub has already drained. Let it finish.
• The blower keeps running past 120 seconds. Switch the tub off at the breaker and open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support. A stuck relay or the control box is the usual cause.
• The purge never seems to happen after an air bath. First confirm the tub still has power, since the cycle only runs when it does. If it still never runs, open a ticket so the team can look into it.
• A light hum with nothing switched on. That is the ozone system.
• Hydro jets that feel weaker than they used to. Clear the pump inlet cover or intake screen of hair and debris, then run the vinegar flush.
• Products in the water. Skip bath bombs, because their ingredients can damage the pump system. Spots on chrome usually trace back to Epsom salt or bath salts. Bleach and abrasive cleaners stay off the acrylic. The full product list is in Which cleaners are safe for my walk-in tub, and which chemicals should I avoid?

If the jets or the in-line heater turned off on their own mid bath, or a control will not stop its function, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Include your serial number, which function was running, whether the GFCI tripped, and a photo of the blue control box with its cords and air tubes.

Watch: Lay Down Tub: 32x72 Walk-In Tub with Jets de massage hydro - Your Own Home Spa | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How Do I Clean the Jet Lines on My Walk-In Tub?
• Black Flakes, Brown Slime, or Debris Coming From the Jets: Cleaning Steps That Work
• Why Does My Walk-In Tub Still Smell Musty After the Vinegar Flush?

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