Can I Install the Tub Before My Electrical Upgrade and Wire Jets Later?

You can schedule the plumbing and the electrical as separate jobs, but you cannot order the tub without its jets and connect them later: the therapy package is built into the shell at the factory and cannot be added after the tub is made. The dedicated GFCI circuits are installed and tested by a licensed electrician, and the tub's pumps need those circuits before the leak test that happens before the tub is closed in. Installing It Yourself: What DIY Owners Must Do to Keep Support and Warranty lists everything an installation must get right; this page covers the order of work when your panel upgrade is still pending.

Two Things "connect the Jets Later" Can Mean

The question usually hides two very different plans, and only one of them works.

• Order the tub with its jets now, set and plumb it, and have the electrician wire the pumps once the panel is upgraded. This is a sequencing question for your contractor, and the rest of this page is about doing it safely.
• Order a soaking tub now and have jets added after the electrical is ready. This is not possible. Every Ella therapy system is built into the shell at the factory with its own dedicated pump, plumbing and switches, and a soaker is molded without jet openings with nothing installed under the tub. Can Hydro or Air Jets Be Added to an Ella Soaking Tub Later? explains why the rule runs in both directions.

So the part to lock in before the tub is built is the therapy package. Air jets, hydro jets and microbubble each come with their own pumps, plumbing and switches installed at the factory. Decide on them now, even if the wiring comes weeks later.

What Has to Be Settled Before the Panel Work

Your electrician needs to know the model and therapy package before sizing the upgrade, because the package decides how many dedicated lines the tub needs. Triple packages that combine air, hydro and independent foot massage require two dedicated GFCI 120V 20A outlets, and the second pump, its jets and its dial are built in at the factory, as What Is Independent Foot Massage on a Walk-In Tub? describes. The electrical requirements video on this page sets out the rules the electrician works to:

• Dedicated GFCI protected outlets must be used, and the tub cannot share a circuit with any other appliance.
• The breaker box must also use GFCI protected breakers.
• The appropriate amperage must be provided in the breaker box, depending on the number and type of components in your tub.
• All electrical components are clearly marked and easily accessible, and the pumps, heaters and other components are certified.
• Power never runs through an extension cord. The components connect to a GFCI protected outlet or breaker.

The grounding video adds one more item for the same visit: Ella tubs come with ground wires on all electrical components and on the tub frame, and a proper ground connection must be secured following your local and state electrical codes. Tell your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 which model and package you are weighing and they can confirm how many dedicated lines it needs, so the panel upgrade is sized once.

Why the Circuits Should Be Ready Before the Walls Close

This is the practical limit on installing first and wiring later. The installation itself includes filling the tub and running every pump to check for leaks before the tub is closed in, and the pumps must never run before the water covers the jets. A pump run dry is permanently damaged and not covered by warranty. Those two facts together mean the therapy systems cannot be tested until the dedicated circuits exist, and the test has to happen while the apron, access panels and surrounding wall are still open.

If your panel upgrade will not be done by the time the tub is set, plan for it in one of two ways. Either hold the trim and wall finishing until the electrician has installed and tested the circuits and the pumps have been run with the jets under water, or arrange the panel work so the circuits are live before the tub is closed in. Do not run the pumps from a temporary cord to get the test done early. The DIY guide puts the same point simply: test everything before the walls and trim close it in. Whenever possible, also fill the tub before it goes inside to check for transit leaks; that water-only check needs no power and belongs on delivery day.

Who Does What, and in What Order

Who Installs a Walk-In Tub: a Plumber, an Electrician, or a Contractor? divides the job: a licensed plumber makes the water and drain connections and mounts the spout into the open hole in the deck, a licensed electrician wires the therapy systems, and a contractor or dealer crew coordinates. Ella's Bubbles manufactures the tub and does not install it. With a pending panel upgrade, a workable order looks like this:

1. Inspect and test on delivery. Photograph any damage, record it on the shipper's document, and fill the tub outside if possible to check for transit leaks.
2. Remove every panel before moving, lift only by the frame, and never drag or set the tub on the air jets underneath.
3. Prepare the subfloor and level the tub so every leveling leg touches with equal weight. On the Standard and Zen platform the front legs are screwed into the subfloor.
4. Have the plumber connect the 2 inch drain through the T-type ports, capping any unused port, and connect the water supply and faucet.
5. Have the licensed electrician install and test the dedicated GFCI circuits, connect each component, and secure the ground on every component and on the frame.
6. Fill the tub until the water covers the jets, run every pump, and check for leaks.
7. Only then close in the tub and finish the trim, and complete the warranty activation form.

What This Means for Your Warranty and Support

The Lifetime Limited Warranty is a parts warranty no matter who installs or in what order, so splitting the plumbing and electrical into two visits does not affect coverage. What does matter is that the tub is connected to a GFCI protected circuit provided and installed by a licensed electrician, that nothing is cut or modified, and that no pump is ever run dry. Ella's Bubbles does not send technicians, but lifetime technical support is available to whoever does the work, with manuals, videos and a phone or video call while they are on site during business hours. Your plumber and electrician can plan the rough-in around your panel work, and the team is glad to go over the electrical details with them before either visit.

Watch: Proper Grounding of Your Walk-In Tub with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Electrical requirements by model: dedicated GFCI circuits for your walk-in tub
• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?
• How Many GFCI Circuits Does My Walk-In Tub Need?

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