Can I Use My Own Faucet Instead of the Ella Fast-Fill Faucet?

Yes, a faucet that is not an Ella faucet can be used with an Ella walk-in tub. The published warranty already plans for that case: a non-Ella brand faucet carries only its own manufacturer's warranty instead of Ella's lifetime parts coverage. On one model, the LayDown60, a customer-supplied faucet is the only way the tub is ever plumbed. Whether a particular faucet suits your tub is a decision for you and your licensed plumber. The fit questions are the same ones described, in the opposite direction, in Installing the Ella Fast-Fill Faucet on a Tub That Is Not an Ella.

What the Warranty Says About a Faucet That Is Not an Ella

Ella's Lifetime Limited Warranty covers the bathtub shell, frame, door, door seal and finish. It also covers the supporting equipment, and the faucet is named in that list along with the motors, pumps, fixtures, electronic controls, waste and overflow. That coverage is for parts only. Two published exceptions matter when you are choosing a faucet. The thermostatic control valve has a 1-year limited warranty. Non-Ella brand faucets carry only their manufacturer's warranty.

Here is what that means in your bathroom.

• If an Ella fast-fill faucet develops a fault, the replacement part ships under the Ella warranty once the problem is verified. A local licensed plumber does the labor, because Ella does not send technicians and labor is never part of the coverage.
• If a faucet you supplied yourself develops a fault, the part, the cartridge and any claim belong to the company that made that faucet. Keep its paperwork with your tub documents.
• The rest of the tub keeps its own published coverage either way. For a specific question about how a plumbing choice affects coverage, ask the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850 before the work is done.

The LayDown Tubs, Where Your Own Faucet Is Expected

No LayDown tub includes a faucet by default. The LayDown60, the 30 inch by 60 inch model, is never sold with a factory faucet and has no faucet option at all. It needs a pre-existing faucet or a new customer-supplied one, and that is typically a wall-mounted faucet. If you are replacing an old bathtub with a LayDown60 and the wall faucet in the alcove is in good condition, that existing faucet is the kind of setup the tub is designed around.

The LayDown72, the 32 inch by 72 inch model, is different. It is faucet-ready and offers optional Ella deck-mount faucets. The LayDown 32x72 product video shows that choice. It presents the tub with either a five-piece fast-fill faucet set or a two-piece fast-fill faucet set, each with an extendable multi-function shower head. On the LayDown72, then, you can choose between an Ella deck-mount set and a faucet of your own.

Other models are configured differently. The Ella Standard ships with the 5-piece Ella Fast-Fill faucet with a pull-out hand shower, and the Capri ships with the five-piece faucet installed on the deck along with the handheld shower. If you plan to use a different faucet on one of those tubs, ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 how your model is configured before your plumber plans the rough-in.

What the Fast-Fill Faucet Does That Your Own Faucet May Not

A walk-in tub is filled while you sit in it with the door closed, so fill speed is part of your comfort. The Ella fast-fill sets are deck-mount faucets designed for high flow. The 2-piece set fills at 16 gallons per minute and the 5-piece set fills at 18 gallons per minute. Drainage and Fill Time explains what a rate of about 16 gallons per minute means for a tub with a capacity of around 60 gallons. A faucet of your own may fill more slowly, so compare its published flow rate with these figures before you commit.

The table shows that the fast-fill set is more than a spout. Every Ella fast-fill faucet set includes an extendable, multi-function hand shower with five spray settings on a 5 foot retractable hose. Its flow is limited to 1.9 GPM by plumbing code, and it is fitted with a backflow prevention valve to help protect your home's water supply. That hand shower is how most owners rinse while seated and rinse the tub after a bath. Hoses and handsets are matched to the faucet set, as Which Handheld Shower Head Is Best for an Ella Walk-In Tub? explains. If you supply your own faucet, plan where a seated hand shower will come from.

The same applies to the Ella shower column kit. The shower column video shows the kit being added by removing the existing hand shower, installing the column base in the vacant receptacle, and attaching the new one-half inch supply line to the diverter on the two-piece or five-piece fast-fill faucet set. The kit is designed to connect to that Ella diverter. A faucet of your own rules out that simple add-on unless your plumber finds another way to feed it.

What to Check with Your Plumber Before You Decide

• The deck or the wall. A deck-mount faucet needs the right number of holes at the right diameter and spacing, with enough flat surface for each base to seat and seal. A wall-mounted faucet, the typical choice on a LayDown60, does not use the deck.
• Supply line size. Current Ella fast-fill faucets use 3/4-inch supply lines, and older Ella faucets used 1/2-inch NPT lines. A 3/4-inch to 1/2-inch NPT adapter is a standard plumbing part, and your plumber fits one where the check valves under the tub have 1/2-inch connections. Replacement Hot and Cold Faucet Supply Lines covers sizes and threads, and it includes the caution that some Ella faucet ends are reverse-threaded.
• The home's supply. A high-flow faucet only fills fast when the supply keeps up with it. The same is true of any faucet you choose.
• Service access. The valve body and supply connections need to be reachable later for a cartridge change or a supply line replacement. Plan that access before the walls are finished.
• Temperature control. Ella tubs equipped with an Ella thermostatic faucet package include a built-in Ella Thermostatic Control Valve that mixes hot and cold to a set temperature. The 5-Piece Fast Fill set does not use the thermostatic temperature control piece with the built-in filter that some older faucets had. If a set temperature matters to you, ask your plumber how your own faucet will provide it.

A Middle Path: Keep Part of the Ella Faucet

Many owners ask about using their own faucet because the faucet already on the tub is misbehaving. Often only one piece needs to change. A drip or a stiff handle usually means a worn cartridge. A leaking or kinked hand shower hose is replaced on its own as the hand mixer line. Worn valves or a broken handle can be replaced without touching the spout or sprayer.

If your original faucet model is no longer offered, the 5-Piece Fast Fill faucet is the replacement set Ella supplies. You do not have to replace everything. You can leave the existing spout and hand sprayer in place and switch out only the handles and valves, and your plumber adapts the spout supply line from 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch NPT. Replacing Your Walk-In Tub Faucet Set, Valves or Hand Mixer walks through what the team asks for: what the faucet is doing wrong, which faucet is on the tub, and whether you have the original invoice. If you cannot find the invoice, a clear photo of the faucet on the deck is enough. The work may turn out smaller than a full faucet swap, and the faucet stays under Ella's parts coverage.

Related Guides

• Ella Fast-Fill Faucets: 2-Piece vs 5-Piece, Finishes, and the Waterfall Option
• Which tub filler faucet fills a large walk-in tub fastest?
• Using Your Own Faucet: No-Faucet Orders, Pre-Drilled Decks, Wall-Mount Options, and Which Tubs Require a Customer-Supplied Faucet

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