Do air or hydro therapy need an extra device, or just water?

Neither air massage nor hydro massage needs any extra device plugged in, attached or bought separately. Every piece of therapy equipment, the water pump, the in-line heater, the ozone generator, the air blower and the control box, is installed under the tub behind the front apron at the factory, and the only things you add are water above the jets and the push of a button on the deck. What the system does need from your installer is the dedicated GFCI protected electrical circuit the pumps run on, since the water does not move itself. What Comes With Each Therapy Package: Pumps, In-Line Heater, Ozone, Auto Purge, LED, Dials, Pressure Tank and Controls at a Glance lists what each package includes; this page explains how that equipment is connected, what the bather has to do, and what is not needed.

What Moves the Water and the Air

Water on its own does nothing in a jetted tub. In a hydro massage tub a water pump draws bath water in, pushes it back out through the hydro jets and runs it through the in-line heater and past the ozone generator on the way. In an air massage tub a three-speed blower pushes air through many small jets in the seat and floor, moving only air, with no heater. All of that hardware is mounted under the tub shell, out of sight behind the apron, and comes already connected. The table shows, system by system, what is under the tub, what you touch, and what the water has to cover before you press anything.

The differences matter in two ways. Air massage is the simpler system, a blower and a button, and it is the gentler of the two because it moves only air and has no heater, so the bath cools naturally. Hydro massage brings the heater and the ozone generator along with the pump, and its intensity dial adds or reduces air in the water stream, so turned down the jet is softer. None of the four rows involves anything you connect yourself. The extra equipment on the longer rows is extra pumps under the tub, not extra devices in the bathroom.

How the Button on the Deck Reaches the Pump

The push control on the deck is not wired to anything outside the tub. When you press it, it sends a puff of air down a small air tube to the control box under the tub, and the control box switches the pump. The video on this page shows exactly that arrangement: a control box, a push control, and the air tube running between them. It also shows the most common reason a massage does nothing when the button is pressed, which is that the air tube has slipped off its nipple on the control box or off the back of the button. The fix shown is to push the tube firmly onto the nipple with a twist, or to pry the button out of its housing with a fine flat screwdriver, reseat the hose at its lock nut, and press the button and chrome ring back into place.

On installations with an air blower, the air pump plugs into the outlet on top of the blue control box, not straight into a wall outlet. A blower plugged into the wall runs continuously by design and will not respond to the button until it is moved back to the box. The blue control box also carries a green light that shows its status. Why does my air blower trip the GFCI or breaker while I bathe? walks through the control box, the GFCI outlet under the apron and the breaker in order.

What the Therapy Does Need: Water and Power

Two things have to be in place, and neither is an add-on you buy later.

• Water above the jets. A pump is built to move water, not air, and running it before the water covers its jets can permanently damage it, and that damage is not covered. For hydro massage the water must stand 1 to 2 inches above the highest hydro jet, and Ella's operation video uses 2 inches. For air massage every air jet must be submerged. Never fill above the center of the drain handle, which is the overflow line. What Is the Water Line Before Running the Jets on a Walk-In Tub? gives the level for every therapy.
• A dedicated GFCI protected circuit. The pumps and blower are electrical, so your licensed electrician wires the tub to a dedicated GFCI protected line, with the GFCI either at the breaker or at the receptacle; one device per circuit is sufficient. On many installations the GFCI outlet sits under the tub behind the front apron access panel. A soaking tub with no jets has no pumps and no electrical equipment at all, apart from the optional heated seat and backrest.

Make the sequence a habit: step in, close the door and the drain, fill, watch the highest jet you plan to use, then press the control. Switch the pumps off before you open the drains so a pump never runs as the water drops below the jets.

Sounds and Behaviors That Are Not a Missing Part

Because all of the equipment is hidden, owners sometimes hear it working and wonder whether something extra is running or something is missing. These are the normal ones.

• A light hum alongside the hydro pump, or for a short while after, is the ozone generator, which runs with the hydro system and hums quietly on its own.
• A faint hiss under the deck is usually air drawn through the small check valve on top of the ozone unit, or the breather hose near the hydro pump releasing pressure after the pump shuts off.
• A rush of air about 20 minutes after the air massage is switched off is the Auto Purge blowing residual water out of the air lines. It runs for 120 seconds, cannot be stopped and is normal even if you are still in the tub.
• Pumps that shut off on their own during a long soak have reached the built-in 20 minute timer, and the massage turns back on with the button.

A burning smell, a loud bang or a rattling pump is different. Switch the tub off at the breaker and leave it off. Why Does My Walk-In Tub Make a Buzzing or Hissing Noise? sorts the normal sounds from the ones that need a ticket. When you do open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850, have your model and serial number, your therapy package and how full the tub was when the pump started. Parts ship under the warranty and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor.

Watch: How to Secure Air & Hydro Connections in Your Walk-In Tub | Ellas Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How do air and hydro massage differ, and why do some tubs skip air?
• Therapy System Schematics Index: Every Published Component Diagram, Which Models It Lists, and How Many Dedicated Lines It Shows
• Water Inside the Air Blower: The Check Valve in the Air Manifold

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