Air Jet Covers, Jet Faces, Tubing and Connectors: What Can Be Replaced and What Cannot Be Added Later

Air jet covers, hydro jet faces, air tubing and the connectors that join them are all available as replacement parts for Ella walk-in tubs, matched to your serial number by Technical Support. What cannot be supplied is a new therapy: the jets in an Ella tub are built in at the factory, so air jets cannot be added to a tub that was purchased with hydro jets only, and jets cannot be added in new positions. This article explains that boundary, shows how a jet face comes off and goes back on, and covers what to tell the team so the right covers and tubing ship.

What Cannot Be Added After the Sale

Every tub is drilled and plumbed for the jetting package ordered, with pumps, plumbing and controls matched to it. Because of that, additional jets and additional therapies cannot be installed once the tub has left the factory. The team's answer to "can I buy air jets for my hydro tub" is a clear no, and the same applies to adding jets in a new location such as the lumbar area of the seat. If a second therapy matters to you, the conversation belongs with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before the order is placed. The full list of what can and cannot be changed is in what can and cannot be customized, and the jet counts and positions each package includes are in how many jets does each tub have and where the air jets sit.

What Can Be Replaced

• Air jet covers. Replacement air jet covers, such as the Air Jet V.2 fitted to many tubs, are supplied as parts. Covers that were broken off during a move or a remodel are a frequent request; the air jets on the underside of the tub break off easily if the tub is set down on them, which is why the tub is always carried by the frame, as described in delivery day: inspecting and moving your tub.
• Hydro jet faces. The jet face unscrews from inside the tub and can be replaced or reseated as shown below.
• Air tubing and connectors. The small hoses that carry air from the push buttons to the control box, and the larger polyurethane tubing feeding the air jets, are replaceable along with the elbow, tee and straight connectors that join them.

Removing and Refitting a Jet Face

Watch: How to Adjust to Hydro Jets in Your Walk-In Tub? with chapters and a full transcript.

The video uses a foot jet as the example. The center nozzle of the jet is a valve, and turning it opens or closes the jet to adjust pressure. If the nozzle is too stiff to turn, reach behind the jet and loosen the butterfly handles slightly with pliers or channel locks; that frees the nozzle so it turns left or right. To confirm the valve is fully open, remove the jet from the inside. The jet has a half-cut opening, and inside the housing there is a hole where the water comes out. Line the open side of the jet up with that hole, then tighten the jet nut until the jet is secure and the nozzle no longer turns on its own. The same removal and alignment steps apply when you are fitting a replacement face.

The Intensity Dial Is an Air Control

The hydro intensity dial is not electrical. It sits on an air hose and adds or removes air in the water stream, which is what changes the feel of the massage. If the dial does nothing while the pump runs normally, check the air hose connection to the pump rather than any wiring. A dial that is stiff to turn is a different issue, covered in adjusting jet pressure, foot jet nozzles and a stiff intensity control dial.

When a Hose Comes Off a Push Button

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

This video shows that most "one massage does not work" cases are a missing air connection between the push control and the control box. The push button sends an air signal through a small tube; at the box end, push the tube firmly onto the nipple with a twist-and-push motion. To check the button end, pry off the chrome ring and button with one or two fine flat screwdrivers, pull out the black bellows pump, check the lock nut and hose, then reconnect, push the bellows back in and refit the button and ring. If a hose keeps working loose, make sure the run has some slack; a line that is pulled tight, or one that was snagged during installation, will keep coming off, and the team can send a longer piece of matching tubing so it can be re-run with slack. Replacing a button and hose is a job a handyman can handle, with the team on the phone if needed. If reconnecting does not bring the system back, continue with pump or massage system not working.

Getting the Right Tubing

Tubing sizes have changed over the years, so the team matches tubing to your tub rather than to a generic size. On older tubs the small air line has measured 1/4 inch inside diameter by 3/8 inch outside diameter polyurethane tube, but the team confirms against your serial number before sending anything. To make that quick:

1. Photograph the tubing next to a ruler, and photograph both ends where it connects.
2. Count the connectors you need by type: elbows, tees and straights.
3. Estimate the total length so the team can cut enough.
4. Include your model and serial number, found inside one of the removable panels.

Everything the team needs for any part request is listed in how to order replacement parts.

Related Guides

• Is It Safe to Cap or Plug a Water Jet I Do Not Use?
• A Jet Nozzle Broke Off: Why Some Jets Are Directional and Others Fixed, and How to Get the Right Replacement
• Air Line Leaking Under the Tub: Cut Out the Hole and Rejoin With a Coupling
• Why Are There Two Crimped Pieces of Tubing on the Air Manifold Under My Tub?
• Replacement Air Jets, Quick-Connect Elbows and Air Tubing
• Some Jets Work but Others Never Have: Jet Adjustment, Pump Power, and When Ella Ships a Replacement

Common Questions

For anything specific to your model, serial number or configuration, please open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. The team is glad to help.