Can You Use a Bath Bomb in a Jetted Walk-In Tub?

Bath bombs are the one bath product Ella's Bubbles asks you to leave out of any jetted walk-in tub. Their oils, dye, glitter, confetti and floral material travel through the intake into the pump and the jet lines, where they can clog the jets and affect the tub mechanics over time. The full product-by-product list, including the Epsom salt routine, is in Can I use Epsom salts, bath bombs, bubble bath, or oils in my walk-in tub?; this page focuses on bath bombs alone, why they cause trouble in a jetted tub, and what to do if one has already gone in.

What Is Inside a Bath Bomb, and Where It Ends Up

A bath bomb carries fragrance oils and color, and often glitter, confetti or dried floral material. In a plain soaking bath those extras float on the surface and go down the drain. A jetted Ella tub works differently. The hydro system draws bath water in through the intake, pushes it through the pump and the in-line heater, and sends it back out through the jets. Anything in the water makes that trip too.

• Oils coat the inside of the pumps and lines, where they are hard to flush back out.
• Dyes and fragrance oils can affect the jet system.
• Glitter, confetti and floral bits are solids. A solid can lodge in a jet the same way an undissolved salt crystal does.

Ella's cleaning and maintenance video puts it plainly: the team cautions against any kind of bath bomb because the ingredients can cause damage to the pump system in a walk-in tub. Damage caused by oils and solids lodging in the pumps and jets falls outside the warranty, so the simplest protection for your tub is to keep bath bombs out of it.

Why the Built-In Cleaning Does Not Cover Bath Bombs

A jetted Ella tub has helpers that keep the lines fresh on their own. Ozone sterilization runs whenever the hydro jets are on and works as a natural disinfectant in the water. On the air massage side, Auto Purge starts automatically 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines, which keeps mold and mildew from taking hold. Those systems keep the water and the air lines sanitary. The routine that clears what additives leave behind is the monthly vinegar flush. Keeping bath bombs out of the tub means that flush stays a light monthly habit rather than a cleanup.

If a Bath Bomb Has Already Been Used

If a bath bomb has already gone in, the fix is the same flush every jetted Ella owner runs once a month. Do it as soon as you notice residue, or the black flakes or slime that sometimes appear at the jets after bath bombs, oils and salts have been used.

1. Combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water.
2. Fill the tub with water to 1 inch above the highest jets.
3. Add the vinegar mixture.
4. Run the tub for 10 minutes so the mixture circulates through every jet line, including the air jets and any microbubble lines.
5. Drain, then rinse the tub with the hand shower.

While you are at it, clean the pump inlet cover, since hair and debris collect there and a bath bomb adds petals and glitter to the mix. If you prefer a purpose-made product, Ella's technical support has confirmed that Nutra-Max, a cleaner made for jetted tubs, can be used in place of the vinegar and water mixture; the details are in What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub?. If flakes or residue keep coming out after a flush done exactly as written, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your serial number, a photo of what is coming from the jets and a note on which bath products have been used.

What You Can Use Instead

Wanting a nicer bath is the whole reason people reach for a bath bomb, and a jetted Ella tub still gives you plenty of room for that.

• Epsom salts. Dissolve them completely in a cup of warm water so no crystals are visible, run your hydro, air or microbubble therapy first, then add the dissolved salts for a still soak once the systems are finished. Drain right after and rinse the chrome so salt residue does not spot it. The step by step is in Can I Use Epsom Salts, Bath Bombs or Bubble Bath in My Walk-In Tub?.
• Soap, shampoo and body wash. Any ordinary brand is fine every day. Rinse well so nothing is left in the jets.
• Bubble bath. Fine sparingly. The jets make a lot of foam, so use a little, watch the foam level when the air massage is on, and rinse afterward.
• Scented or colored bath salts. Not recommended, for the same dye and fragrance oil reasons as bath bombs. If you use them anyway, dissolve them fully, use them sparingly and rinse thoroughly.
• Bath oils and bath beads. Discouraged in a jetted tub. They can get stuck in the jet and air pumps, and if you choose to use them, plan on extra vinegar flushes.

The Soaking Tub Exception

The rule exists because of the pumps, so it relaxes when there are none. An Ella soaking tub is molded without jet openings and has no pumps, heater or therapy lines under it, so bath salts and oils simply rinse away with the drain. A bath bomb is fine in a soaking-only tub, with a rinse afterward. The comparison in Soaking Walk-In Tub vs Jetted Tub: Which Is Easier to Maintain? covers the rest of the upkeep difference.

Two points matter if you are still choosing. Most models can be ordered as a soaker, including the Elite, Petite and Royal, the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile and Lounger, the whole Transfer family and both LayDown sizes, while the Ultimate, Deluxe, Ultra, Big4One, ShaK, Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60, Flow and the two-seat tubs always include at least one massage system. And the choice is permanent: jets cannot be added later and a jetted tub cannot be turned into a soaker, because the therapy package is part of the shell. If bath bombs are a real part of how you relax, that is worth weighing before you order, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm a specific model.

Between Baths

Whatever you add to the water, the routine that keeps a jetted tub trouble free is short. Wipe the tub about twice a month with a non-abrasive cleaner, keep the area around the intake screen free of debris, run the vinegar flush once a month, and rinse the tub after any bath that included salts or soap. The cleaning and maintenance video below walks through each of those habits, shows the intake screen, and includes the caution against bath bombs. Follow the vinegar quantities printed above, since they are the current published recipe.

Watch: Walk-In Tub Cleaning and Maintenance Guide | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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