How Do I Clean the Jet Lines on a Tub Without Auto Purge?

You clean the jet lines on a tub without Auto Purge the same way as on any Ella tub: once a month, combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain, and in the same session clear the pump inlet cover. Auto Purge belongs only to the air massage system and only blows water out of the air lines, so a tub without it is a hydro tub whose water lines drain as the tub drains and were never cleaned by a purge in the first place. The recipe itself is set out in How Do I Clean the Jet Lines on My Walk-In Tub?, and this page covers what changes, and what does not, when there is no Auto Purge.

What Auto Purge Cleans, and What It Never Touched

Auto Purge is a feature of the air massage package. After the air pump is turned off, some water naturally flows back into the air piping, and if it were left there it would create mildew and bacteria. So about 20 minutes after you shut the air massage off, the air pump turns itself back on and runs for 120 seconds to blow that water out of the air lines. It is fully automatic, cannot be stopped, and is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub. The video on this page shows the cycle and explains why it happens.

Only air tubs purge. Hydro jets drain themselves as the tub drains and never cycle on their own, so a hydro massage tub, a Hydro plus Independent Foot Massage tub or a Hydro plus Microbubble tub has no Auto Purge and does not need one. That means nothing is missing from your tub's cleaning. Auto Purge was never part of cleaning the hydro lines on any Ella tub; the hydro lines have always relied on the monthly vinegar flush, plus the ozone sterilization that runs whenever the hydro jets run. If your tub once started on its own and you were not sure why, Why Did My Walk-In Tub Turn On by Itself? explains how to tell a purge from a fault.

The Monthly Flush, Step by Step

1. Fill the tub with water until it sits 1 inch above the highest jets. The published recipe does not call for a particular water temperature, so fill the tub the way you would for a normal bath.
2. Mix 2 cups of plain white vinegar with 2 cups of water and add it to the tub. This is the whole amount for a full tub of any size, and the recipe is the same on every Ella model.
3. Run the tub for 10 minutes so the solution circulates through every jet line.
4. Drain completely and look at the water as it goes. If it carries flakes, a dark film or a musty smell, refill and run the flush again, and keep repeating until the water runs clear.

Run this flush once before the first bath and then once a month. You do not need to flush after every bath, because the hydro system is fully plumbed and self clearing. A flush with too little vinegar or too short a run is the usual reason the routine seems not to work, so follow the amounts and the 10 minutes exactly. The whole care schedule, including the twice-monthly wipe of the acrylic with a non-abrasive cleaner, is in How Do I Clean and Maintain My Walk-In Tub?.

Which Part to Remove: The Pump Inlet Cover

If you have been looking for a filter to pull out, the part the routine means is the pump inlet cover. It is the suction grate where the hydro pump draws water in, and it is the one part of the jet system you handle during cleaning. Once a month, in the same session as the flush, clear hair and debris from the pump inlet cover and wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner. Dawn dish detergent is an approved cleaner. Buildup on this cover is a common reason for weak jets, because the pump can only push out what it can draw in.

The published routine does not ask you to unscrew jets, open the pump or remove a cartridge. The inlet cover and the vinegar flush are the whole of the monthly jet line routine on a hydro tub. To keep hair away from the drains and the cover between cleanings, a silicone pop-up drain protector from a hardware store is the team's suggestion.

When Buildup Is Already in the Lines

A tub that has gone months without a flush, or that sat unused with water in the lines, can shed dark specks or a musty smell when the first flush loosens the film. That is body oils, soap film and bath product residue breaking loose, and the answer is to repeat the flush until the drained water runs clear. Why Does My Walk-In Tub Still Smell Musty After the Vinegar Flush? covers the follow-up checks, including whether the ozone generator still has power.

While you are at it, look at what goes into the water, because the jet lines carry whatever the bath water carries:

• Leave bath bombs out of a jetted tub entirely. Their oils, dye, glitter and floral bits travel into the jets and can damage the pump system, and Can You Use Bath Bombs in a Jetted Tub Without Damaging It? explains why there is no safe way to use one.
• Set aside bath oils, bath beads and bubble bath. Oils coat the inside of the pumps and lines, where they are hard to flush back out, and beads can get stuck in the pumps and damage the motors. Damage caused that way falls outside the warranty.
• Wipe any ring or film off the shell with mild dish soap or a 1 to 1 vinegar and water mix on a soft cloth, because a film on the walls holds odor as surely as the lines do.
• If the tub sat unused, flush and drain the pump circulation system before the next bath, then return to the monthly schedule.

When to Open a Ticket

If the jets stay weak, or flakes keep coming, after the pump inlet cover is clean and a correct flush has run more than once, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Include your model and serial number and which therapy package is on your order, so the team can confirm whether the pump, the cover or the lines are the cause and whether your tub was ever meant to have an air system.

Watch: Voted Best Walk-In Tub in 2020 With Air Massage & Auto Purge Function | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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