Why Are There Two Crimped Pieces of Tubing on the Air Manifold Under My Tub?

The two short pieces of crimped tubing on the air manifold under your Ella walk-in tub are there on purpose. They plug the two extra ports on the manifold that your tub does not use. Because the crimped stubs are the correct connection size for those ports, neither the manifold nor the tubing should leak, and there is nothing you need to fix, cap, or replace.

What the Air Manifold Does

The air massage system pushes air from the blower through a manifold, which is a distribution block with several outlet ports. From each port, a length of tubing runs to a group of air jets in the tub. The manifold has more ports than your tub's jet layout uses, so a couple of ports are left over. Rather than leave them open, the factory fits each spare port with a short piece of tubing that is crimped shut, sealing the port so air goes only to the jets.

How to Tell a Factory Plug from a Problem

1. Look at where the tubing goes. A factory plug is a short stub attached to a manifold port with a pinched, closed end and no jet on the other side.
2. Count them. There are two extra ports on the manifold, so you should see two of these crimped stubs.
3. Check the fit. The stubs are the correct connection size for the manifold ports and seat the same way the working air lines do, which is why they hold air without leaking.
4. Run the air system and listen near the manifold. A crimped plug should be silent. A hiss from a working line or a jet that is dead points to a different issue.

What Is Not Normal

A crimped stub that is hissing, a working air line that has a pinch or kink in the middle of its run, or a hole worn into a line are all different from a factory plug. If a working line is damaged, it can be repaired by cutting out the bad section and joining the ends, as shown in air line leaking under the tub. If tubing has been chewed by pests, rats chewed the tubing under my tub explains what can be replaced. Water showing up inside the blower is a check valve matter covered in water inside the air blower, and swapping that valve and its hoses is described in replacing the air check valve and the hoses.

Advice for Installers

If you are a plumber or dealer inspecting a tub before it goes into the alcove, leave the crimped stubs exactly as they are. Ella tubs are assembled and tested to order, and the plugged ports are part of that tested configuration. Do not cut the stubs off or reroute a working line into a plugged port. If you have a photo of something that does not look like a simple crimped stub, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with the picture and the serial number, and technical support can confirm what you are looking at.

Related Guides

• Air Jet Covers, Jet Faces, Tubing and Connectors: What Can Be Replaced and What Cannot Be Added Later
• Removing and Replacing an Air Jet: 3mm Hex Key, Clearing Debris and Resealing the Elbow
• Why Does My Air Massage Stay on One Speed?

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.