How does the Ella Elite drain work and how fast does it empty?

The Ella Elite drains by gravity rather than by a pump. Its current spec sheet lists two 2 inch 4-port PVC drains, each with its own overflow and its own stainless steel opener with an extended chrome handle, and the Elite product video describes the pair as an independently operated dual 2 inch drain built for fast and efficient drainage. Connected to a proper 2 inch drain line, an Ella walk-in tub typically empties in two minutes or less, which is what makes the enter, fill, drain, exit sequence described in Walk-In Tub Versus a Regular Bathtub: Seven Practical Differences in Entry, Seating, Fill and Drain, Water Use, Electrical, Installation and Cleaning workable on a tub whose door stays closed until the water is gone.

What the Elite Ships with

The drain hardware is part of the tub as delivered and appears in the spec sheet's included features for every Elite, whether it is a soaking tub or a jetted one:

• Two 2 inch 4-port PVC drains, described on the drain page of the spec sheet as the Ella 2 inch T-type Dual Port Floor Drain, or Dual Drain Technology: two 2 inch independent floor drains.
• Two end caps, so the ports your plumber does not use on each drain body are closed off.
• Two overflows, one for each drain.
• Two stainless steel operated openers with extended handles in a chrome finish, so each drain is opened from the deck without reaching into the water.

The Elite shares this drain arrangement with the Capri. The two tubs differ in door swing, threshold, seat height and door width, not in how they empty, as Ella Capri Versus Ella Elite: Threshold, Seat Height, Door Width, Handle Location and Door Swing explains. The 60-inch inward-swing sibling of the Elite is the same idea in a longer shell, covered in Ella Elite 30x52 Versus the 60-Inch Inward-Swing Tub: Legroom, Therapy Room and What Stays the Same.

How Gravity Draining Works on a Walk-In Tub

Nothing pushes the water out. Each drain sits at the floor of the tub, and when you lift its opener the water falls by gravity through the 2 inch drain body into the house drain line your plumber connected. Two drains, each with its own opener, move water out through two openings at once instead of one, which is why the Elite video calls the arrangement best in class for fast and efficient drainage. Because the door is part of the tub wall, the order of a bath is fixed: step in, close the door, fill, bathe, open the drains, wait for the tub to empty, then open the door. A soaking Elite with no pumps needs no electrical outlet for any of this, because the drains are gravity driven.

How Fast the Elite Empties and What Affects It

Once the tub is connected to a proper 2 inch drain line, it typically empties in two minutes or less. Two things decide where your tub lands in that range:

1. How much water is in it. The Elite holds 75 gallons unoccupied, and its occupied capacity is 35 to 55 gallons, because the bather displaces part of the fill. The water you drain after a bath is closer to the occupied figure than the unoccupied one.
2. The house side of the connection. The published time assumes a proper 2 inch drain line, so ask your plumber to confirm the size of the line the tub ties into before the first fill.

While the tub drains you stay seated behind the closed door. The optional heated seat and backrest listed on the Elite spec sheet is the comfort feature Ella points to for that wait, and on the way in the 5-piece fast-fill faucet is designed for up to 18 gallons per minute at 60 PSI under ideal in-home plumbing conditions, so the time spent waiting on water at either end of the bath is short.

Which Side the Drains Are on

On every Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains are on opposite ends. Facing the tub ready to step in, a right-side door tub has its drains on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right. On the Elite the inward-swinging stainless steel door and the seat sit at one end, and the drains, overflows and faucet sit at the other. The 4-port body on each drain ships with an end cap, so your plumber connects the port that faces the house drain and caps the rest, which is how the same drain body serves either configuration. Confirm the door side on your order before the drain line is roughed in, since the drains follow the door.

Adjusting the Drain Height

Ella drains have an adjustable height stem. The short adjustable drain height video shows that if a drain sits too high or too low, the stem is loosened or tightened to set it. The one warning in the video matters: do not loosen the stem too much, because it can fall off and go down the drain. If a drain on your Elite does not seat properly after installation, this adjustment is the first thing to check before any part is replaced.

What Your Plumber Needs to Get Right

Ella does not send technicians. The tub arrives assembled and tested, and a licensed local plumber connects the two drains and the supply lines, while an electrician handles any pump, heater or heated seat. The drain connections have to be right before the tub is ever filled, because the door is part of the tub wall. Have the plumber:

• Run a 2 inch line to the drain end of the tub and connect each drain body, capping the unused ports with the included end caps.
• Connect the supply lines to shut-off valves, which are not included with the tub.
• Test a fill and a drain before the walls are closed, using the removable front apron and its two access panels to inspect the connections.

Who does this work and how to find a referral is in Who can install a walk-in tub with built-in seating and grab bars?. If a drain part ever needs replacing, the part ships under the warranty and a local licensed plumber fits it. For a ticket, have your serial number, a photo of the drain end of the tub and a description of what the drain is doing ready at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Adjustable Drain Height with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Drainage and Fill Time
• How Fast Do Walk-In Tubs Drain and What Speeds It Up?
• What Is Dual Drain Technology on a Walk-In Tub?

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