Which Ella Walk-In Tubs Come With the 2-Piece or 5-Piece Faucet?

Most Ella walk-in tubs ship with one of two deck-mounted fast-fill faucet sets, and the style is listed model by model: the Standard and Standard60 come with the 5-piece set with separate hot and cold handles, while the Zen, Zen60 and Flow come with the 2-piece single-lever set. Among the two-seat tubs, the Tub4Two and the Companion come with a 2-piece set and the Big4Two comes with a dual 2-piece set, while the LayDown72 is faucet-ready and can take either set as an option and the LayDown60 has no deck faucet at all. Both sets are explained in What Is a Fast-Fill Faucet on a Walk-In Tub?, and because every tub is drilled to order for the faucet selected, the set on your written proposal is the one your tub will arrive with.

Faucet Set by Model

The table gathers the fast-fill set named for each model in the published profiles and video tours. The flow figures are the design ratings for each set rather than for the tub, so they apply to whichever model the set is fitted to, and the 2-piece rating is measured at 60 PSI.

What the differences mean: the set decides how you operate the faucet, how fast the spout is designed to fill, and which replacement hoses fit. A 2-piece tub gives you a single ADA lever and a diverter button under the spout, while a 5-piece tub gives you separate red and blue handles with a diverter lever between them and a higher design flow. The two LayDown tubs are the exceptions to the rule that a faucet comes with the tub. The LayDown60 is never sold with a factory faucet and relies on a pre-existing or new customer-supplied faucet, typically wall-mounted, while the LayDown72 lets you choose an Ella deck-mount set or leave the deck without one.

How the Two Sets Differ in Use

The sets look different on the deck and are operated differently, which is worth knowing before you settle on a model.

• 2-piece set: lift the lever for on, move it left for hot and right for cold, and press the diverter button under the spout to send water to the hand shower. The spout is solid brass in chrome with a high-flow cartridge, the set is offered in chrome or brushed nickel on the Zen, and it is certified to CSA B125.1, ASME A112.18.1, ICC 117.1, ANSI/NSF 61/9 and IAPMO UPC with an ADA lever.
• 5-piece set: the red handle is hot, the blue handle is cold, and the middle lever is the diverter. Turn it toward OFF and push the faucet lever down for the hand shower.
• Hand shower hoses and handsets are matched to the set, and the 5-piece hose does not fit the 2-piece faucet, so send a photo of your faucet with any parts request.

A dripping or stiff 2-piece faucet usually needs a fresh cartridge, and the cartridge replacement is a simple job. On the Zen, the 2-piece set is one of the main differences from the Standard, alongside the smaller seat and the 17 jets instead of 18; the full comparison is in Ella Zen 30x52 and Zen60 30x60: Budget Hydro Tubs With a Single-Lever Faucet.

What Both Sets Share

Whichever set your model lists, the parts around it are the same, so the practical differences come down to the lever, the handles and the design flow.

• A pull-out hand shower with 5 flow settings, limited to 1.9 GPM, on a 5 foot braided hose with a back-flow prevention valve. Because it is limited by design, it always flows far slower than the spout.
• Two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided supply lines.
• Real-world fill times of 7 to 15 minutes depending on tub size and your water supply, since the GPM ratings assume 60 PSI and ideal plumbing.
• No shut-off valves in the box, so plan easily accessible ones near the tub.
• Compatibility with the shower column kit, which connects to either the 2-piece or the 5-piece set. The shower column video shows the kit going onto the deck in the vacant hand shower receptacle, then push the diverter button on the 2-piece set or turn the diverter handle on the 5-piece set for the hand shower, and engage the diverter for the overhead rain head.

On the two-seat tubs, each seat has its own jets, its own systems and its own high-flow faucet, with no sharing between sides, which is why the Big4Two is listed with a dual set. The video walkthroughs of the Big4Two, Escape, Tub4Two and Companion are collected in Two-Seat Tubs on Video: Big4Two, Escape, Tub4Two and Companion Walkthroughs, and the door and size differences between those four are answered in Common Model Questions.

Reading Your Paperwork and Ordering

The faucet options video shows three faucets on Ella tubs side by side: the 2-piece high-flow faucet, a tub fitted with the TCV faucet, and the 5-piece high-flow faucet. Its point is that when you place an order the tub is pulled with your name on it and drilled for the faucet you select and the features you choose, so the faucet is a choice confirmed at order time rather than a fixed pairing you cannot discuss. A tub ordered with an Ella thermostatic faucet package includes a built-in Ella Thermostatic Control Valve that mixes hot and cold to a set temperature, and that valve carries its own 1-year limited warranty.

On your paperwork the code 5P-FFF is the 5-piece set, and a finish suffix such as BN means brushed nickel. The deck is drilled to suit the set, and the Zen profile lists a 2-1/2 inch cut-out, a 1/3 inch cut-out and a 7/8 inch diagonal hand-shower hole for its 2-piece faucet. If the set listed on your proposal is not the one you expected for the model, or you would prefer the other set, ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before the tub is drilled. For a ticket after delivery, have your model, serial number and a photo of the faucet ready at ellasbubbles.com/support so the team can match the exact part.

Related Guides

• Ella Fast-Fill Faucets: 2-Piece vs 5-Piece, Finishes, and the Waterfall Option
• Buying a Fast-Fill Faucet Set or Valve Body on Its Own: Specs, Finishes and Deck Hole Size
• Can I Switch My Walk-In Tub From a 2-Piece to a 5-Piece Faucet?

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