Does the Ella quick drain work with standard bathroom drain plumbing?

Yes. What many shoppers call the Ella quick drain is Dual Drain Technology, two oversized 2 inch gravity drains with no pump anywhere in the system, and it connects to standard house plumbing with ordinary fittings your plumber already knows. The two drains join under the tub into a single house connection, and if your home has a 1.5 inch drain line your plumber steps down with a standard reducing fitting ahead of the P-trap, as explained in My House Drain Is 1.5 Inches. Will the 2 Inch Tub Drain Work?. No special pipe and no drain pump is ever needed.

Why a Dual Drain Cannot Overwhelm Your Pipes

The worry behind this question is that two large drains will push more water than a bathroom line can take. They cannot, because nothing is pushing. Ella's Dual Drain Technology is purely gravity driven. The water simply falls through the tub's two 2 inch drains, and your house line accepts it at whatever rate its size and condition allow. There is no pump to force water into the piping, so the tub side can never exceed what the house side is able to carry. The easy-turn drain handles also double as air vents, so the water flows out smoothly rather than in surges.

The flip side is just as important. A dual drain speeds up the tub side, but it cannot fix a house line that is already slow. If the existing drain is sluggish with a conventional tub, confirm it flows well before the Ella tub goes in, because that is a plumbing repair to make before installation.

The first video on this page is an installer's field view of the system. The installer shows the two 2 inch drains on an Ella tub, each operated independently, and explains that standard house plumbing for a bathtub is a 1.5 inch drain while a 2 inch pipe carries four times the volume of a 1.5 inch pipe. Opening the first drain gives a fast drain on its own, and opening the second speeds it up further. The video contrasts this with pump-driven drains used on some other tubs, which are in effect a secondary whirlpool pump pulling water through an intake.

What Standard Plumbing Means for the Connection

House drain size does not change how the tub connects. Here is how the connection works in an ordinary bathroom.

• One house connection, not two. On dual drain models the two drains join under the tub, so you need one P-trap and one reducing fitting, not two drain pipes in the slab.
• A four-port T-type drain body. The 2 inch T-type floor drain has four ports, so the pipe can leave in either direction and the installer chooses the most efficient side. Connect two of the four ports on the convenient side and cap the unused ports with the caps that ship with the tub. All four gives the fastest drain, and even one port still works.
• A standard step-down. Fit a 2 inch to 1.5 inch reducing coupling on the tub side of the P-trap riser, or run a 2 inch PVC 90 off the drain body and reduce ahead of the P-trap. A 2 inch main is recommended for the fastest emptying, and a T or Y into a 1.5 inch house drain also works.
• Prefer a Y over a T. A Y with fewer elbows drains better because the water changes direction less. Keep the run short with the fewest turns.
• Room to route. There is roughly 3 inches of clearance under the tub for 2 inch PVC, so the plumber can run the drain to either side when the house drain is on the far side or in the center. A flexible P-trap or no-hub coupling at the joint under the tub lets the tub come out later without cutting pipe.

Two layout rules decide which end the drain leaves from. The door and the drains are on opposite sides of every Ella walk-in tub: a right-side door tub has its drains on the left and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, as you face the tub. And the reversible end panel goes on whichever end of the tub is open, so the open end and the drain run are planned together. Horizontal runs and the one published recessed-drain option are covered in Can My Walk-In Tub Use a Horizontal Drain, and Where Is the Access Panel?.

Which Parts Are Standard and Which Come from Ella

Draw the line at the drain body. The drain body and its fittings, including the 90-degree elbow with its union nut and gasket, come from Ella's Bubbles, and the team does not recommend swapping the factory drain assembly for an aftermarket one in a different finish. Everything past that is standard. The drain pipes are standard PVC, so a plumber can cut and re-join them with ordinary couplings, and the reducer, P-trap, Y fittings and caps are ordinary items from any plumbing supplier. If a part is damaged, a replacement elbow, a replacement drain plug or the entire drain assembly is available through the team.

The one installation mistake that shows up in leak photos is overtightening. Forcing the plastic elbow down with a wrench stresses the material and can produce a hairline crack that does not show until the tub has been used a few times. The instruction with every replacement is simple: snug, not forced. Leak at the Drain Elbow or Drain Pipe: Overtightening, Standard PVC Fittings and Replacement Assemblies covers what to photograph and what to request.

The Adjustable Drain Stopper

Standard plumbing on the house side pairs with a floor drain that can be adjusted on the tub side. Ella tubs have adjustable height drains. If the drain stopper sits too high or too low, the stem can be adjusted by loosening or tightening it, which sets the stopper for a proper seal when the tub is full and a clear opening when it drains. The second video shows the adjustment. It is critically important not to loosen the stem too much, because the stem can fall off and go down the drain.

What to Confirm with Your Plumber Before Installation Day

1. Confirm the house drain flows well. A dual drain cannot fix a slow house line.
2. Plan one house connection and decide which T ports to use, then cap the rest with the supplied caps.
3. Choose the step-down fitting if the house line is 1.5 inch, and prefer a Y with few elbows.
4. Decide the drain run direction with the door side and the open end in mind.
5. Fit the elbow snug, not forced, then fill, drain and check every joint.

If your plumber has a question about the tub's connections, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model and serial number. Ella's Bubbles does not send technicians, so a local licensed plumber does the work.

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

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