Fast-fill faucet installation on an Ella walk-in tub is a four-step job for the 5-piece set and simpler still for the 2-piece single-lever set. Your faucet ships with the tub and the deck is pre-drilled for it, but the supply lines are never connected when the tub leaves our facility, so your installer completes the mounting and connects the two included supply lines on site. This article gives the cut-out sizes, the installation sequence, and the hand shower details so the job goes smoothly.

Is the Faucet Installed When the Tub Ships?

The faucet set is included with the tub, and the deck is pre-drilled for it, but the supply lines are never connected in shipping so the tub can travel fully drained. Depending on your order, the faucet components may arrive seated loosely in the deck or packed with the tub, and either way the installer finishes the mounting using the steps below. If you would rather use a different faucet, the tub can be ordered without the Ella faucet; on a tub ordered that way, your installer drills the deck holes for the fixture you supply. If you are still choosing, our 2-piece versus 5-piece faucet comparison lays out the differences.

Deck Cut-Out Sizes

The Ella faucets are designed to be installed through a 2-1/2 inch diameter hole for the faucet body, a 1/3 inch diameter hole for the mounting rods, and a 7/8 inch diagonal hole for the hand shower. These are the dimensions to use if your installer is drilling a deck for an Ella faucet.

Installing the 5-Piece Fast-Fill Faucet

The 5-piece set has a red hot handle, a blue cold handle, a spout, a diverter lever, and the pull-out hand shower mixer. The video above shows the installation, which follows four steps:

1. Lever. Remove and reseat the steel washer and rubber gasket, then secure the two nuts from below the deck.
2. Spout. Seat the gasket above the deck and tighten the washer nut below.
3. Hand mixer. Secure the hand shower base with the plastic nut below the deck.
4. Supply lines. Connect the hot and cold supply lines to the faucet and to your shut-off valves.

In use, moving the middle diverter lever toward OFF and pushing the faucet lever down sends water to the pull-out hand shower.

Installing the 2-Piece Fast-Fill Faucet

The 2-piece set is a solid brass single-lever faucet with a diverter button under the spout and a separate pull-out hand shower. It uses the same deck holes and the same supply lines. Lift the lever for on, move it left for hot and right for cold, press the diverter button to switch between spout and hand shower, and push the lever down for off. It is available in chrome or brushed nickel.

Supply Lines and Tightening

Both faucet sets include two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines. Shut-off valves are not included, so have your plumber place accessible shut-offs close to the tub. Hand-tighten the connections and snug them gently; never over-torque the supply lines, because over-torquing damages the internal gasket and can cause a leak. Fill rates of 18 GPM for the 5-piece and 16 GPM for the 2-piece are designed at 60 PSI with ideal in-home plumbing, and our supply lines and shut-off valves article explains how house pipe size and pressure affect them. The size of your water heater matters just as much for a comfortable fill; see hot water heater requirements.

The Hand Shower and Wall Mounting

The pull-out hand shower has five flow settings on a dial, is limited to 1.9 GPM, and rides on a 5 foot retractable braided stainless hose with a backflow prevention valve. If you plan to mount the hand shower on the wall, the hose extension kit shown above is required. The printed instructions are direct about it: do not attach the hand held shower to the wall unless you have an extension hose with a barrel protection, because water can otherwise drip through the deck insert hole and leak behind the tub. The kit adds a 5 foot extension hose and a stainless steel barrel that plugs the deck hole. The step-by-step fitting of the kit is covered in our hand shower hose and diverter article, and the wall slider bar in hand shower slider bar installation.

Common Questions

Have a question that depends on your exact model or configuration? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and our technical support team will be glad to help you and your installer.