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Installing the 2-Piece and 5-Piece Fast-Fill Faucets and Hand Shower

Updated September 2026

▶Glossary8
  1. Is the Faucet Installed When the Tub Ships?
  2. Deck Cut-Out Sizes
  3. Installing the 5-Piece Fast-Fill Faucet
  4. Installing the 2-Piece Fast-Fill Faucet
  5. Supply Lines and Tightening
  6. The Hand Shower and Wall Mounting
  7. Related Guides
  8. Common Questions

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

Diagram of the Ella 5-piece fast-fill faucet with each component labeled for walk-in tub installation
The 5-piece set: hot and cold handles, spout, diverter lever, and pull-out hand shower.
Five Piece Fast Fill Faucet Install Video
Chapters in this video
  1. 0:00 Install Hot Water Faucet The technician installs the hot water faucet, ensuring the set screws are flush and the washers are in place before tightening.
  2. 0:52 Install Cold Water Faucet The technician installs the cold water faucet, making sure the set screws are flush and the washers are correctly positioned.
  3. 1:21 Install Diverter Valve The technician installs the diverter valve, ensuring the set screws are flush and the gaskets are placed correctly before tightening.
  4. 2:01 Connect Faucet Lines The technician connects the hot and cold faucet lines to the diverter, checking for silicone washers and tightening connections.
  5. 2:49 Connect Supply Lines and Spout The technician connects the hot and cold supply lines and the main spout, applying silicone under the spout base to prevent leaks.
  6. 4:01 Install Hand Shower Receptacle The technician installs the hand shower receptacle and connects the hand shower line to the diverter valve.
  7. 4:53 Attach Handles and Caps The technician attaches the diverter, hot, and cold handles, setting them appropriately, and then adds the color and silver caps.

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

Two Piece Fast-Fill Faucet Set Installation video
Chapters in this video
  1. 0:00 Install Two-Piece Faucet Unit The technician inserts the two-piece faucet unit into the pre-drilled hole, ensuring the gasket is seated correctly.
  2. 0:18 Secure Faucet with Locking Plate The technician installs the metal locking plate and foam gasket, then hand screws and tightens the attachment bolts and locking nuts.
  3. 0:43 Connect Hot and Cold Supply Lines The technician attaches the hot and cold supply lines, ensuring the gaskets are seated correctly and tightening them with a wrench.
  4. 1:10 Install Hand Shower Receptacle The technician places the hand shower receptacle into its pre-drilled hole, ensuring the gasket is seated correctly, and tightens the locking nut.
  5. 1:32 Attach Shower Hose Line The technician threads the shower hose line through the receptacle, attaches the adapter nut to the brass connector, and tightens it with a wrench.

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. Watch: Ellas Bubbles: Two Piece Fast-Fill Faucet Set Installation video with chapters and a full transcript.

Hand testing the water flow from the Ella 2-piece single-lever fast-fill faucet on a walk-in tub deck
The 2-piece single-lever faucet: lift for on, left for hot, right for cold, push down for off.

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.

Pair of 3/4 inch braided stainless steel hot and cold supply lines with chrome fittings for an Ella walk-in tub faucet
The braided stainless supply lines that ship with both faucet sets. Snug by hand, never over-torque.

The Hand Shower and Wall Mounting

Hand Shower Hose Extension Kit for Walk In Tubs

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.

If your tub arrived with an empty opening in the deck and you are wondering whether a part was left off, see There Is an Open Hole in the Deck of My New Tub: That Is Where the Spout Installs.

Common Questions

What are the deck cut-out sizes?
The deck cut-out sizes for Ella faucets are 2-1/2 inches in diameter for the faucet body, 1/3 inch in diameter for the mounting rods, and 7/8 inch in diagonal for the hand shower. These dimensions are used if your installer is drilling a deck for an Ella faucet.
How do I install the 5-piece set?
To install the 5-piece fast-fill faucet set, first install the hot and cold handles, spout, and diverter lever. Next, secure the hand shower base with the plastic nut below the deck. Finally, connect the hot and cold supply lines to the faucet and to your shut-off valves. The installation sequence is shown in the video "Installing the 2-Piece and 5-Piece Fast-Fill Faucets and Hand Shower".
What supply lines are included?
Both the 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucet sets include two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines. Shut-off valves are not included with the faucet sets. Your plumber should place accessible shut-off valves close to the tub.
My installer cannot find a fitting to match the faucet connections. Are they metric?
The included 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines are specifically made to fit the Ella fast-fill faucet connections, so you should use them rather than sourcing other fittings. If a supply line is missing or damaged, open a support ticket with your tub model and a photo of the fitting, and our team will send the matching part.
What thread size is the hand shower?
The hoses and handsets are matched to your specific Ella faucet set, so there is no universal thread size to guess. To identify the exact compatible part for your hand shower, open a support ticket with your tub model, serial number, and a photo of the fitting.
Can I use my own faucet instead of the Ella faucet?
Yes. Order the tub without the Ella faucet and have your installer drill the deck for the fixture you supply, or use a wall-mounted faucet. A non-Ella faucet carries its own manufacturer's warranty rather than the Ella tub warranty.
Can I add a rain shower later?
Yes, you can add a rain shower later to your Ella walk-in tub. The Shower Column Kit is designed for tubs that have an Ella 2-piece or 5-piece deck-mount faucet. The installation process for this kit is covered in our shower column kit installation article.
Why is the fill slower than the rated 16 or 18 GPM?
The rated fill rates of 16 GPM for the 2-piece faucet and 18 GPM for the 5-piece faucet assume ideal plumbing conditions, specifically 3/4 inch lines at 60 PSI. Several factors can slow the fill rate, including half-inch house lines, low water pressure, a long run from your water heater, or other fixtures running simultaneously in your home. The size of your water heater also significantly impacts a comfortable fill.
Which finishes are available for the 2-piece fast-fill faucet?
The 2-piece fast-fill faucet set is available in two finishes: chrome or brushed nickel. It is important to note that even when a brushed nickel faucet is chosen, other components such as jets, grab bars, and controls will remain chrome.

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.

About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.

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