5-Piece Faucet: Water Keeps Flowing With the Valve Off, Low Pressure, Handle Replacements and Finish Options

If water keeps flowing from the tub filler with the hot or cold valve turned off on the Ella 5-piece fast-fill faucet, the valve is not sealing and Ella's Bubbles supplies a replacement after a quick photo check. The hot and cold valves are simple pass-through valves: open one and it lets through whatever is in the supply line, close it and the flow should stop completely. That same simplicity answers the low-pressure question, because there is nothing inside the faucet that can restrict flow. This article covers the leaking-through symptom, pressure, handle and finish replacements, and the small hardware the team does and does not supply. The full cartridge-replacement walkthrough has its own article, and the tub color and hardware finish overview is separate too.

Water Still Flows with the Valve Off

Take a photo of the hot (or cold) handle in the off position with water visibly coming out of the tub filler, and send it with your serial number and shipping address. The team reviews the photo and, when the valve is covered under the parts warranty, packs a replacement valve. You then have a choice: take the cartridge out of the new valve and swap only the cartridge into your existing valve body, or replace the valve entirely. Either way the handle, collar and cap go back on the same way.

Low Pressure or Low Hot-Water Flow

There is no filter, no aerator and no pressure or thermostatic control inside the 5-piece faucet's hot and cold valves. When you open a valve, whatever pressure is in the supply line is what reaches the spout. So when the hot side runs weak, the cause is upstream of the tub: the house supply, a thermostatic or pressure valve an installer may have added, or the size and recovery of the water heater. The team will ask which faucet you have, whether the installer added any valve in the line, and what size water heater feeds the tub. The faucet is rated for a fill of up to 18 gallons per minute at 60 PSI with ideal in-home plumbing, and it comes with two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided supply lines; shut-off valves are not included with the faucet. Fast-fill faucet expectations explains what real fill times look like, and what size water heater you need covers the heater side.

Swapping the Cartridge on the 5-Piece Faucet

If you choose to move only the cartridge from the replacement valve into your existing valve body, the video shows the hot or cold cartridge coming out in a few steps: Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Cartridge Replacement 5 Piece with chapters and a full transcript.

1. Remove the red or blue cap from the top of the handle.
2. Loosen the bolt under the cap with a 3 mm Allen key and lift the handle off.
3. Remove the plastic collar under the handle.
4. Loosen and remove the cartridge with a 17 mm socket wrench.
5. Check the valve body for debris, foreign objects or calcification; clean with a soft brush and rinse.
6. Fit the new cartridge and tighten without over-torquing, replace the plastic collar, set the handle back on facing the correct way, tighten the Allen bolt firmly, and press the colored cap back on.

The 2-Piece Faucet, Briefly

Watch: Ellas Bubbles: Two Piece Faucet Cartridge Replacement with chapters and a full transcript.

The single-lever 2-piece faucet has one cartridge under the spout handle, and the sequence is slightly different: decorative bolt cover, 3 mm Allen bolt, spout handle, escutcheon plate, brass locking collar, then the cartridge. When fitting the new cartridge, its two guide posts must line up with the receptacles in the spout housing before the collar goes back on, and the red side should end up on the left for hot and the blue on the right for cold. The faucet cartridge replacement article walks through it in full, and the 2-piece versus 5-piece article shows how to tell the two sets apart.

Handles, Finishes and Set Screws

Hot and cold handles for the fast-fill faucets are available in four finishes: chrome, brushed nickel, black and gold. When you ask for handles the team needs the finish, and it will also ask whether the diverter handle was lost along with them. Different finishes are offered for the faucets only; the other hardware on the tub, including grab bars, push buttons, drain plugs and drain handles, is chrome. An owner who wants a black look can have the faucet in black while the rest of the hardware stays chrome. The small set screw that holds a faucet handle is available on request if one goes missing. If the diverter itself, rather than its handle, is the problem, see diverter valves and replacements.

Hardware Ella Does Not Supply

Ella's Bubbles does not supply stop valves, aerators or dip tubes. Stop valves belong to the house plumbing and are not included with the faucet; the faucet has no aerator; and a dip tube is a water heater part. If a plumber has told you one of these is the reason your hot water is weak, that repair sits with the plumber or the water heater, not with the tub. Water supply lines, shut-off valves and pipe size describes what the house side should provide for a fast fill.

Related Guides

• Why Does the Faucet Drip for a While After I Shut It Off?
• Buying a Fast-Fill Faucet Set or Valve Body on Its Own: Specs, Finishes and Deck Hole Size
• Faucet Supply Hose Leaking Under the Deck: Access, Identification and Replacement
• Why Does the Inside of My New Fill Spout Look Discolored or Oxidized?
• Handles, Cartridges and Hoses for the Huntington Brass Faucet on Older Ella Tubs
• Are Walk-In Tub Faucets Available in Finishes Other Than Chrome?

If a cartridge has burst and water is spraying from the valve rather than leaking through when it is off, shut off the supply first and follow faucet cartridge burst and spraying water: shutting it down and getting replacement hot and cold valves.

Common Questions

For anything specific to your model, serial number or faucet set, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and the Ella's Bubbles team will confirm the exact part.