Hand shower problems on an Ella walk-in tub come down to three things most of the time: a diverter button stuck in the closed position, a hand shower hose that needs replacing, and water showing up behind the tub after the hand shower has been wall mounted. All three have simple fixes, and this guide covers each one. Faucet and hand shower questions are the single most common topic in the support mailbox, so if your symptom is here, the answer is usually a minute of work or a matched part rather than a service call.

Diverter Button Stuck in the Closed Position

When using the Ella two-piece faucet together with the hand shower, in rare instances the diverter button can become stuck in the closed position after the water is turned off. This is an air lock, not a broken part, and you can release it in under a minute:

1. Unscrew the hose from the hand shower handset.
2. Remove the plastic restrictor. This relieves the air lock, and the button will snap back on its own.
3. Screw the hose back onto the handset.

A diverter that will not switch back to the spout, or that sends water out of both outlets, is covered in diverter valves and replacements, starting with the simplest fix of turning the water off and on again with the handle.

Replacing the Hand Shower Hose

The hand shower hose unscrews at the handset on one end and at its base fitting on the other, so swapping in a new hose is a hand tight job with no special tools. The hose is 5 feet long, and the handset offers five flow settings at a flow limit of 1.9 gallons per minute. Hoses and handsets are matched to your faucet set, and the 5-piece hose does not fit the 2-piece faucet, so to get the correct replacement, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your tub model, your serial number, a photo of the faucet, and a short description of the problem, and the team will identify the exact compatible part and arrange shipment. Which end goes where, the washers and the blue check valve inside the head are covered in hand shower leaks at the head or deck, and our article on how to order replacement parts covers the details of a parts ticket.

Wall Mounting the Hand Shower: Use the Leak Elimination Kit

This one matters enough to repeat the printed instructions word for word: "Do not attach the hand held shower to the wall unless you have an extension hose with a barrel protection. This may cause water to leak behind your walk in tub." When the hand shower is lifted to a wall mount without the kit, water from the hose can drip down into the hand shower base and travel through the deck mount insert hole to the space behind the tub, where you cannot see it.

The wall attachment and water leak elimination kit solves this with a 5 foot extension hose and a stainless steel barrel connector that plugs the deck insert hole. If you are seeing water under or behind the tub near the deck mounted hand shower, this kit is a common fix that avoids a service call; water under or behind the tub lists the other places to look. To install it:

1. Unscrew the shower head mixer from the hose.
2. Screw the stainless steel barrel onto the end of the hose.
3. Screw the extension hose onto the opposite side of the barrel.
4. Place the barrel in the shower base so it plugs the hole.
5. Screw the shower head mixer onto the other end of the extension hose.

The video above is Ella's visual of the hand shower hose extension kit. It shows the pieces in the order the printed steps use them: the mixer head comes off the original hose, the stainless barrel threads onto that hose end, the 5 foot extension threads onto the far side of the barrel, the barrel drops into the shower base to plug the deck opening, and the head goes back on the end of the extension. With the kit fitted, the hand shower can sit on a wall bracket or a slider bar without water tracking back through the deck.

A Note for LayDown Owners

For the LayDown family, the barrel extension hose warning applies to the 32x72 ordered with the hand mixer option. The LayDown60 does not come with a factory faucet at all, so hand shower guidance applies there only if the faucet you supplied includes one. If you are not sure which configuration you have, send us your serial number and we will check your order; the LayDown tub guide explains the faucet options by size.

Common Questions

Still need a hand? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and our technical support team will be glad to help. Showering in the tub more generally, with columns and screens, is covered in can I shower in a walk-in tub.