Hand Shower Leaks at the Head or Deck: Hose Orientation, the Blue Check Valve, Washers and a Loose Mount Base

Most hand shower leaks on an Ella walk-in tub, whether at the sprayer head or at the deck, trace to one of three things: the hose installed backwards, a missing check valve or washer at the sprayer head, or a mount base that has worked loose on the deck. All three are easy to check from the top of the tub, and Ella's Bubbles supplies the hose, the head and the base when one is actually needed. This article walks through each check. The diverter and the slider-bar accessory are covered in their own articles.

Which End Goes Where

The replacement hose has two different connectors, and orientation matters. The conical connector attaches to the handset (the sprayer head). The hex nut connector attaches to the deck mount, or to the shower column on tubs that have one. A hose installed backwards can leak, and the team sees this in photos often enough that it is the first thing checked. Every replacement hose ships with a full set of new washers; take care not to lose them during installation, and do not reuse the old ones. Hoses are matched to the faucet set, and the 5-piece hose does not fit the 2-piece faucet, as the hand shower hose and diverter article explains.

Connecting the Hose Through the Base

1. Remove the nut on the diverter (faucet) side of the hose.
2. Drop the hose down through the sprayer base in the deck.
3. Reconnect the nut to the diverter underneath the deck.
4. Check that the gaskets inside the nut are still in place before tightening.

If the tub is installed against a wall and you cannot reach underneath, the magnetic access panels on the front apron give access to the plumbing; planning service access shows where they are on each family.

Leak at the Sprayer Head

Inside the threads of the sprayer head sits a small blue piece: the backflow prevention check valve. If yours is missing, the threads will show an empty hole where it should be, and the head can drip or leak at the joint. The fix is a replacement sprayer head, which comes with the check valve installed; the team can add one to a hose shipment. The Ella hand shower is a standard size handsprayer with five flow settings on the dial and a flow limit of 1.9 gallons per minute, so an aftermarket head will also thread on if you prefer. If the leak is at the hose end of the head, the usual cause is a missing washer or the backwards hose described above.

Loose Sprayer Mount Base

The sprayer mount base is held to the deck by a nut underneath. If the base wobbles or lifts, first find out whether the stem is coming off the base or the whole piece is loose from the deck. If you have access to the underside of the deck on the back wall, simply re-tighten the nut. If there is no access, run a generous bead of silicone around the base to bond it to the deck and let it cure and dry for about 24 hours before using the hand shower; for a base whose top section has separated, a strong adhesive can reattach it with the same cure time. Replacement bases available today are a single piece secured by a nut underneath the deck, which is the preferred repair whenever the underside can be reached.

Keep the Sprayer Docked

The hand shower belongs in its deck mount when not in use. Left lying on the deck or hung elsewhere, water running back down the hose can drip through the hose hole in the deck and end up behind the tub. The same principle is why Ella's instructions warn never to attach the hand shower to a wall without the barrel extension hose. The Leak Elimination Kit (a 5 foot extension hose with a stainless steel barrel connector) plugs the deck hole so the sprayer can be wall-mounted safely. If water is already appearing under the tub, finding the source of water under the tub puts the hand shower base alongside the other usual suspects.

The video is a visual of the extension kit; the published installation sheet gives the steps it illustrates: Watch: Hand Shower Extension Kit For Your Walk-In Tub on its own page.

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 deck hole.
5. Screw the shower head mixer onto the far end of the extension hose.

On tubs with a shower column, the same hose connects to the column instead of the deck mount; installing the shower column kit shows that arrangement.

What to Send the Team

Photos of the hose ends where they connect, the inside of the sprayer head threads, and the base on the deck, plus a note on where the water appears (at the head, at the deck, or underneath). Include your serial number from the label behind the magnetic access panel (where to find it) and a street address. The team tests a replacement hose before it ships; how to order replacement parts lists everything a parts ticket should include.

Related Guides

• Buying a Fast-Fill Faucet Set or Valve Body on Its Own: Specs, Finishes and Deck Hole Size
• Is the Gray Ring Inside My Hand Shower Holder Broken?
• Hand Shower Holder Loose, Detached, or Broken: Tightening the Base Nut or Replacing the Sprayer Base
• Does the Ella Faucet Meet ASSE 1014 Backflow Requirements for the Hand Shower?
• Which Handheld Shower Head Is Best for an Ella Walk-In Tub?
• Why Is Water Pooling Behind My Walk-In Tub Near the Hand Shower?

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.