How Do I Reset My Ella Walk-In Tub After a Power Outage or GFCI Trip?

There is no single reset button on an Ella walk-in tub. Resetting after a power outage or a GFCI trip is a short sequence: switch the tub's dedicated breaker fully off and back on, press Reset on the GFCI outlet under the tub, then confirm that the green light on the blue control box is lit. If the light is on and the buttons still do nothing, the control box reset is the last step. The reasons a storm causes all this are explained in Nothing Works After a Storm or Power Outage, and this page is the reset procedure itself, from the electrical panel to the last button test.

The Three-Step Power Reset

Work through these in order. Each step restores power one stage closer to the tub, so skipping ahead usually means repeating the work.

1. Reset the dedicated breaker or breakers. Every Ella tub runs on one or more dedicated GFCI protected lines, 20 amp and 120 volt on nearly every model. At the electrical panel, switch each of the tub's breakers fully off, then back on. If a breaker pops again the instant you reset it, stop there and call a licensed electrician.
2. Reset the GFCI under the tub. GFCI protection is sometimes at the breaker and sometimes at the outlet. On many installations the GFCI outlet sits under the tub, behind the front apron access panel, and flipping the breaker back on does not reset it. Remove the access panel, find the GFCI outlet in the equipment compartment and press Reset. Many models use a large panel in front of the seat that pulls away by hand, while others are held with screws under caps.
3. Look at the green light on the blue control box. The box has a small green power LED beside its power inlet. A steady green light means power is reaching the box. No light at all means the box is not getting power, so go back to the first two steps and then check that the box's own cord is plugged in and pushed all the way in.

With the green light lit, fill the tub so the water is above the highest jets and press each button. In most cases the tub is back to normal at this point and there is nothing more to do.

If Your Tub Has More Than One Power Line

Some therapy packages use two dedicated lines, and each one has to be reset. Hydro plus air runs on one line, while hydro plus microbubble, or hydro plus foot massage plus heated seat, needs two. On a two line tub the cords are labeled Line 1 20 Amp and Line 2 20 Amp, so you can match each cord to its outlet while the panel is off.

This matters because the control box does not always power everything. On an Ultimate with three pumps, for example, the control box runs two of them, the air pump and one water pump, while the third pump is powered together with the in-line heater on its own line. If part of the tub comes back and part stays silent after an outage, check the second breaker and the second GFCI before assuming a pump has failed.

How to Run the Control Box Reset

If the green light is on and none of the buttons respond, the box has likely lost its configuration, and the control box reset usually brings everything back at once. The video on this page shows the whole procedure at the box, including what the green light does at each stage. The steps are:

1. Disconnect the main power supply to the control box. The green LED goes out when power is disconnected.
2. Disconnect all function connections to the box. Mark every connection before you remove it so each one goes back in the correct position. Grasp each tube firmly, then twist and pull carefully. Remove electrical connections slowly so no pins are damaged.
3. Disconnect all electrical connections to any air and water pumps the tub has.
4. Reconnect the main power supply to the box. The green LED comes back on, flashes four times and then stays solid green.
5. Locate the config switch on the control box. Press and hold the config button until the green LED cycles through its configuration process. It blinks once, then twice, then three times and finally four times. Release the button at that point. The LED then blinks four times, turns off and goes solid green.
6. Reconnect the tub's components using the correctly labeled lines. Reattach the air lines and the electrical lines and make sure each one is secured firmly, then reconnect the air and hydro pumps.
7. Test every function your tub has: air, water, microbubbles and the LED lights. If the reset was not successful, repeat the entire process.

The article Why Do None of the Buttons Work Even Though the Tub Has Power? covers the case where the light is lit and the box still will not pass power through after a reset.

When to Stop Resetting and Call an Electrician

A reset is meant to hold. If it does not, the tub is telling you something, and pressing the button again is not the fix.

• The breaker pops the instant you switch it on. Stop and call a licensed electrician. The breaker itself may have failed.
• The GFCI will not hold, or it trips the moment a pump starts. Leave the power off and do not use the tub until an electrician has corrected it. A GFCI that fails test or reset indicates ground current or a failed device, and that is a shock hazard.
• The GFCI trips only when the jets come on. This usually points to a shared or undersized circuit or a component leaking current to ground. The checks are in Why Does the GFCI Trip When the Jets Turn On?.
• The GFCI trips on one button only. When the air button or the hydro button trips the tub and the other functions run fine, the GFCI device itself is the first suspect, followed by water reaching the electrical components under the tub. See GFCI Trips Only When the Air or Hydro Pump Starts.

It is also worth a quick look under the tub for water while the panel is off, since a damp outlet trips a GFCI on its own.

If Power Is Back and Something Still Will Not Run

Pump motors do not have a reset button, so there is nothing to press on the motor itself. If the breaker holds, the GFCI holds and the green light is steady, two simple checks narrow things down.

• Confirm that the control box power cord and every pump cord are pushed all the way in and undamaged. A plug that is seated only partway can cause intermittent trips and dead functions.
• Unplug one pump from the box and plug it straight into the same outlet, with water above the highest jets. If the pump runs, power is fine and the box is not passing it through.

If power reaches the blue control box and nothing runs even after the control box reset, the box or its relay may have been damaged by the outage, and the team can help from photos. Contact ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model, serial number and photos of the control box and the GFCI. Replacement parts ship under the warranty once the problem is verified, and a local licensed electrician or plumber does the work at the tub.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Control Box Reset with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Blue Control Box Has No Power Light, or the Air Pump Runs Constantly: Diagnosis, Replacement and Returning the Old Box
• Why Does a Deck Push Button Do Nothing on My Walk-In Tub?
• Breaker or GFCI Keeps Tripping: Circuit Sizing, Component Loads, and When to Stop Using the Tub

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