Why Do the Little Air Hoses Keep Falling Off My Tub Controls?

When the little air hoses keep falling off the controls, the fix is usually a firmer connection at each end, and when a hose is too short or has lost its grip, the answer is a replacement hose rather than a stretch. Ella push buttons are pneumatic: pressing the chrome button sends a puff of air down a small tube to a relay in the blue control box, so a hose that pops off means the signal never arrives and that feature simply stops. The first thing to check is that each hose is pushed all the way onto its labeled nipple at the box with a twist-and-push motion, and that the button end is secured with its lock nut.

Likely Causes

• A hose pushed only partway onto the nipple at the control box.
• A missing or loose lock nut behind the button, so the hose has nothing holding it.
• Older clear tubing that has hardened and lost its hold on the barb.
• A hose cut too short during installation, so it pulls itself off under tension or kinks.
• A cracked nipple on the button or the coupling, which calls for a replacement button.

What to Check, in Order

1. Remove the large access panel in front of the seat (magnetic on many models) and locate the blue control box on the bottom frame.
2. Match every hose to its own labeled port: Water to Pump #1 Airswitch, Air to Blower/Pump #2 Airswitch, Light to Light Airswitch. Push each one on firmly with a twist. The push-button air hoses and ports guide has photos of the ports, and which cord plugs where covers the rest of the compartment.
3. At the deck, work a fine flat screwdriver under the chrome collar, lift it off, remove the button, and pull out the black core. Seat the hose on the nipple and snug the lock nut, then reassemble.
4. Look along each hose for kinks or twists, and give it slack. A hose under tension keeps working itself off no matter how well it is seated.
5. Check the hose to the intensity dial as well. The dial is an air control on its own hose to the pump, so if the pump runs but the dial does nothing, that hose has come off behind the panel.
6. After any reconnection, pull the hose off the box for a second so the line returns to room pressure, refit it, and listen for the click inside the box when you press the button.
7. If any function still misbehaves after the hoses are back, run the control box reset and test each feature.

When to Open a Ticket

If a hose has lost its grip, is too short, or a nipple has broken off a button, longer tubing, red replacement hose and replacement buttons are stock parts, so nothing needs to be stretched or improvised. Open a ticket with your serial number, a photo of the control box ports, a photo of the hose end and the button, and note whether your hose is clear or red and whether the white mounting nut is still attached, and reach your Ella dealer or the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850.

Related Guides

• Air Line Leaking Under the Tub: Cut Out the Hole and Rejoin With a Coupling
• Cracked Leveling Foot or Kinked Hose on a New Tub Before Installation: How to Get Replacements

Common Questions