Why does the foot massage do nothing on my new walk-in tub?

On a walk-in tub with independent foot massage, the foot and calf jets run off their own pump, and that pump is on a separate breaker from the other pumps, so the faucet, the seat jets and the light can all work while the foot massage has no power at all. Check three things in order: that the footwell is filled above the calf jets, that the GFCI and breaker for the foot massage circuit are on, and that the foot pump's cord is plugged firmly into its receptacle behind the access panel. The breaker check and the hose swap test for any single dead button are explained in One Push Button Does Nothing While the Others Work: The Breaker Check and the Hose Swap Test, and this page follows them through for a foot massage that has never run.

First, Confirm Which Kind of Foot Massage Your Tub Has

Not every Ella tub has a separate foot massage. Tubs configured with independent foot massage carry a second hydro pump that feeds the foot and calf jets, a second push button on the deck and a second intensity control dial, so the seat jets and the foot jets can be set separately. The Ella Ultimate includes independent foot massage as standard, and the Ella Capri offers it as an option. The first video on this page walks along the Ultimate's deck from front to back: the LED chromatherapy button, the three-speed air massage button, the hydro massage button for the back and hips, the hydro intensity dial for the seat and hips, then the independent foot massage button and its own intensity dial. The second video shows the two intakes of the two independent pumps and explains that pump number one circulates water through the foot and calf jets alone while pump number two runs the full body massage.

A single-pump hydro tub has no foot pump to troubleshoot. Its foot and leg jets are part of the one hydro loop, so they run only when the hydro massage runs and only after the tub is filled fully, 1 to 2 inches above the highest hydro jet. The Standard60 uses diverter switches to send water to the foot and leg jets, the back jets or both, and the water still has to cover every active jet. If your deck has one hydro button and one dial, fill the whole tub and press the hydro button, because there is no separate foot system to fix.

Air jets are a third case. They sit low by the feet and up on the seat, they are fed by the air pump rather than by either hydro pump, and air massage needs a full-tub fill with every air jet submerged. The air massage push control steps through high on the first press, medium on the second and low on the third, with a fourth press turning it off. The air jets and the light can run while the foot jets are dead, so a working air massage tells you nothing about the foot pump.

Step 1: Fill the Footwell Above the Calf Jets

Every pump on the tub needs water over its jets before it runs, and the foot pump is no exception. For a foot-only session, fill the footwell to just below the seat and just above the hydro calf jets, then press the foot massage button once, gently. The Ultimate video shows this fill and the button press. A pump that starts with its jets above the water line can hum or do nothing, and running a pump dry can permanently damage it, damage that is not covered. The limits by therapy are collected in What Is the Water Line Before Running the Jets on a Walk-In Tub?. Switch the pumps off before you open the drains, so the foot pump never runs as the water drops below the calf jets.

Step 2: Reset the Foot Massage Circuit

The pumps are not all on the same circuit. The foot massage pump is on a separate breaker from the other pumps, which is why the back jets, the air jets and the light can run while the foot jets are dead: one GFCI or breaker on that circuit tripped. That is the most common reason the back jets run and the foot jets do nothing. Reset the GFCI outlet and the breaker that serve the foot massage circuit, then try the button again. On a newly installed tub, ask the electrician who wired it to confirm that the foot massage circuit was connected and is live, since a separate circuit is easy to leave out when only one line was expected.

There is a second clue on Hydro plus Independent Foot Massage builds. The in-line water heater on those tubs is attached to the foot pump, so it only runs while the foot massage runs, and the Ultimate foot loop heater is rated 9A 1000W. If the bath is also cooling during a session, that points at the same dead circuit, as explained in Why Doesn't the Water Stay Hot and Why Do the Jets Blow Cold?. How the heater maintains, but never raises, the temperature is in What Is an In-Line Water Heater on a Walk-In Tub?.

Step 3: Check the Cord, Then the Button

Remove the front access panel. It is held on by magnets, so a butter knife slipped behind the edge pries it loose. Find the foot pump and confirm its power cord is plugged fully into its receptacle and is undamaged. While you are there, listen as a helper presses the foot button. A click with nothing running means the control is sending its signal and the problem is on the pump's power side rather than at the button.

If there is no click, the button and its hose are the suspects. Ella push buttons are pneumatic: pressing one sends a puff of air down a small 3/8 inch hose to the blue control box, and the box switches the pump. A hose that has popped off leaves a working button with nothing to talk to. Locate the blue control box screwed to the frame, with its three air hoses, three power plugs and a green LED, and read the port labels on its white face. Then run the hose swap test: pull the hose off the dead button's port and the hose off the Light Airswitch port, plug each into the other, and press both buttons. If the light button now starts the foot pump but the foot button does not light the LED, the fault is the button or its hose. If the foot button lights the LED but the light button does not start the pump, the button and hose are fine and the fault is the pump, its plug or the box. Put both hoses back on their original ports when you are done. One caution: the water pump must never run dry, so fill the footwell above the calf jets before the test, and if a pump starts while the water is low, press the button again immediately.

If the Foot Jets Run but Feel Weak

A foot massage that runs but barely moves the water is usually a dial question, not a pump question. The second chrome dial on the deck is the hydro intensity control for the independent foot massage. It is an air control on a hose: turning it up lets more air into the jet stream for a livelier flow, and turning it all the way down leaves the jets barely perceptible while the pump keeps running. If the pump runs and the dial changes nothing, check that the air hose is still connected at the foot pump, and if the dial is stiff, excess silicone around its base is the usual cause. The dial is explained in What Is the Intensity Control Dial on a Walk-In Tub?.

When to Open a Ticket

If the footwell is filled, the GFCI and breaker are reset, the cord is seated and the foot massage still does nothing, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Have your model name and serial number, your therapy package, how full the tub was when you pressed the button, whether you heard a click, and photos of the foot pump cord and the blue control box with every cord visible. With that information the team can decide whether a part needs adjusting or replacing. Replacement parts ship under the Lifetime Limited Warranty, and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor.

Related Guides

• How Do I Use Only the Foot Massage Without Filling the Whole Tub?
• What the Hydro + Hydro Foot Schematic Shows: Two Hydro Pumps, Two Dials, the Heater in the Foot Loop and Two Dedicated Lines
• Foot Massage Jets Not Working? Fill Level and Shared-Pump Foot Jets Explained

Related Videos

Common Questions