How Do I Run the One-Time Vinegar Flush on a New Ella Walk-In Tub?

Run the one-time vinegar flush after the installer has finished and before anyone takes a bath: mix 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, close both drains, fill the tub to 1 inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes and drain it completely. It is the same recipe Ella publishes for the monthly flush, so the first one simply starts the routine. The full explanation of the mixture and what it does inside the jet lines is in What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub?.

When the First Flush Happens

The flush belongs at the very end of installation, after the tub has been set, leveled, connected and tested, and before the first real bath. Ella's first-use sequence places it after the installer's water test, in which the tub is filled to 3 inches above the highest jet, left standing for 30 minutes and then run for another 30 minutes, so every connection has already been proven watertight before you add vinegar. If that test has not been done, ask your installer to do it first. A flush is not a leak test, and anything found leaking during the water test is a job for the installer, not for you.

The printable first bath checklist puts the flush alongside the other checks that come before the first fill: every leveling leg touching the floor, the door closing smoothly into a watertight seal, the door seal wiped with rubbing alcohol if shipping left it stuck, the GFCI tested so that TEST cuts power and RESET restores it, both drain handles opening and closing fully, construction dust wiped off with a mild detergent and no abrasives on the acrylic, no electric appliances within 3 feet of the tub, and the warranty activation form submitted or set aside to submit promptly. Print it and tick the boxes in order. The flush is one line on that list, and the lines around it matter just as much.

The Flush, Step by Step

1. Mix 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water in a jug or pitcher. Plain white vinegar is the published choice. Bleach is not part of Ella's instructions and should stay out of the tub.
2. Close both drains completely. You confirmed on the checklist that both handles open and close fully, so this is the moment to close them.
3. Fill the tub with water to 1 inch above the highest jets. Every jet opening has to be under water so every line takes in the mixture, which is why the level is set by the highest jets rather than by comfort.
4. Add the vinegar and water mixture to the bath water.
5. Run the tub for 10 minutes. Press the push control for every therapy system your tub has, hydro massage, air massage or microbubble, so the mixture circulates through every jet, including the microbubble lines and the air jets.
6. Drain completely. Open both drains and let the tub empty before you close the door on installation day.

The cleaning video on this page shows the initial cleanout on a newly installed tub: filling past the highest jets, adding white vinegar to the water, running the jets and then draining. Watch it for the sequence, and follow the quantities and the run time printed above, which are Ella's current published routine for both the first flush and the monthly flush.

Why a Brand New Tub Needs It

The air and hydro systems on an Ella walk-in tub are fully plumbed, so anything in the bath water can travel through the lines behind the shell. The vinegar and water mix helps prevent mineral deposits and calcification and loosens soap and oil residue in those lines. Running it before the first bath starts the plumbing clean and puts the routine in place from day one, and the same recipe is the published fix later on for weak jets and for flakes or slime coming from the jets.

The flush applies to every Ella tub with a hydro massage, air massage or microbubble system, and the recipe is the same across the range, so one routine covers whichever therapy package was ordered. It also applies if you intend to use the tub mostly as a soaker. As the guide to soaking with the jets off explains, a jetted tub has plumbing behind the shell even when the pumps stay off, and the bath water still reaches the jet openings, so the first flush and the monthly flush both still apply.

Hydro massage tubs also carry ozone sterilization, which releases ozone into the water system whenever the hydro pump runs. It is a hygiene feature that needs nothing from you, and running the hydro system during the flush runs the ozone generator too, which is one reason to switch the jets on even if you rarely plan to use them. Ozone does not replace the vinegar flush or the surface cleaning, as What Is Ozone Sterilization on a Walk-In Tub? makes clear.

What to Expect While It Runs

• A light humming noise and a faint hiss while the hydro jets run are the ozone generator producing ozone and its check valve drawing in air. Both are normal on a hydro massage tub.
• On a three-speed air massage control, the first press is high speed, the second is medium, the third is low and a fourth press turns the system off. High speed is fine for the flush.
• If the air massage ran, expect the Auto Purge. It activates automatically 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped and it is normal, even if it starts after the tub has drained or while someone is in the tub.
• A slight clean scent after the jets run clears quickly with the bathroom fan.
• If the water that drains away is rusty or brown, the tub is almost never the cause. The tub's own water path is about five feet of stainless steel supply line, so tinted water points to the water heater or the supply coming into the house. Run hot water at a bathroom sink into a white basin to compare, and read why the water from a walk-in tub is rusty or brown before calling anyone.

After the First Flush

Put the monthly flush on the calendar. Flushing after every bath is not necessary because the air and hydro systems are fully plumbed, so before first use and once a month is the whole published schedule. Pair the monthly flush with clearing hair and debris from the pump inlet cover, keep bath bombs, oils and salts out of the water so the lines stay clean between flushes, and wipe the shell with a non-abrasive cleaner.

If you prefer a purpose-made product, Ella's technical support has confirmed that Nutra-Max, a cleaner made for jetted tubs, is safe for an Ella walk-in tub and can be used to cleanse and disinfect the hydro massage system in place of the vinegar and water mixture. Vinegar remains the standard routine.

If debris keeps coming from the jets after a flush done exactly as written, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your serial number, a photo of what is coming from the jets and a note on which bath products have been used. Ella does not send technicians, but replacement parts ship under the warranty and the team guides your local licensed plumber or electrician through any work the tub needs.

Watch: How To Clean Your Walk-In Tub | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Before Your First Bath: The Initial Vinegar Flush and First-Use Checklist
• Printable Monthly Maintenance Checklist for a Walk-In Tub
• Why did my tub turn on by itself? Understanding the Auto-Purge air cleaning cycle

Common Questions