Parts and Support for Older or Discontinued Ella Tubs: Legacy TCVs, Faucets, Doors, Drains and Controllers

Yes, parts for older or discontinued Ella tubs are still available, and Ella's Bubbles still supports tubs that were installed years ago. Technical support is offered for the life of the tub, and the published parts warranty is a lifetime limited warranty for the original purchaser at the original installation address. For an older model the team either has the legacy part on hand or identifies the current equivalent and tells you what adapters, if any, are needed; some parts for tubs 6 or more years old may no longer be stocked, and the team confirms a substitute where one applies. This article covers the parts questions that come up most on older tubs: legacy faucets, thermostatic valves, discontinued doors, drains and controllers. The S-Class and the Chi, Malibu and Tramo models each have their own profile article, so this one stays on parts.

What to Send for an Older Tub

• The serial number from the label behind the magnetic access panel by the door, or a photo of the label.
• The approximate year the tub was installed, and whether you are the original owner.
• Where the tub was purchased.
• Photos of the part you need and of the faucet set, so the team can see which generation you have. For an in-line heater, pump or control box that is leaking or failing, photograph the unit and the connections around it.

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. If the tub is an S-Class, Chi, Malibu, Tramo, G-305, G-308 or another retired model, say so; the team can send the older manual and spec sheet for your model and identify parts from them. If you are not sure the tub is an Ella at all, is my tub an Ella? shows how the door and faucet identify it.

Legacy Faucets: Huntington Brass and Jandon

Two third-party faucets were fitted to older Ella tubs, and both are supported by their makers rather than by Ella's warranty, which states that non-Ella brand faucets are covered under the manufacturer's original warranty. See warranty exceptions: the TCV and non-Ella faucets.

• Huntington Brass HB9937P, a 5-piece Roman tub filler with a solid brass spout, ceramic disc cartridges and quick-connect spout installation. Its published breakdown lists 16 component parts, from the lever handles and cartridges to the transfer valve set and hand shower. Huntington Brass handles warranty and replacement parts for this faucet, and Ella's team does not carry parts for it.
• Jandon 8209 series, a 5-piece Roman tub faucet with hand-held shower, offered in chrome, brushed nickel PVD and oil rubbed bronze. Its parts list names the ceramic cartridges K28226A (cold water) and K28226B (hot water). Jandon's warranty runs as long as the original purchaser owns the home, and owners have reported that the company is no longer operating.

If a maker's part is no longer available, send photos of the faucet and the deck holes. The team can tell you whether a current Ella 2-piece or 5-piece fast-fill set will fit your deck and which deck cut-outs it needs. Cartridge fit is not universal, so please do not buy a cartridge until the faucet has been identified.

Older Thermostatic Control Valves

Older Ella thermostatic control valves (TCVs) may have 1/2 inch supply line connections. The replacement valve available today has 3/4 inch supply connections, so if yours is the 1/2 inch style you will need 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch NPT adapters. The same applies to supply lines: the team no longer carries 1/2 inch supply lines, only 3/4 inch, and 1/2 inch lines are standard pipe-thread (NPT) parts available from plumbing suppliers. The TCV is also the one part with a different warranty term: a 1-year limited warranty rather than lifetime, and cartridge fouling from calcium, iron or other particles in the water is not covered, which is why an inline filter or mesh is required on the supply. The current TCV is supplied as a complete valve rather than a cartridge on its own, regulators for legacy valves are identified from photos, and a cartridge cleaning service is available. The full replacement procedure, including the deck-plate screw hidden under the spout diverter, is in replacing an older TCV.

The S-Class and Other Retired Models

The second video covers the S-Class series as a whole: the 3 inch low-threshold frame sits down at the floor while the 6 inch frame is raised to fit the drain beneath it, adjustable leveling legs are described as crucial for door alignment, the frame is stainless steel, the 6 inch models have floor jets while the 3 inch models raise the jets off the floor, and the faucet choice was a 5-piece or 2-piece fast-fill set with a multi-function hand shower. Options included the heated seat, a 4-fold glass screen and pillows. The series is profiled in S-Class 3052, 3060 and 3655.

The Chi, Malibu and Tramo, along with the older gel coat wheelchair-access tubs, appear in Ella's legacy spec sheets, and the article on those models decodes their model numbers; the Malibu OA3052 is the earlier name of the Capri. Many of their parts, such as drain plugs, push buttons, air hose, control boxes and door seals, belong to the same families of components used today, so the team can usually match them.

Discontinued Doors

A door for an older style is ordered from the door supplier rather than pulled from stock, and the team inspects it and packs it before it ships to you. Because acrylic tone varies between production runs, the color of a replacement door may not be a 100 percent match to the original tub. To get the right door the team needs a photo of the whole front of the tub showing the hinges and the door frame. Before ordering a door for sagging or rubbing, have the leveling legs checked first.

Drains, Hoses and Controllers on Older Tubs

• Older Standard tubs with a single drain can be supplied with just a drain plug or with the entire drain assembly. The drain body, elbow and plug come from the team; the pipe runs beneath them are standard 1 1/2 inch PVC that a plumber can cut and re-join with couplings, so white plastic drain fittings marked discontinued are not a problem.
• Push-button air hose on some older tubs is a smaller polyurethane tube, about 1/4 inch inside diameter by 3/8 inch outside diameter; the team confirms the size from a photo before sending hose.
• Older clear air hoses can deteriorate and lose their grip; the team replaces them with red hose.
• Legacy controllers such as the NuWhirl AST-201 module, the dual-load controller and the pump distribution box are identified from the label on your unit; photograph the label and the cords going into it.
• Replacement control boxes are tested and configured before shipping, and ship with a return label for the old box.

Warranty on an Older Tub

The current published warranty at ellasbubbles.com/warranty/ governs, even where an older owner's manual prints a five-year term on pumps or a three-year term on components; which warranty applies explains the difference. The warranty stays with the first purchaser at the original address and is not transferable, so parts for a second owner are supplied outside the warranty rather than claimed under it, but lifetime technical support covers every Ella tub.

Related Guides

• Faucet Supply Hose Leaking Under the Deck: Access, Identification and Replacement
• Handles, Cartridges and Hoses for the Huntington Brass Faucet on Older Ella Tubs
• Ella Fast-Fill Faucets: 2-Piece vs 5-Piece, Finishes, and the Waterfall Option
• In-Line Heater Light Stays Off and the Water Cools: How to Check It and Get a Replacement
• Which Replacement Parts Fit a Legacy Ella S-Class 3052 or 3060 Tub?

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.