How Do I Remove the Faucet Handle Cover to Replace the Cartridge?

The cover comes off by hand. On the 2-piece single-lever faucet it is the decorative bolt cover on top of the spout handle, and on the 5-piece faucet it is the red or blue cap on top of each handle. Pop it off and the Allen bolt that holds the handle to the cartridge stem is underneath, loosened with a 3 mm Allen wrench. The plastic piece under a 5-piece handle is the plastic collar, which lifts off after the handle rather than before it. What size Allen wrench removes the handles on an Ella walk-in tub faucet? covers the tools, and the two videos on this page show each cover coming off.

Which Cover Is on Your Faucet

Ella tubs have carried several deck faucets over the years, and each hides its handle bolt differently, so identify the set before you pull at anything.

• 2-piece fast-fill faucet: a single lever on top of the spout. Lift for on, left for hot, right for cold, down for off, with a diverter button under the spout for the hand shower. The Allen bolt sits under a decorative bolt cover on top of the spout handle. The Zen, Zen60 and Flow come with this set.
• 5-piece fast-fill faucet: a separate red hot handle and blue cold handle with a diverter lever between them. Each handle has its own Allen bolt under its colored cap, and a plastic collar sits under each handle. The Standard and Standard60 come with this set, and 5P-FFF on your paperwork means the 5-piece set.
• Thermostatic set: a third faucet type. The published handle and cartridge guides cover only the 2-piece and 5-piece sets, so send a photo through a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support before you take anything apart.
• Huntington Brass faucet on older tubs: a Roman tub filler with separate hot and cold lever handles and a deck spout. Look for the Huntington Brass name on the faucet body or escutcheons. Its parts follow a different route, described in Where Do I Get Replacement Hot and Cold Handles for My Walk-In Tub Faucet?.

What Is on Top of the Handle and What Is Under It

What this means for the search that brought you here: if the plastic piece you are trying to get past is on top of the handle, it is the cap or bolt cover and it simply pops off. If it is under the handle on a 5-piece faucet, it is the plastic collar, and it comes away only after the cap, the bolt and the handle are off. Nothing under a 2-piece handle is plastic. The escutcheon plate and the locking collar are brass.

Removing the Cover and Handle on the 2-Piece Faucet

Shut off the hot and cold water supplies behind the access panel first. The two-piece cartridge video on this page shows the technician doing each of these steps on a deck-mounted faucet.

1. Remove the decorative bolt cover from the top of the spout handle.
2. Insert a 3 mm Allen wrench and loosen the Allen bolt.
3. Lift off the spout handle. You can see where the Allen bolt is attached to the cartridge stem.
4. Unscrew and remove the escutcheon plate.
5. Loosen and remove the brass locking collar, then lift out the cartridge.
6. Fit the new cartridge with its two guide posts lined up with the receptacles in the spout housing. It seats correctly only when both posts are in position.
7. Replace and tighten the brass locking collar securely without over torquing, hand tighten the escutcheon plate, set the handle back on top of the cartridge and tighten the Allen bolt without over torquing.
8. Replace the bolt cover, with the red side on the left for hot and the blue on the right for cold.

Removing the Cap, Handle and Plastic Collar on the 5-Piece Faucet

The 5-piece faucet has a separate cartridge in the hot valve and in the cold valve, so the sequence is done on whichever side is dripping or stiff. The five-piece cartridge video shows it from the cap to the finished handle.

1. Remove the red or blue cap on the handle.
2. Using a 3 mm Allen wrench, loosen the bolt and lift off the handle.
3. Remove the plastic collar under the handle.
4. Using a 17 mm socket wrench, loosen and remove the cartridge.
5. Check for debris, foreign objects or calcification. If needed, clean with a soft brush and rinse. Debris or calcification on the cartridge can often be cleaned this way, which saves the cartridge.
6. Replace the cartridge and tighten without over torquing.
7. Replace the plastic collar, put the handle back on facing the correct position, and tighten the Allen bolt firmly without over torquing.
8. Replace the colored cap. Open the shutoffs and check that each handle closes with no drip.

If the Cover Is Lost, or the Problem Is Not the Cartridge

Caps, bolt covers, hot and cold indicator buttons, set screws and handles in each finish are small stock parts, so a cover that cracks or goes missing while you work is replaced on its own. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 with your faucet type and a photo, and note any finish suffix on your paperwork, such as BN for brushed nickel.

Two related problems look like a cartridge job but are not. A handle that lifts, wobbles or drops off has a loose or missing Allen bolt under the cover, and snugging the bolt is the whole fix, as described in Why Does My Faucet Handle Keep Falling Off?. A handle whose bolt is tight but which still rocks together with everything under it has play in the brass locking collar or the cartridge body, and How Do I Tighten a Loose Faucet Cartridge on My Walk-In Tub? covers seating and tightening it without a full replacement. A constant drip or hot water that will not shut off is the worn cartridge itself, and Why Does My Tub Faucet Drip Constantly and How Do I Fix It? explains how to confirm it with the shutoff valves before you order the part.

Related Guides

• Faucet drips or the handle feels stiff: replacing your faucet cartridge step by step

Common Questions