How Do I Replace the Faucet Cartridge on My Walk-In Tub?

Replacing the cartridge on an Ella walk-in tub faucet is a short job done with the water shut off at the tub's two shut-off valves, an Allen wrench for the handle bolt and, depending on the faucet, a socket wrench or a brass locking collar to release the cartridge itself. The steps differ for the 2-piece fast-fill faucet, the 5-piece fast-fill faucet and the thermostatic control valve (TCV), so identify your faucet first. If the reason for the job is water that comes out only scalding or only cold, read Tub Fills Only Scalding or Only Cold and Will Not Mix to Warm alongside this guide, because on a thermostatic faucet cleaning the cartridge often solves it without a new part.

Which Faucet, and Which Cartridge, Do You Have?

Ella drills each tub for the faucet chosen on the order, so the faucet on your deck is one of three types, and the quickest tell is the diverter that switches water to the hand shower:

• 2-piece fast-fill faucet: a single spout with a lever handle and a diverter button under the spout. One cartridge sits inside the spout housing beneath the handle.
• 5-piece fast-fill faucet: separate hot and cold handles with the diverter as the middle lever between them. Each handle has its own cartridge under a red or blue cap.
• Thermostatic faucet on a chrome deck plate, with two diverter valves, one for the spout and one for the sprayer. Its thermostatic cartridge lives in the temperature control valve and is the one that collects calcium, iron and sediment from the supply water.

What Is a Hand Shower Diverter on a Walk-In Tub? shows each layout. One thing that looks like a faucet failure is not one: a 2-piece diverter button stuck after the water is turned off is an air lock. Unscrew the hose from the handset, remove the plastic restrictor, and the button snaps back. If water comes out of both the spout and the hand shower, turn the water off and on again with the handle before suspecting a part.

Before You Start

1. Close both shut-off valves at the tub so no hot or cold water reaches the faucet.
2. Have the new cartridge, an Allen wrench for the handle bolt and, for the 5-piece, a socket wrench ready. Both videos on this page show the tools in use.
3. Lay the small parts out in the order they come off: cap, bolt, handle, collar or escutcheon, cartridge. They go back in reverse.
4. Whatever you tighten, tighten securely without over torquing. Every Ella procedure repeats that instruction.

Ella ships replacement parts and provides technical support by phone and video, but it does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber does the labor, and these steps are what that plumber will follow.

2-Piece Fast-Fill Faucet: Replacing the Cartridge

The first video on this page shows the complete procedure on a 2-piece faucet.

1. Remove the decorative bolt cover on the handle, insert the Allen wrench and loosen the Allen bolt.
2. Lift off the spout handle. Underneath you can see where the bolt was attached.
3. Unscrew and remove the escutcheon plate.
4. Loosen and remove the brass locking collar, then simply lift out the cartridge.
5. Set the new cartridge in place so its two guide posts line up with the receptacles in the spout housing. The cartridge seats correctly only when both posts are in the correct position.
6. Replace and tighten the brass locking collar securely without over torquing.
7. Replace and hand tighten the escutcheon plate.
8. Set the handle back onto the top of the cartridge, tighten the Allen bolt securely without over torquing, and replace the bolt cover.
9. Check the orientation: the red side should be on the left for hot and the blue on the right for cold.

5-Piece Fast-Fill Faucet: Replacing or Cleaning a Handle Cartridge

The second video shows the 5-piece procedure, which is repeated for the hot and cold handles as needed.

1. Remove the red or blue cap on the handle you are working on.
2. Loosen the bolt with the Allen wrench and lift off the handle.
3. Remove the plastic collar under the handle.
4. Using the socket wrench, loosen and remove the cartridge.
5. Check for debris, foreign objects or calcification. If needed, clean with a soft brush and rinse; a cartridge that cleans up can go back in.
6. Replace the cartridge and tighten it. Do not over torque.
7. Replace the plastic collar, put the handle back on facing the correct position, tighten the Allen bolt firmly without over torquing, and replace the colored cap.

Thermostatic Faucet: Cleaning or Replacing the TCV Cartridge

On a thermostatic faucet the cartridge is the part that blends hot and cold to the temperature set on the dial, and three symptoms point at it: water that jumps between scalding and icy with nothing in between, water that runs well above the dial setting, and hot and cold crossing over so the rest of the house loses hot water until the tub's shut-offs are closed. Why Does the Mixing Valve Cross Hot and Cold When the Tub Is Off? covers the crossover case and Why Is the Water in My Walk-In Tub Too Hot? covers the overshoot, including how to confirm from your order that your tub has a TCV at all.

1. Shut off the hot and cold supplies to the tub.
2. Remove the control handle and cover plate, then the washers and escutcheon plate.
3. Unscrew the metal collar and remove the cartridge.
4. Clean the intake screens and the cartridge of calcification, reinstall and test. Support can send a video that shows how to retrieve and clean it.
5. If the water still will not mix, replace the cartridge with a new one. If the valve itself has failed, replacing the whole TCV is the recommended repair.
6. Reassemble without over torquing, open both shut-off valves fully and confirm the fill temperature responds through the whole range of the dial.
7. Fit and periodically clean an inline filter or mesh on the water lines so scale does not foul the new cartridge. That protection is required for the TCV.

The TCV carries a 1-year limited warranty and is excluded from the lifetime parts warranty, and cartridge fouling caused by calcium, iron or contaminated water is not a covered defect. Where cleaning becomes a recurring chore, tech support may suggest switching to the Ella 5-piece fast-fill faucet, which mixes with manual handles and has no thermostatic cartridge to foul, though it does not hold a set temperature on its own.

Not every thermostatic fault is the cartridge. If the water is hot no matter where the dial sits, the cold line has pressure when disconnected at the valve and the inlet screen is clean, the culprit is the check valve at the cold inlet, which is freed by removing the spring and screen from the cold inlet and releasing the valve. Cold Water Reaches the Tub but Will Not Come Out of the Faucet: Unlocking the TCV Check Valve has that procedure. A crossover can also come from the hand shower: check that the small blue check valve is present inside the threads of the head and that the hose is installed with the conical end at the handset and the hex nut at the deck mount.

To open a ticket, go to ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model and serial number, a photo of the faucet, and a description of the symptom. Tech support will call to talk through the diagnosis, so include the best number to reach you.

Related Guides

• Faucet Cartridge Burst and Spraying Water: Shutting It Down and Getting Replacement Hot and Cold Valves
• Why Does My Tub Faucet Drip Constantly and How Do I Fix It?
• Temperature Control Valve (TCV) Stuck or Not Mixing: Cleaning the Cartridge and Replacing the Valve

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