Can I Swap a Fixed Hydro Jet for a Directional Jet?

Ella does not publish a fixed-to-directional jet swap as an option. Replacement hydro jets are matched from photos to the jet your tub was built with, and because Ella upgrades jets and related parts over time, a part from one style does not necessarily fit the other even on two tubs of the same model. Before asking about a swap, check whether the jet you believe is fixed is actually a directional jet turned closed or a nozzle that is too stiff to turn. A Jet Nozzle Broke Off: Why Some Jets Are Directional and Others Fixed, and How to Get the Right Replacement explains how the two styles came to exist side by side.

Why One Tub Has Directional Jets and Another Has Fixed

Hydro jets in the backrest and along the sides come in two styles. A directional jet has a face that pivots so the bather can aim the stream, and a fixed jet points straight out. Ella periodically upgrades the jets and parts it builds with, so a tub assembled after an upgrade can have directional jets where an earlier tub of the same model has fixed ones. Both styles run on the same plumbing, but the parts are not always interchangeable. That is why the team asks for photos instead of pulling a part from a generic list, and why an installer working on two tubs from the same order cannot count on borrowing a jet from one to repair the other. The jet style on your tub is tied to its production run, not to a menu you pick from later, and jet covers likewise differ by production year.

The Jet Styles Side by Side

What this means in practice is that the jets whose feel you can change without a parts request are the ones that already have a valve or a pivoting face. A true fixed jet points straight out and stays that way. If aiming the stream matters to you, the honest route is to send the team photos and ask what is available for your exact jet, rather than assuming a directional face from a newer tub will thread into an older housing.

Check Before You Ask for a Swap

Many hydro jets are directional, and rotating the face aims the stream while turning it fully in one direction closes the jet. A jet that left the factory or was installed in the closed position looks fixed or broken but simply needs its valve opened. Hydro jets also need the tub filled above the highest jets before the pump will move water through them. Rotate each jet face while the pump runs and reach down to feel for flow at each nozzle. The foot jet video on this page shows the adjustment: the center nozzle is a valve, and if it is too hard to turn you loosen the butterfly handles behind the jet slightly with a pair of pliers or channel locks, turn the nozzle left or right, then retighten the nut so the nozzle does not turn on its own. It also shows that the jet face has a half-cut opening that must line up with the hole inside the housing where the water comes out, which is how you confirm the valve is fully open. Some Jets Work but Others Never Have: Jet Adjustment, Pump Power, and When Ella Ships a Replacement covers the rest of the checks, and a face that has simply unscrewed from its threaded body is covered in Why Are the Caps on My Jets Falling Off and Can I Replace Them?.

What Can Be Ordered, and What Is Fixed at the Factory

Air jets, the black 90-degree quick-connect elbows and clear air jet tubing are stocked as replacement parts. Hydro jets are not offered as loose replacement parts in the same way, so each hydro jet is matched to your specific tub from photos and the team tells you what the replacement involves for your jet style. Therapy systems are factory builds: air jets, hydro jets, extra jets and microbubble are all factory installed with dedicated pumps, plumbing and switches, so jets are not added after the sale and a hydro-only tub cannot gain air jets later. Can I Add Air Jets, a Heater or a Heated Seat to My Tub Later? lays out those limits. A jet that cracks or leaks in normal use can be requested under the lifetime parts warranty by opening a ticket with photos, a description of the problem and the serial number, and the team verifies coverage against the published terms. Jets broken during installation or while moving the tub are purchased. Either way, Ella ships the part and a local licensed plumber does the labor; a hydro jet in the backrest or side wall is accessed from below through the access panel.

How to Ask the Team About Your Jets

1. Photograph the jet you want to change and a neighboring intact jet, with a ruler in frame, since sizes vary by year.
2. Take a wider shot showing where the jet sits in the backrest, side or foot well.
3. Note your model and serial number from the label behind the magnetic access panel next to the door.
4. Say whether the jet is broken or whether you simply want to aim the stream, and whether you want the face, the cap or the whole assembly.
5. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

Watch: How to Adjust to Hydro Jets in Your Walk-In Tub? | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• The Air Tube Fitting on My Hydro Pump Snapped Off. What Part Do I Need?
• How Do I Remove, Clean or Replace a Hydro Jet Nozzle?
• Damaged Hydro Jet Hoses, PVC Lines and Jet Fittings: What Can Be Replaced

Common Questions