Do I Need 3/4 Inch Supply Lines for the Ella Fast-Fill Faucet?

No, 3/4 inch house lines are not required for an Ella fast-fill faucet, but they are what Ella recommends. Every Ella 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucet set ships with two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines, and your existing 1/2 inch house lines will work, with 3/4 inch lines simply filling the tub faster. The lines themselves, and the shut-off valves they connect to, are introduced in What Are the Supply Lines and Shut-Off Valves on a Walk-In Tub?, and this page covers the sizing decision and where to place the valves so you can reach them after the tub is installed.

What Ships with the Faucet and What Your Plumber Supplies

The two supply lines travel with the faucet set, so any Ella walk-in tub ordered with an Ella 2-piece or 5-piece fast-fill faucet receives them. A tub ordered without an Ella faucet does not get Ella supply lines, so if you are sourcing a faucet elsewhere, check the contents of that faucet purchase. One end of each line threads onto the faucet tail under the tub deck and the other end onto a shut-off valve on the house side.

The shut-off valves, also called stop valves, are not included. Your plumber supplies them and places them close to the tub. Both faucet sets also include a pull-out hand shower on a 5 foot braided hose with a back-flow prevention valve, and the hand shower has 5 flow settings and is limited to 1.9 GPM. The full layout of each set is in What Is a Fast-Fill Faucet on a Walk-In Tub?.

3/4 Inch Versus 1/2 Inch: What Actually Changes

The GPM figures describe what the faucet can pass under ideal conditions, and the supply side decides how close you get to them. In real homes, fill time runs 7 to 15 minutes depending on tub size and your water supply, and house water pressure, pipe size, the distance from the water heater to the tub, and hot water being used elsewhere at the same time all change the real-world rate. That is why 3/4 inch lines are recommended rather than required: they remove one of the restrictions, but they cannot make up for low pressure or a long run from the heater. The gallons also matter, since most standard-size Ella walk-in tubs hold 65 to 107 gallons unoccupied and you typically use 30 to 75 gallons per bath once seated. How long does it take to fill a walk-in tub? puts these pieces together for each model.

Hot water is the other half of the decision. A fast line only helps if the water stays warm for the whole fill, so the general guidance is a 75 gallon or larger water heater, and the maximum capacity heater available for your house is the recommendation. A tankless heater should be rated at 11 GPM or more, and the largest tubs, such as the ShaK and Big4Two, may require a dedicated additional heater. Have your contractor assess pressure, pipe runs and heater size as one picture before installation day.

Where the Shut-Off Valves Should Go

Ella recommends placing the shut-off valves where they can be reached through the front apron access panels or a wall access panel. The reason is simple: a future faucet, cartridge or hose service then means closing two valves at the tub instead of shutting down water to the whole house. Your plumber chooses the exact spot, but the test is whether you can open an access panel and turn the valve by hand once the tub, apron and any surround are finished.

• Ask your plumber to position the valves close to the tub and within reach of a panel you can remove yourself.
• Know where the valves are before you need them, and show the rest of the household too.
• During warranty activation your installer leak-checks the supply lines with the diverters on, so ask to see the connections while the access panel is open.
• Before anyone removes a supply line later, the supply valves must be shut off first.

Connecting the Lines Without Creating a Leak

Connections are made hand-tight and then gently snugged with a wrench, never over-torqued, because over-torquing damages the internal gasket in the fitting and causes the very leak you were trying to prevent. The 2-piece installation video on this page shows the routine: make sure the gasket is seated correctly before installing the supply lines, match the hot line with its red markings and the cold line with its blue markings, and after hand tightening add one quarter to one half turn with a wrench. The video also points out that both lines have reverse threads, which matters if your plumber is used to standard fittings.

If a braided line later shows a slow drip at its loop, the line should be replaced rather than tightened further. A drip at a connection is often a washer that is missing or not seated, and rather than mail a loose washer that may not match, the team ships a whole new line so the washer is the right one. Sizes, threads and what photo to send are in Replacement Hot and Cold Faucet Supply Lines: Sizes, Threads and Where to Get Them.

Older Faucets and Replacement Sets

Current 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucets use 3/4 inch lines, which the team normally has on hand. Older Ella faucets used 1/2 inch NPT lines, which are standard fittings you can pick up at a hardware store, or you can use a 3/4 inch line with a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch reducer. Because some faucet ends are reverse-threaded, send the team a photo of the line, including the end that connects to the faucet, before buying a store-bought line.

If an older faucet model is no longer offered, the 5-Piece Fast Fill set is the replacement, and it uses 3/4 inch supply lines. If the check valves under your tub have 1/2 inch connections, your plumber fits a 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch NPT adapter, a standard plumbing part. You can leave the existing spout and hand sprayer in place and switch out only the handles and valves, adapting the spout supply line from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch NPT. Hoses and handsets are matched to the set, and the 5-piece hose does not fit the 2-piece faucet. The steps for deciding what to replace are in Replacing Your Walk-In Tub Faucet Set, Valves or Hand Mixer. For any of these questions, have your model, serial number and a photo of the faucet ready for your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

Watch: Ellas Bubbles: Two Piece Fast-Fill Faucet Set Installation video with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Water Supply Lines, Shut-Off Valves, and Pipe Size for a Fast Fill
• What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Walk-in Tub?

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