On an Ella two-seat tub (Companion, Escape, Tub4Two, or Big4Two), each seat has its own foot hydro pump, its own intensity dial, and, if you ordered heated seats, its own heater box and keypad. So when one side loses its foot massage or one seat stays cold while the other warms up, the problem is on that side's pump, dial, relay, cord, or circuit, not in the digital controller you share between the seats. The controller runs the air massage, the seat hydro jets, and the LED light for both bathers; those are the functions that fail together when the controller or the blue control box is at fault.

What Is Shared and What Is per Seat

• Shared (digital controller): the variable-speed air massage with Auto Purge, the seat and back hydro jets, and the chromatherapy LED. On the full package the optional microbubble system is also a single shared pump with its own push button.
• Per seat: one foot hydro pump with its own on/off button and intensity dial, and with the heated seat option, one HSB (heated seat and back) box with its own heat keypad. The in-line water heater sits on the second hydro loop.

The pumps live under the tub behind the front apron access panels, and the two foot pumps sit on separate sides. That layout is why the two seats behave independently for foot massage and heat. The two-seat models are compared in choosing a two-seat walk-in tub.

This overview of the Big4Two and Tub4Two shows the point of the design: each bather can enjoy a foot and calf massage without filling the whole tub, because each foot well has its own pump. The tour also shows the three-speed air massage with Auto Purge and the hydro massage with in-line heater and intensity control dial. Watching one foot well run on its own explains why a single side can fail alone while everything else works.

One Side Has No Foot Massage

1. Is the water above that side's foot jets? Never run a hydro pump with the jets uncovered; it damages the pump. If the fill is uneven or low on one end, top it up first.
2. Check that side's circuit. The full two-seat package (air, hydro, hydro foot, microbubble, heated seats) uses three dedicated 20 amp, 120 volt GFCI lines. Reset every breaker and every GFCI, including a GFCI outlet that may be behind the access panel under the tub. Line counts are in electrical requirements by model.
3. Check that side's pump cord. Open the front apron access panel nearest the dead seat and confirm the pump is plugged in and its outlet is live.
4. Listen for the relay click. Press that side's foot button with the panel open. A click with no pump points at the pump or its power; no click points at the air hose from the button to the relay. The steps are in pump or massage system not working.
5. Pump runs but the jets feel weak. The intensity dial is an air control on a small hose, not an electrical part. If the dial does nothing, check the air hose connection behind it and reseat it.

One Heated Seat Is Cold

Heated seats can be ordered for one seat or both. When only one is ordered it normally goes on the larger seat. If you have two and one stays cold, each seat's heater pads run from its own HSB box and keypad, so start there: press that seat's keypad once (a second press turns it off), allow the 10 to 15 minute preheat, and remember the heater turns itself off after 20 minutes, which is normal. If the keypad light blinks or the seat still stays cold after a full preheat, note exactly what the keypad is doing and include it in your ticket. How the heater behaves is covered in how the heated seat and backrest works.

The Digital Pad Works but the Second Seat's Dial Does Nothing

That is expected: the digital pad controls the shared systems, not the foot pumps. Each foot pump has its own physical button and dial on the deck near that seat. If the button starts the pump but the dial has no effect, reseat the dial's air hose as described above. If the button itself does nothing, check the air hose from the button to the relay on the control box.

Both Seats Lost Back Jets, Air, or Light at Once

When both sides lose the same shared function, the digital controller, the blue master box, or its circuit is the place to look, not the individual pumps. Reset the breaker and GFCI on that line, check the green light on the box, and if needed perform the control box reset. If the controller screen is blank or unresponsive, see touchpad or push button controls not responding.

What to Send the Team

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your model and serial number, which seat is affected (facing the tub, left or right), which functions on that seat work and which do not, and photos of the pump area behind the access panel nearest that seat. A short video of pressing the button while the panel is open is the fastest way for the team to hear whether the relay clicks.

Common Questions

Still one-sided after these checks? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support/new with your serial number, the affected seat, and photos of that side's pump area, or call (800) 480-6850.