Can I Use My Jetted Ella Walk-In Tub as a Plain Soaking Tub With the Jets Off?

Yes. Every therapy system on an Ella walk-in tub is switched on by its own push control, and nothing runs until you press it. Fill the tub, leave the controls alone, and you have a plain soaking tub. Turn the jets on for the sessions when you want them and leave them off when you do not. There is no setting to change and no bypass to install.

How the Push Controls Work

Ella's jetted tubs use push controls on the tub itself. The hydro massage system starts when you press its control, and the air massage system on three-speed units cycles with each press: the first press is high speed, the second is medium, the third is low, and a fourth press turns it off. Each system has its own control, so you can run hydro alone, air alone, both together or neither. A tub with the jets left off behaves like a conventional bathtub with a door. If you are not sure which control does what on your model, the button guide walks through them.

Soaking with the Jets Off

With the pumps off, the water sits still. The door seals the same way, the faucet fills the same way and the drain empties the same way whether or not a therapy system was used. You can soak on most days and reserve the massage systems for the baths when you want them. If you like to add products to the water, the bath product guide explains what the jetted plumbing can and cannot handle, which still matters on nights when the jets stay off because the water reaches the jet openings.

Maintenance Still Applies

A jetted tub has plumbing behind the shell even when you never turn the pumps on, so keep up the monthly flush. Combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. Flushing after every bath is not necessary because the air and hydro systems are fully plumbed. Running the hydro system also runs the ozone sterilization on tubs equipped with it, which is one reason to run the jets at least during the monthly flush. The ozone sterilization article explains what that system does.

If you do use the air massage, expect the Auto Purge. It activates automatically 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped and it is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub.

If You Want a Tub with No Jets at All

A jetted tub with the controls left off is the flexible choice, because the therapies are there when you want them. If you are certain you will never use massage jets, Ella also builds a factory soaking configuration with no jetting system. The soaking walk-in tub article describes that option so you can decide at order time. Owners who mainly want the foot jets can also run just that system, as covered in the foot massage only guide.

Related Guides

• My walk-in tub turned on by itself: the air massage Auto-Purge is normal
• What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub?

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Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.