Why Is My Ella Walk-In Tub Draining Slower Than 80 Seconds?

The 80 second figure is Ella's drain time for an average-size tub under ideal house-drain conditions, and the number to plan around in a real home is two minutes or less once the tub is connected to a proper 2 inch drain line. If your tub takes noticeably longer than two minutes, the drain hardware is rarely the reason, because the system is gravity driven with no pump to wear out or lose power. The cause is almost always on the house side: how many drain ports your plumber connected, the size and routing of the branch line, or an old, clogged or poorly vented house drain. How fast does a walk-in tub drain after your bath? explains where each published figure comes from, and this page is the checklist for a tub that is not reaching them.

Which Drain Time Actually Applies to Your Tub

Several figures appear across Ella's documents and videos, and they measure different things. Before you decide your tub is slow, find the one that fits your model and your installation.

The spread is mostly about volume. Most standard-size Ella walk-in tubs hold 65 to 107 gallons unoccupied, you typically use 30 to 75 gallons per bath once you are seated, and the largest models hold up to 145 gallons. More gallons through the same two drains means more seconds, so a large two-seat tub that empties in about three and a half minutes is performing as published rather than draining slowly. Treat 80 seconds as a best case for an average tub, and measure your installation against the two minute figure instead. The basics of the drain and faucet together are in Drainage and Fill Time.

Check the Tub Side First

• Open both drains. Most Ella tubs have two independent 2 inch drains, each with its own large dial opener on the deck, fitted with an extender for an easier grip and turn, and a stainless steel cable with a lever that opens and closes the floor drain. Open the first drain and the tub empties at a fast pace; open the second and it goes faster still. A tub drained on one dial only will not reach the published times.
• Confirm the floor drain covers were set. The covers are height adjustable for optimum sealing and draining. Ask your installer to confirm they were adjusted, because the same adjustment that keeps a full tub full while you bathe also affects how freely water leaves.
• Watch how the water leaves. The dual drain also works as a vent system that relieves air pockets so water flows out smoothly rather than in surges and keeps draining steadily to the end. If the water leaves in surges or slows sharply as the level drops, the venting downstream is the place to look rather than the tub.

Then Work Through the House Side, in Order

Everything below the tub outlet belongs to the house plumbing, and How Fast Do Walk-In Tubs Drain and What Speeds It Up? lists what makes it faster. Work through these with your plumber in this order.

1. Count the connected ports. Each drain ends in a T-type PVC body with four 2 inch ports under the tub. Connecting two of the four ports is common, and connecting all four gives the fastest gravity flow. If your plumber tied in only two, that alone can explain a time that is slower than ideal.
2. Measure the branch line. The line the tub ties into should be 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches, and a 2 inch house main is recommended for the fastest emptying. A standard house bathtub drain is 1.5 inches, and a 2 inch pipe carries about four times the volume of water of a 1.5 inch pipe, so a tub reduced down to 1.5 inch pipe is throttled right at the connection. A standard T or Y fitting into a 1.5 inch house drain does work, with a 2 inch to 1.5 inch reducing coupling on the tub side of the P trap riser, but expect a longer drain than the published best case.
3. Look at the fittings and turns. A Y fitting is preferred over a T because the water changes direction less, and the fewer turns in the run, the faster the water leaves. There is roughly 3 inches of clearance under the tub for 2 inch PVC, so the run can go to either side to keep it short.
4. Have the house drain tested. An old, clogged or poorly vented house drain is the most frequent reason a new tub drains slowly. Ella asks for the house drain to be tested for free flow before the tub goes in, and the drain must be trapped and vented to local code. If that test was skipped, have your plumber do it now, because it is the single most likely fix.
5. Check the drain height. Because the system is gravity driven, the house drain has to sit below the tub outlet. Draining into a washing machine box or any drain higher than the tub calls for a pump arrangement instead, which is a plumbing decision to settle with your installer.
6. Rule out the sewer main. A tub on a 3 inch sewer line drains about as fast as one on a 4 inch line, because everything downstream of the 2 inch tub connection is already larger. There is nothing to gain by looking there.

What to Have Ready Before You Call

Time the drain from a full tub with both dials open, note how many ports your plumber connected and the size of the branch line, and find out whether the house drain was tested for free flow before installation. With those facts your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can tell quickly whether the tub is performing as published for its size or whether the house drain needs attention, and How fast does a walk-in tub drain after a bath? shows the hardware so you can describe what you see. Have your model and serial number ready. Any work on the house drain, trap or vent is done by your local licensed plumber.

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