Can I Get an Ella Walk-In Tub With No Jets at All?

Yes. Most Ella walk-in tub models can be built as a soaker with no jets at all, so you keep the door, the low threshold and the molded seat that make it a walk-in tub and leave out the pumps and therapy lines. The jetting package is molded into the shell at the factory, so the choice is made when you order and cannot be changed afterward in either direction. Our comparison Soaking Walk-In Tub vs Jetted Tub: Which Is Easier to Maintain? covers the upkeep side; this page covers which models offer the soaker, what you keep, what you give up and what to settle before ordering.

Which Models Can Be Built with No Jets

The published guide lists the models that can be ordered as a soaker and the models that always include at least one massage system.

What this means is that the jet-free choice is wide but not universal. If the model you have in mind sits in the lower rows, you will choose between that model with its massage system or a different model as a soaker. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm the current soaker availability for a specific model before you order.

What a Soaker Keeps and What It Leaves Out

Every Ella therapy system is built into the shell at the factory. A soaker is molded without jet openings and nothing is installed under the tub, so it keeps the same door, seat, faucet, hand shower and drain hardware as the jetted version of the model, with a smooth interior and nothing to switch on. The dimensions, door, seat, faucet and crate size match the jetted version exactly, so your doorway measurements and bathroom plan do not change with the package.

What it leaves out is everything that belongs to the pumps. The in-line water heater, ozone sterilization and Auto Purge are all parts of the hydro and air systems, so a soaker has none of them. On a jetted tub the in-line heater holds the bath temperature while the hydro pump runs; a soaker holds the water at the temperature you fill it, and then it cools like any other bath. That makes the faucet package worth a look. Tubs ordered with an Ella thermostatic faucet package include a thermostatic control valve that blends hot and cold to a set temperature, while a faucet without one is set by hand at the two valves every time, as explained in Why Is the Water in My Walk-In Tub Too Hot?.

Decide Before You Order: Jets Cannot Be Added Later

Because the package is part of the shell, jets cannot be added to a soaker later, and a jetted tub cannot be turned into a soaker. If massage matters to you now, or might matter in a few years, order the jetted version of the model. If you want the simplest possible tub, the soaker is the one to choose, and the published guide calls it the easiest Ella tub to care for.

The wiring is the other difference. A plain soaking tub needs no dedicated electrical circuit because its drains work by gravity and there are no pumps. The one electrical item a soaker can have is the optional heated seat and backrest, which runs on its own keypad and needs a 15A 120V GFCI-protected line. A jetted tub's pumps, in-line heater and ozone or Auto Purge equipment need a dedicated electrical supply. Tell your electrician which version you have ordered so the rough-in matches.

Cleaning a Soaker Compared with a Jetted Tub

Many people who search for a jet-free tub are really asking about cleaning, so here is the difference in practice. A soaker has no jet lines, so there is no monthly vinegar flush. Bath salts and oils rinse away with the drain rather than collecting in plumbing lines. Care comes down to the acrylic, which is cleaned with approved non-abrasive cleaners, the door seal, and the drain. Keep the door open when the tub is not in use so the seal is not compressed; the same habit applies whenever the tub will sit unused for a while, as laid out in Printable Vacation and Seasonal Shutdown Checklist for a Walk-In Tub.

A jetted tub adds one routine. Before the first bath, and once a month after that, run the vinegar flush: combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub with water to 1 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 systems are plumbed and self-contained. In the same session, clear hair and debris from the pump inlet cover, the suction grate where the hydro pump draws water in, and wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner such as Dawn dish detergent. The flush is described in What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub? and the intake in What Is the Pump Inlet Cover on a Walk-In Tub?. Bath bombs are best avoided on a jetted tub because their residue collects in the lines and is the usual cause of weak jets or black flakes, which is one more thing a soaker never has to think about.

Related Guides

• Does a Soaking Walk-In Tub Need Electrical Wiring or Keep the Water Warm?
• Soaking-Only Walk-In Tubs: No Jets, No Pumps, No Electrical
• Can Hydro or Air Jets Be Added to an Ella Soaking Tub Later?

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