Water leaking underneath the tub while the door stays dry almost always comes from one connection, not from the shell, and the job is to find which one. The usual suspects, in the order the team checks them, are the unions at the pump and in-line heater, the air jet fittings, the drain elbow, and the faucet supply connections above. Open the access panel, dry everything, and lay dry paper towels under each of those spots so the next drip tells you where it came from.

Likely Causes

• A union at the pump or heater with an over tightened or displaced O ring, so it keeps weeping after tightening.
• A drip at the screw fitting where water enters the pump, or at a seam of the pump housing.
• An air tube or air jet fitting whose gasket under the shell is not sealing.
• A cracked or over tightened drain elbow, or a drain gasket seated the wrong way, leaking only while the tub drains.
• Supply lines or faucet base connections that only see pressure with the diverter in one position, so water runs down from the faucets above.
• The hand shower receptacle on a tub whose sprayer was wall mounted without the barrel kit.

What to Check, in Order

1. Dry the cavity and lay paper towels under the pump, heater, drain and faucet connections. Fill with the pumps off and wait. Water now points to the faucet base, supply lines, drain stoppers or door.
2. Run the hydro pump alone for several minutes and check the unions at the pump and heater. A union that leaks after tightening has an over tightened or displaced O ring: take it apart, reseat the O ring and reassemble by hand. At the heater, confirm the threads match the pipe threads. A leak from the seam of the motor housing is a pump part question; photograph it.
3. Run the air pump alone and check its connections. A drip where an air tube meets the underside of the tub is fixed at that fitting's gasket, and a thin bead of silicone around a push button gasket stops water following the button. If every air jet fitting looks wet, the team confirms the cause from photos first.
4. Run the hand shower with the diverter switched and check the receptacle hole in the deck. Then check the braided supply lines along their full loop and the connections under each faucet piece in both diverter positions.
5. Drain the tub and watch the drain elbow and fittings while the water is moving. An elbow cracked by over tightening at installation is a straightforward swap, covered in leaks at the drain elbow or drain pipe.
6. The first wet towel is your answer. The full source map is in finding the source of water under the tub.

If the tub is not yet closed in, run the pre-installation water test with the panels open so these connections are caught before the walls go up, and keep the plumbing reachable as shown in planning service access panels.

When to Open a Ticket

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model and serial number, a close up of the wet fitting, a wider photo of the pump, heater and drain area, and when the water appears: filling, running the jets, using the hand shower or draining. If you suspect one of the small factory hoses, photograph both ends and the team confirms from the photos. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can also talk through the isolation steps with you by phone or video.

Common Questions