When water leaks where the hand shower goes through the deck, the usual reason is that the hand shower was lifted up to a wall mount without the barrel extension kit. Water runs back down the hose, into the sprayer base, and through the deck insert hole into the space behind the tub, where it shows up as drips under the tub or as a stain on the ceiling below. If the sprayer hangs on the wall or lies on the deck instead of sitting in its base, that opening is simply doing its job of letting a hose pass through. The fix is the leak elimination kit, a top-of-the-tub job with no service call needed.

Likely Causes

• The hand shower was wall mounted without the extension hose and stainless steel barrel, so water drips through the deck insert hole.
• The hose is installed backwards, with the conical end at the deck instead of at the sprayer head.
• A hose washer is missing, or the small blue check valve inside the sprayer head is gone.
• The sprayer mount base has worked loose on the deck.
• A slider column coupler was fitted without its rubber washer.

What to Check, in Order

1. Look at how the sprayer is stored. If it hangs on a wall bracket or slider bar, or lies on the deck, the insert hole is open to any water running down the hose. Dock it in its base for now.
2. Fit the leak elimination kit. Unscrew the sprayer head, screw the stainless steel barrel onto the hose end, screw the 5 foot extension hose onto the other side of the barrel, seat the barrel in the shower base so it plugs the hole, and screw the sprayer head onto the extension. On a sliding column, the coupler's rubber washer makes the seal at the receptacle, and overextending the hand shower without the extension and coupler is a leak hazard.
3. Check the hose orientation. The conical connector belongs at the sprayer head and the hex nut connector belongs at the deck mount or shower column. A backwards hose is the first thing to rule out; see hand shower hose orientation, the check valve and the mount base.
4. Look inside the sprayer head threads for the small blue check valve. An empty hole means the head can drip at the joint; a replacement head ships with the valve installed. Confirm both hose washers are in place.
5. If the mount base wobbles or lifts, re-tighten the nut underneath if you can reach it. Without access, run a generous bead of silicone around the base and let it cure about 24 hours before using the hand shower.
6. Still wet? Add one water source at a time as described in finding the source of water under the tub; the general fixes are in hand shower hose and diverter problems.

When to Open a Ticket

If the kit is fitted, the hose is the right way round and water still appears, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model, serial number, a photo of the faucet set and sprayer base from above, a photo of the wet area underneath, and a note on where the sprayer is normally kept. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 will match the right hose, head, base or kit from the photos, since hoses are matched to the faucet set and the 5-piece hose does not fit the 2-piece faucet.

Common Questions