The water supply lines for an Ella walk-in tub are included with the faucet: every Ella 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucet ships with two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines, and the faucet and valve are piped for 3/4 inch all the way through. Shut-off valves are not included, so your plumber provides them and places them close to the tub where they are easy to reach. Your existing 1/2 inch house lines will work; 3/4 inch lines are recommended because they fill the tub faster. Connections should be hand-tight and gently snugged, never over-torqued.

What Is in the Box

• Two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines, included with the Ella 2-piece or 5-piece faucet set.
• Shut-off valves are not included.
• If you chose a faucet from another manufacturer, check the contents of that purchase, since the Ella supply lines come with the Ella faucet sets.

The faucet set travels with the tub and is fitted by your installer; the steps are in installing the 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucets.

Shut-Off Valves

We recommend having 3/4 inch water lines with shut-off valves placed close to the tub for easy maintenance. Make the valves easily accessible, ideally reachable through the front apron access panels or a wall access panel, so a future faucet or hose service does not require shutting down the whole house. The 5 foot supply lines connect directly to these valves; the 3/4 inch lines connect to a standard 3/4 inch ball valve.

Watch: Supply Lines, Shut-Offs and Hot Water Together

This video ties the supply side to the hot water side. It recommends 3/4 inch supply lines with accessible shut-offs, notes that 5 foot supply lines ship with the Ella 2-piece and 5-piece faucets, and explains why the house water heater matters as much as the pipe: use the maximum capacity heater available, anything under 75 gallons is not recommended, and a dedicated or second heater is worth considering for large tubs such as the Big4Two or ShaK. It also shows where to find each tub's water capacity on the Compare Specs tool. The full sizing guidance is in what size water heater do I need.

Pipe Size and Fill Speed

Ella faucets are designed for unrestricted flow. The valve and faucet are piped for 3/4 inch regardless of your home's supply lines, so the faucet delivers as much water as your house is willing to give it, up to 18 GPM on the 5-piece and 16 GPM on the 2-piece. Those figures are designed at 60 PSI with ideal in-home plumbing. If your home has 1/2 inch supply lines, you can keep them; upgrading to 3/4 inch allows faster fill times but is not required. Larger house supply lines and good pressure mean a faster fill, and that is the whole story behind the recommendation.

Fill time typically ranges from 7 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the tub and the configuration of the supply lines in your home. As a reference point, it takes about 10 minutes to fill an Ella tub to a level where the hydro jets are safe to use, 1 to 2 inches above the highest jets, and about 6 minutes more to reach the overflow, with the exact time depending on your water pressure and plumbing. Our fast-fill faucet expectations article goes into more detail.

Why Is My Fill Slower Than Advertised?

The advertised rates assume ideal plumbing, so the usual causes of a slower fill are on the house side:

• Water pressure. With city service, pressure depends on the distance between the water source and your home. Low pressure means a slower fill no matter the faucet.
• Well water. If your pump and pressure tank are correctly adjusted, you can get the full potential of the fill fixtures; if not, the fill will lag.
• Pipe size and length. Long runs of 1/2 inch pipe restrict flow more than 3/4 inch.
• Distance from the water heater. A long run means waiting for hot water as well as volume.
• A partially closed shut-off valve or a kinked supply line behind the tub.
• A temperature control valve, where fitted, may reduce flow and extend fill time; see the thermostatic control valve explained.

Hot water capacity is a separate question: our team recommends the maximum capacity water heater available for your house, and anything less than 75 gallons is not recommended.

How Tight Should Connections Be?

Never over-torque the supply lines. Over-torquing damages the internal gasket in the fitting and can cause a leak. Thread the connection on by hand until it is seated, then snug it gently with a wrench, and stop. After connecting, open the shut-offs and check each fitting for drips with the faucet on and the diverter switched between spout and hand shower, which is also one of the items your installer initials on the warranty activation checklist. If a union at the pump or heater drips after tightening, it has usually been over-tightened or the O-ring has shifted; take it apart and reseat the O-ring rather than tightening further. A slow drip at the loop of a braided line usually means the line itself should be replaced rather than tightened further, and replacement lines are available through the team. Water flowing with the valve closed is a cartridge issue, covered in 5-piece faucet: water keeps flowing with the valve off.

Common Questions

Have a question that depends on your exact model or configuration? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and our technical support team will be glad to help you and your installer.