Push controls, also called easy-touch buttons, on and off push buttons or pneumatic deck buttons, are the chrome buttons on the deck of an Ella walk-in tub that start and stop the pumps and the light. Each button sends a small puff of air through a slim tube to a relay inside the control box, so there is no electricity at the button itself. A gentle press with the palm of your hand is all they need.

How It Works

Pressing a button squeezes air down its tube to the control box, where a relay clicks and switches the matching pump or light. The Air button cycles through high, medium and low and then off, so four presses take you around the full cycle. The Water button starts and stops the hydro pump, and the Light button cycles through the chromatherapy colors. You should hear a faint relay click from the control box with each press. The full walkthrough is in push button controls vs the digital touchpad.

Which Ella Models Have It

Push controls appear across most Ella single-seat tubs, including the Standard and Standard60, the Zen, Zen60 and Flow, the stainless steel door family, the U-shape outward-swing family and the Transfer family such as the Transfer30. The Shak, Big4One and two-seat tubs use the digital touchpad instead, and the Lounger's Air plus Hydro package is digital controller only. Some Transfer and legacy units ship with unlabeled buttons, which is normal: Water is hydro, Air is air, Micro is microbubble and Light is the LED.

What to Know as an Owner

Press gently, because pressing too hard can damage the internal mechanism. A button that stays down is an air lock rather than a broken part: disconnect its tube at the control box so the button pops back up, then reconnect the tube. On the Standard and Zen platform the air pipe connection passes through the shell with a back nut, and it must be tightened and verified working before the install is finalized, so a new tub whose buttons do nothing often has a loose connection there. Our articles on push button air hoses and ports and controls not responding cover reconnecting a hose and replacing a button. If nothing responds at all, try the control box reset guide first. For a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850, have your model name, your order details from where you purchased, which button is affected and whether you hear a click from the control box when you press it.

Common Questions