Support Center / Showers, Panels & Accessories / What Is a Hand Shower Diverter on a Walk-In Tub?
Back to Showers, Panels & Accessories

What Is a Hand Shower Diverter on a Walk-In Tub?

Updated September 2026

▶Glossary5
  1. How It Works
  2. Which Ella Models Have It
  3. What to Know as an Owner
  4. Related Guides
  5. Common Questions

A hand shower diverter on an Ella walk-in tub is the control on the faucet that switches water between the spout and the pull-out hand shower. On the 2-piece fast-fill faucet it is a button under the spout, and on the 5-piece faucet it is the middle lever between the hot and cold handles. Owners also call it the diverter valve, the diverter button or the shower switch.

How It Works

On the 2-piece set, turn the water on with the lever and press the diverter button under the spout. Water stops at the spout and flows to the hand shower instead. On the 5-piece set, turn the middle lever toward OFF and push the faucet lever down, and the hand shower takes over. Turn the diverter back and the water returns to the spout. If you add a shower column kit, it connects to the faucet diverter with a 1/2 inch supply line, and its own ON/OFF diverter selects one head at a time. Our 2-piece vs 5-piece article shows the layout of each set.

Chrome walk-in tub diverter valve and supply hoses with standard and reverse thread ports
A complete diverter valve with its supply connections, the part supplied when a diverter truly needs replacing.

Which Ella Models Have It

Every Ella tub fitted with the Ella 2-piece or 5-piece deck-mounted fast-fill faucet has a hand shower diverter, so the style depends on the faucet set your model shipped with rather than the tub itself. Tubs with the thermostatic faucet on a chrome deck plate have two diverter valves, one for the spout and one for the sprayer. Both diverters are checked on the installer's warranty activation checklist along with every hand shower setting.

What to Know as an Owner

  • A 2-piece diverter button stuck closed after the water is turned off is an air lock, not a broken part. Unscrew the hose from the handset, remove the plastic restrictor, and the button snaps back. Screw the hose back on. See hand shower problems.
  • If water comes out of both the spout and the hand shower, or the diverter refuses to switch back, the first fix is turning the water off and on again with the handle. When a valve has truly failed, the complete valve is supplied. Our diverter valve article covers it.
  • Hard water can make an older 2-piece diverter stick; removing the valve and soaking it in rubbing alcohol or a descaler often frees it.
  • The washers and blue check valve in the hand shower head have their own guide: hose orientation, check valve and mount base.
  • For a ticket, have your model, serial number and a photo of the faucet and diverter ready at ellasbubbles.com/support so the team can match the right valve.

Common Questions

How do I switch to the hand shower on an Ella walk-in tub?
To switch to the hand shower on an Ella walk-in tub, the method depends on your faucet type. On the Ella 2-piece fast-fill faucet, press the diverter button located under the spout. On the Ella 5-piece fast-fill faucet, turn the middle lever toward OFF and then push the faucet lever down to direct water to the hand shower.
Why is the diverter button on my 2-piece faucet stuck down?
In rare cases the button becomes air locked after the water is turned off. Unscrew the hose from the handset, remove the plastic restrictor to relieve the air lock, and the button snaps back up. Nothing on the faucet needs to be taken apart.
What should I do if water comes out of the spout and the hand shower at the same time?
If water comes out of both the spout and the hand shower at the same time, or if the diverter refuses to switch back, first turn the water off completely with the faucet handle, wait a moment, and then turn it back on. If the diverter still will not hold the water in the hand shower or spout, the valve is no longer sealing properly. In this case, the complete diverter valve will need to be replaced.
Can I replace just the cartridge inside the diverter?
No, you cannot replace just the cartridge inside the diverter on this style of valve. The cartridge is not removable, so a replacement diverter is supplied as the whole valve. This complete valve includes its body, cartridge, escutcheon ring, cap, and handle.

About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.

Related guides

Did this solve your question?

If not, open a ticket and our team will pick it up from here.

Open a Support Ticket