The heated seat and backrest is an optional 4A radiant surface heating system built into the seat and backrest of an Ella walk-in tub. Controlled by its own small keypad, it warms the surfaces you sit and lean against so the tub feels cozy while it fills and after it drains, and it shuts itself off after 20 minutes. Owners also call it the seat heater or, from the invoice code, the HSB. It is completely separate from the in-line water heater that runs with the hydro jets.

How It Works

Radiant heater pads are sealed into the seat and backrest and driven by a heat box under the tub. Press the keypad once to turn the seat on and again to turn it off. For the best first touch, switch it on 10 to 15 minutes before you enter so the surfaces have time to warm while the tub fills. The automatic shutoff after 20 minutes is by design, not a fault; one more press restarts it. Because it heats surfaces rather than water, it works whether the tub is empty or full. The system uses less energy than a light bulb, is hermetically sealed and splash resistant, and is made in the USA. Tubs with a heated seat use a master control box, and the heated seat and backrest article shows the keypad in use.

Which Ella Models Have It

The heated seat and backrest is optional on most seated Ella models and is not offered on the LayDown tubs. On the Standard and Zen platform, the manual page for it is stamped Optional, not included, so check your order to see whether it was added. Two-seat tubs carry a heated seat box and keypad for each seat. It can be added to any standard order, while clearance units are configured as listed and are never modified; the clearance tubs article and customization options explain the difference. On your paperwork the option appears as HSB, decoded in the invoice and part codes decoder.

What to Know as an Owner

The heated seat does not warm the bath water. Fill hot from the faucet and let the in-line heater hold the temperature during hydro massage; the seat takes care of the surfaces. A soaking tub whose only electrical item is the heated seat needs a 15A/120V line, and on jetted single-seat tubs a package that adds the heated seat moves to two dedicated lines. If the seat feels cold, confirm the keypad responds, that the seat has not simply reached its 20-minute shutoff, and that the tub has power.

For a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, have your model and serial number, confirmation that HSB is on your order, whether the keypad light responds, and on a two-seat tub which seat is cold. If you wonder whether you will feel chilly while the tub fills, this video article answers the question owners ask most.

Common Questions