What is a hydro tub and how does hydro massage work?

A hydro tub is a walk-in tub fitted with a hydro massage package: a water pump under the tub draws bath water in, pushes it through an in-line heater and sends it back out through adjustable jets in the seat, back, feet and calves. You control the feel with a chrome intensity dial on the deck, which adds or removes air in the jet stream. The heater is the part most owners ask about, and What Is an In-Line Water Heater on a Walk-In Tub? explains that it maintains the bath temperature rather than raising it.

How the Hydro Massage Loop Works

You fill the tub with comfortably hot water from the faucet, so your home water heater does the heating. Once the water is above the highest jets and you press the hydro button, the pump pulls water through the in-line heater and back out through the jets. The heater offsets the natural cooling of the bath to hold a steady temperature, switches on and off with the pump, and has no button or thermostat of its own. It will not warm a bath that was filled cool, and it does nothing for air massage. Keep bath water at or below 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The second video tours the LayDown 32x72 hydro tub and points out the rest of the loop: strategically placed hydro jets, an easy-touch push-button control, the hydro intensity dial, the in-line water heater and an eco-friendly ozone sterilization generator that helps keep the tub sanitary, plus an oversized 2 inch drain. The Standard and Standard60 spec sheets list no ozone generator, so check your own model's sheet for that item.

Hydro Massage Versus Air Massage

The two therapies are easy to confuse from the deck. Hydro jets are the larger adjustable nozzles, and the water they move is what gives the deeper massage. Air massage uses a three-speed blower that pushes air through small holes in the seat, hips and feet; its button cycles high on the first press, medium on the second, low on the third and off on the fourth. Air systems have no heater and no ozone, and they run an Auto Purge about 20 minutes after the pump is switched off, for 120 seconds, to blow leftover water out of the air lines. A hydro-only tub has no air lines, so it never purges, and that is by design, as Why Isn't the Auto Purge Running on My Tub? explains for owners whose previous tub had air.

The Intensity Dial Is an Air Control, Not a Speed Control

The first video shows the chrome dial every Ella hydro tub carries, whether the tub uses push buttons or the digital touchpad. The dial sits on an air line feeding the jet stream: turning it up introduces more air for a stronger, livelier flow, and turning it down reduces the air for a gentler flow, down to jets that are barely perceptible while the pump keeps running. It never changes the pump's speed, and nothing about it is electrical. Tubs with independent foot massage carry a second dial so the seat jets and the foot jets can be set separately. The video also describes why warm hydro massage feels good: warm water brings down swelling and loosens tight muscles, and the water's buoyancy takes weight off painful joints. Care and troubleshooting for the dial are in What Is the Intensity Control Dial on a Walk-In Tub?

Ella Hydro Tubs and Their Ratings

The figures show where the hydro tubs differ. The Standard and Standard60, profiled in Ella Standard 30x52 and Standard60 30x60: Hydro-Only Value Tubs, are hydro only: no air massage, no microbubble package and no soaker version, with the heated seat and backrest as the only add-on. The Standard60 adds diverter switches that run the foot and leg jets only, the back jets only, or both, and it is the only Ella tub offered with the H2 hydrogen and microbubble system. On the Ultimate, and on any tub with Hydro plus Independent Foot Massage, the heater is attached to the foot pump, so running the foot jets is what keeps the water warm.

Using and Caring for a Hydro Tub

• Fill to at least 1 inch above the highest jets you intend to run before pressing any hydro button. Never start the pump with jets above the waterline; a dry run damages the pump permanently and that damage is not covered.
• If your package includes Independent Foot Massage, you can fill only the footwell, to just below the seat and just above the calf jets, and run the foot pump alone. On a shared-pump tub the whole tub must be filled first, as How Do I Use Only the Foot Massage Without Filling the Whole Tub? explains.
• Flush the hydro loop before first use and once a month: combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. Flushing after every bath is not necessary.
• Wipe the dial with the same mild, non-abrasive cleaner you use on the deck. A stiff dial is usually bound by excess silicone at its base, and a dial that changes nothing while the pump runs usually means the air hose has slipped off at the pump.
• Water at a heater union is usually an over-tightened or displaced O-ring; the union is taken apart, the O-ring reseated and the union reassembled by your plumber.
• The pump and heater are covered as supporting equipment under the Lifetime Limited Warranty. For a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850, have your model, serial number and package details from your order ready.

Watch: Lay Down Tub: 32x72 Walk-In Tub with Hydro Massage Jets - Your Own Home Spa | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What Are Hydro Massage Jets on a Walk-In Tub?
• Hydro massage vs air massage: what each system does and how to use the controls
• What the Hydro Massage Schematic Shows: One Pump, the In-Line Heater in the Jet Loop, Ozone and One Dedicated Line

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