What is an air bathtub and how does air massage work?

An air bathtub is a walk-in tub with an air massage system: a dedicated air pump pushes air through small jets in the seat and floor, and the bubbles rise through the water around you for a gentle, all-over massage. On Ella walk-in tubs air massage is a three-speed system with Auto Purge, offered in the therapy packages on seated tubs and as one of the single-system choices on a LayDown. How does a walk-in tub work from door to drain? follows one bath from the door to the drain, and this page explains the air system itself and how it differs from hydro massage.

Air Massage and Hydro Massage Are Two Different Systems

A hydro massage system circulates water. Its pump draws bath water in and pushes it back out through jets in the backrest and footwell, with an intensity control dial, and on Ella tubs an in-line water heater keeps the water warm while the hydro pump runs. An air massage system never moves the water at all. Its own pump blows air through many smaller jets, so what you feel is a field of bubbles rather than a directed stream. Ella's product video on this page describes the jetting design behind both: jets placed where no one else puts them, including hip jets, feet jets and even bidet jets, with digital or Easy Touch push buttons that activate the three-speed air massage with Auto Purge.

The Companion two-seat tub shows how the systems sit side by side in one tub. Its seat hydro massage runs on a 7 amp pump feeding 14 upper seat jets, 7 on each seat. Its air massage runs on a separate 4.5 amp three-speed pump feeding 10 seat jets, 5 per seat, plus 4 foot jets. A third 7 amp pump drives the independent foot and calf massage, 4 foot jets and 2 calf jets, with its own 5.5 amp in-line heater, so a bather can enjoy a foot massage without filling the whole tub. Because each system has its own pump, they run together or separately as you choose. What is the Ella Companion two-seat walk-in tub for couples? lists the rest of that tub's equipment.

Three Speeds from One Push Button

Ella's air massage push control cycles through its speeds in a fixed order. The first press is HIGH, the second press is medium, the third press is low, and a fourth press turns the system off. That order applies on legacy Transfer units as well, and there is no reverse ramp. Tubs with a digital control pad offer the same three speeds from the pad. On push-button tubs the button itself is pneumatic: pressing it sends a puff of air down a small tube to a relay switch, and the relay switches the electricity to the pump. The air-lock video on this page shows that relay and the one thing that can go wrong with it. Air compressed in the tube stops the signal from arriving, and the fix is to disconnect the air tube at the relay, let it relieve itself, and reconnect it.

Auto Purge: The Short Blow-Out After Every Bath

Water finds its way into the air lines during a bath, and the air system clears it on its own. Auto Purge activates automatically 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off, which means about 20 minutes after your bath, and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It is fully automatic, it cannot be stopped, and it is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub or while the tub is draining. The product video explains the purpose: clearing leftover moisture from the system to prevent mold and mildew and keep the tub fresh. If you hear the air pump start on its own some minutes after you switched it off, that is the purge doing its job, not a fault.

Filling, Heat and What the Shell Does

The bath sequence on an air tub is the same as on any walk-in tub: step in over the low threshold, sit on the molded seat, close and latch the door, then fill. Your home water heater does the heating, so start with a comfortably hot fill and keep the bath at or below 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. If the tub also has hydro jets, fill until the water is 2 inches above the highest jets before you switch them on. The glossy acrylic shell acts like an insulator, and the in-line heater on a hydro system keeps the water warm while that pump runs. When the bath is over, drain first, then open the door.

Which Ella Tubs Offer Air Massage

Air massage appears across the Ella lineup, either included in a tub's standard equipment or chosen as part of a therapy package. The table uses only figures that appear in the current articles and videos, and where a figure is not published there, the cell says not listed.

What the differences mean: on a Transfer tub the air system is one of the therapy packages, so the jet count follows the package purchased rather than the model, and the soaking version has no jets at all; Which wheelchair accessible walk-in tubs come with jets and a heated seat? shows the therapy systems on video. On the Companion air massage is included alongside hydro and foot massage, so you are choosing among three systems in one bath rather than deciding whether to have air at all. On a LayDown you choose exactly one system, soaking, hydro, air or microbubble, when you order, so a LayDown with air is a pure air bathtub; Does the LayDown Tub Have a Seat? Flat Bottom Design, Seat Figures on Listings, Faucets and Therapy Choices explains that single-system rule and points to the LayDown air massage schematic. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 which package puts air massage on the model you have in mind.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Relieving Air Lock at the pump connection with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Hydro massage vs air massage: what each system does and how to use the controls
• My walk-in tub turned on by itself: the air massage Auto-Purge is normal
• Why Does the Air Massage Blow Cold Air? There Is No Heating Element

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