What Is the Pump Inlet Cover on a Walk-In Tub?

The pump inlet cover is the suction cover inside your walk-in tub where the hydro massage pump draws water in before pushing it back out through the jets. Owners also call it the suction cover, the pump intake or the intake grate. Because every drop that feeds the jets passes through it, hair and debris collect on it, and clearing and wiping it each month is part of Ella's routine maintenance.

How It Works

When you start the hydro massage system, the pump pulls bath water through the inlet cover, pressurizes it and sends it through the fully plumbed lines to the jets. The cover's job is to keep hair and larger debris out of the pump while letting water flow freely. As material builds up on the cover, less water reaches the pump and the jets lose strength, which is why a weak jet is often a maintenance question rather than a pump fault. For the same reason, water must cover the microbubble port and the intake before that pump starts, as described in Infusion Microbubble Therapy.

Which Ella Models Have It

Any Ella walk-in tub with a hydro massage system has a pump inlet cover, since the pump needs an intake to draw water from the bath.

What to Know as an Owner

Once a month, clear hair and debris from the cover and wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner such as Dawn dish detergent. Do it in the same session as the vinegar flush; how to clean and maintain your walk-in tub month by month lays out the whole routine, and common maintenance questions covers frequency and cleaner choices.

Check the cover first whenever jets are weak or gunk appears from the jets. If the jets are still weak after the cover is clean and a vinegar flush has been run, move on to pump or massage system not working. To keep hair away from the drains as well, a silicone pop-up drain protector from a hardware store is the team's suggestion; drain plugs, stems, gaskets and hair catchers has the details. For a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, have ready: your serial number, a photo of the inlet cover, a short video of the jets running and a note on when the last flush was done.

Related Guides

• Hydro Pump Only Hums After a Repair: Why an Empty Tub Shows Nothing
• What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub?
• How to Reseal a Leaking Hydro Pump Intake on a Walk-In Tub
• How do I clean and maintain my walk-in tub?
• How Do I Clean a Walk-In Tub That Has Jets?
• How Do I Clean and Maintain My Walk-In Tub?

Common Questions