Page 13 Spa Leveling Instructions
SPA LEVELING INSTRUCTIONS
I
n order for your Hot Spring
®
Spa to operate properly and the internal plumbing to drain completely, the spa must be
level. If the spa is to be installed on an uneven or unlevel foundation, shimming of the spa is required.
NOTE: Due to the large size of the Landmark
®
and Grandee
®
Spas, Watkins requires that these spas be installed
on a level 4”- (10.1 cm) thick concrete pad and NOT
shimmed in any manner.
WARNING:
Watkins Manufacturing Corporation recommends that a structural engineer or contractor be consulted prior
to placing the spa on an elevated deck or platform.
IMPORTANT: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation reserves the right to change any specifications or design without
incurring any obligation.
Approved Shim Material
• Cedar shingles
• Redwood
• Exterior rated plywood
• Exterior rated lumber
The shims used should vary in thickness from 1/4- to 1/2-inch (0.6 cm to 1.2 cm) and should be cut into 2” by 4” (5 cm
by 10 cm) rectangles.
Leveling Instructions (Vanguard
™
,
Sovereign
®
, Prodigy
®
and Jetsetter
®
models)
1. Using a 6-foot carpenter’s level (or a shorter level and a straight 2” x 4”, 8-foot-long board, or a board 5 cm by 10
cm, 2.4 meters long), check the spa to identify the highest and lowest corners.
2. With one end of the level resting on the highest corner of the spa (and the opposite end resting on the lowest
corner), gently raise the lower end of the level by placing shims between the spa shell and the level, until the level
itself is level. This will tell you how many shims are needed at that lowest corner.
3. Now carefully pivot the level, keeping the shimmed end where it is, until the other end of the level rests on one of the
other corners. Check for level. Adjust the end of the level using the procedure above. Carefully pivot the level again
to the last corner, leaving the pivot end at its original location, and repeat the procedure. Whatever shims are on the
three corners are the ones you will place under those corners in the next steps.
4. Remove the level and set it aside. Carefully remove the shims and keep them together, remembering the corner
from which each set of shims came.
5. With more than one person lifting, lift the lowest side of the spa (the one with the most shims), and place a 4” x4”
(10 cm x 10 cm) block under the spa base, at the center of the side lifted.
6. Refer to the base support diagram for your spa to locate the leveling points for the elevated corners. Place the set of
shims corresponding to each corner directly under its designated leveling point.
7. Lift the spa, remove the support block, and set the spa on the shims. Repeat steps 5 through 7, if necessary, for the
opposite side of the spa.
8. Use the level to check the level of the spa. Make any adjustments necessary.
9. Refer to the base support diagram for your spa to locate the remaining leveling points, each of which must now also
be shimmed, and carefully slide “helper” shims under the spa at their designated locations. These helper shims
should create a snug fit between the foundation and the spa’s base structure. If it is necessary to lift the spa in order
to place the helper shims, use care not to kick out the original corner shims.
The following base support diagrams for the Vanguard
™
, Sovereign
®
, Prodigy
®
and Jetsetter
®
Spas indicate the
recommended shimming points.
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