What happens if a walk-in tub is installed without being level?

A walk-in tub installed out of level is the most common cause of leaks. When the adjustable legs do not all carry weight evenly, the frame and shell can warp, which pulls the door out of alignment so the gasket no longer seals and water escapes at the door, and the installation manuals state that a tub installed unlevel voids the warranty. The fix is nearly always at the legs rather than the door, which is why a licensed installer, including one reached through Ella's installer referral network, re-checks level on site before the tub is ever filled.

Why Level Matters More on a Walk-In Tub

A conventional bathtub has no door, so a slight tilt mostly changes how the water sits in it. A walk-in tub has a door that must close against a gasket along its whole perimeter, and that door hangs on the same frame the leveling legs support. Every Ella tub stands on its own frame with adjustable leveling legs, and every tub is tested level at the factory before it ships. Once it is in your bathroom, the legs decide whether the frame keeps the shape it had on the factory floor.

If one or more legs hang short of the floor, the weight of the tub, the bather and the water is carried by the legs that do touch. The frame flexes toward the unsupported point, the shell follows it, and the door opening changes shape by a small amount. That small amount is enough to open a gap between the gasket and the frame, usually on the low side, and a door that sealed perfectly at the factory starts to let water through.

What an Out-Of-Level Installation Looks Like

Owners rarely notice the tilt itself. What they notice is the door, because the door is where an uneven frame shows up first.

• Water on the floor at the door after a bath, while the plumbing underneath stays dry.
• A door that is hard to close, or that needs force to latch.
• A door that rubs the jamb as it swings.
• A gasket that does not touch the frame on the lower handle side, while it presses hard on the hinge side.

Each of these is a leveling problem before it is a door problem. The hinges and the gasket were set on a level tub, so adjusting them to chase a leak on an unlevel tub tends to leave the door misaligned once the tub is finally leveled. Leave the hinges alone and go to the legs first.

What It Costs You If the Tub Stays That Way

Three consequences follow from a tub that is left out of level, and they build on each other.

1. Leaks at the door. The gasket seals by pressing evenly against the frame. A frame pulled out of true by uneven legs cannot give it even pressure, so the door weeps along the gap every time the tub is filled.
2. A warped frame and shell. The longer the tub carries its load on some legs and not others, the more the frame and the acrylic shell take on that twisted shape. A leak that started as a simple leg adjustment becomes a tub that no longer sits true.
3. Warranty. The installation manuals state that a tub installed unlevel voids the warranty. Ella's warranty is a parts warranty, with the labor done by a local licensed plumber or electrician, and a door leak that traces back to an unlevel install is an installation problem rather than a defect in a part.

Leveling sits alongside the other on-site steps that protect the shell and the warranty, such as the large metal washer that must go under the shell when the deck-mount grab bar is bolted on. Both are choices the installer makes in an afternoon, and both are what the tub lives with for years.

How the Legs Are Adjusted

The fix is to extend or shorten the adjustable leveling legs until every foot sits firmly on the floor with no gap under any of them. Work the legs rather than the hinges. The installer sets the tub in its final position, checks it for level, and turns each leg until it carries its share of the weight. Then the door is closed and opened a few times. When the door swings smoothly and closes into an even, watertight seal all the way around, the legs are right. Once the tub is level, the front legs are screwed into the subfloor for stability so the adjustment holds.

If you already own the tub and the door has started to rub or leak, the same check applies. Find the foot that is not bearing on the floor and adjust it until it is, then try the door again before anyone touches the gasket or the hinges.

What the Floor Itself Has to Provide

The leveling legs adjust the tub to the floor; they do not strengthen it. The subfloor must be level and must be able to support the weight of the tub, the bather and the water, as required by local code. A contractor confirms this before the tub comes into the room, because the legs can only hold a position the floor beneath them holds too. The front legs are also fastened into that subfloor, so it needs to take a screw.

The Water Test That Proves It

Tubs are tested level before they ship, so the installer's job is to re-check and adjust on site, then prove the result with water. After the legs are set and the door closes smoothly, the installer fills the tub and runs the pumps to confirm there are no leaks, with the access panels still open so every joint can be seen. One detail matters for the massage systems: a hydro pump moves water, not air, so the tub must be filled above the highest hydro jets before the hydro button is pressed, and a pump run in an empty tub can burn out. Hydro pump only hums after a repair explains what to expect from that test. Only after the full tub holds water with the door shut and the pumps running should the finish work be closed in around it.

Related Guides

• Leveling your walk-in tub: why every leg must touch the floor before anything else
• Installation choices that affect your warranty and how to keep coverage intact
• My Door Rubs the Frame When It Closes: Fixing Tub Bow with the Leveling Legs

Related Videos

Common Questions