# Bath Tub Removal



## bcbucs (Jan 19, 2017)

I'm trying to remove a bath tub but I can't seem to get it out it seems unbelievably heavy. I'm not sure what type of tub it is and if its the type I would need to smash into pieces to remove? It almost seems like there's an acrylic topper on an old tub but I'm not certain.


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## nealtw (Jan 19, 2017)

It looks like a steel tub, and I see what you are saying about the liner. If it is a liner, who knows what they put in there to fill any voids between the two.

Drill a hole in it and see if you get some clues, or throw an old blanket over it and give it a couple good swings with a ten pound hammer and see what breaks.


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## johnjh2o (Jan 19, 2017)

nealtw said:


> It looks like a steel tub, and I see what you are saying about the liner. If it is a liner, who knows what they put in there to fill any voids between the two.
> 
> Drill a hole in it and see if you get some clues, or throw an old blanket over it and give it a couple good swings with a ten pound hammer and see what breaks.



That is not a steel tub it's cast iron. It could weight as much as 180#.


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## nealtw (Jan 19, 2017)

johnjh2o said:


> That is not a steel tub it's cast iron. It could weight as much as 180#.



Then a ten pound hammer will prove that.
There is an angle brace under the corner that I have not seen in a cast iron tub.


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## frodo (Jan 19, 2017)

if it is cast iron smash it with a 20 lb sledge,  4 pcs.  

if its a steel tub,  cut it in half with a saw zall  or a grinder with cut off wheel

it might be easir if the drain was unhooked


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## JoeD (Jan 19, 2017)

When the drain is removed you should be able tell what it is by how thick it is.


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## johnjh2o (Jan 19, 2017)

nealtw said:


> Then a ten pound hammer will prove that.
> There is an angle brace under the corner that I have not seen in a cast iron tub.



The corner brace is what I was looking at. Hard to tell from the picture but if it's flat it's a steel tub but if it's round it's cast iron.


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## joecaption (Jan 20, 2017)

I hope you also plan on replacing all that old steel plumbing all the way back to the supply.
Steel plumbing will leak and rust out from the inside out 100 % of the time at some point.


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## slownsteady (Jan 20, 2017)

Did you try pulling out the plastic liner to see what is beneath?


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## bcbucs (Jan 23, 2017)

Alright guys I got it out. I had to smash it with a 8lb sledge. It was cast iron but topped with an acrylic liner that I cut off with sawzall and also broke away it was all glued together. Now I am at the waste overflow valve and trying to figure out which nut to unscrew to remove and how I would connect a new pvc one? Attached are photos with labeled nuts.
Thanks


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## nealtw (Jan 23, 2017)

You may want to keep digging and expose the trap too.


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## JoeD (Jan 24, 2017)

I would replace it all the way back to the stack connection.


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## johnjh2o (Jan 24, 2017)

Remove the top one the lower one is a bushing. Can't tell from the picture but that may be lead pipe above the bushing.


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## bcbucs (Jan 24, 2017)

Ok I got the 1st nut off and the 2nd one I labeled as a nut does appear to be a bushing connected to the trap. I have the nut loose but am not able to lift the waste overflow valve out it is only moving side to side.


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

If it is like this one the pipe extends down 2 or more inches.


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## bcbucs (Jan 24, 2017)

Ok if its like that one and goes down further what should I do to get it out? Should I try loosening whatever it is that's above the busing but below the compression nut?


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

I thinl you will want to change the trap too, I would dig that out and see what you have below that.


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## johnjh2o (Jan 24, 2017)

What he has below is a cast iron trap. And that is a piece of lead pipe attached to the bushing.


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

johnjh2o said:


> What he has below is a cast iron trap. And that is a piece of lead pipe attached to the bushing.



I haven't seen old cast with a threaded fitting. I just wouldn't take a chance of breaking something before I knew what I had. I would want to change ut  as much as I could but still leave all options open.:hide:


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## bcbucs (Jan 24, 2017)

Ok I dug down and it looks like a cast iron trap beneath. There was nothing wrong with the waste overflow valve was thinking now that I can not get it off the p-trap to reuse with new gaskets for the next bathtub but not sure if it would line up properly.


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

That does look like it should undo, below that you have a lead oakum joint to the bell. But yes you need some adjustment to set the new tub. I still think you have to get to the other end of the trap.


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## slownsteady (Jan 24, 2017)

The drain you are replacing is a Gerber product. You can probably find out more about it from a pro or a plumbing supply house. It may be a short tail piece that goes down to the trap. It looks like a very corroded compression nut sitting on top of the bushing. I would be tempted to try and remove it but I'm sure it will break up as soon as you put any pressure on it.

The argument for replacing the trap now is that the floor is open already. Once you pour new concrete, you're not going to want ever go back in there again.


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## bcbucs (Jan 24, 2017)

The floor was already open with that square access space cut into the slab. My plan is to reuse the waste and overflow valve and replace the washers. This gerber product is better than the pvc ones I planned to put in anyways. I will have to figure out how to reconfigure the run to the shoe and the overflow to fit with a new tub. My other idea was to cut right about the oakum lead seal with sawzall and connect new pvc waste valve there.


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

Chances of find a tub that will get anywhere close to lining up will be slim. But it may be worth looking at new tubs first.


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## bcbucs (Jan 24, 2017)

How could I modify the waste run and the overflow run to properly fit a new tub?


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

Dig it up and cut it on the other side of the P, then you could replace it with ABS or pvc
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFBZ0NohwYo[/ame]


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## bcbucs (Jan 24, 2017)

I'm not going to do that I will have to jackhammer out a bunch more flooring and slab. I want to keep the current waste and overflow valve but want to modify length to connect to the tub if necessary. How could I do this with the current valve? Cut it with sawzall and use coupling with new pvc shoe?


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2017)

Well you have the bathroom in a mess now, when would be better time.

The trap is right below where you are so removing it is not the mess he was in. And by removing the trap you get to see the condition of the pipe there.


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## bud16415 (Jan 25, 2017)

bcbucs said:


> I'm not going to do that I will have to jackhammer out a bunch more flooring and slab. I want to keep the current waste and overflow valve but want to modify length to connect to the tub if necessary. How could I do this with the current valve? Cut it with sawzall and use coupling with new pvc shoe?



Im not a plumber, but Im with you on this one. Sometimes the best thing to do is let a sleeping dog sleep. 

I think the new PVC tail piece will adjust with a compression fitting and the overflow you could figure out how to jog if you need to. This job looks a bit like building a ship in a bottle. 

You may well have to take it back more but before I did that I would see if I could work around it. 

Hopefully a real plumber will show up and offer some advice as well.


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## nealtw (Jan 25, 2017)

http://www.plbg.com/forum/read.php?1,406964


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## slownsteady (Jan 25, 2017)

Before you try to make the old waste work, consider buying a new gerber brass drain: http://www.gerberonline.com/products/bathroom-bath-drains
And before you cut the old pipe with a sawzall, figure out how exactly you will reassemble the setup. The space above the cast iron is limited and you will be adding a connection. Can you confirm if that is a compression fitting just above the bushing? If so, removing it will give you max access to the connection.


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## bcbucs (Jan 25, 2017)

I think above the bushing is actually a lead oakum seal like somebody said before rather than a bushing. Its circular and does not have any flat edges like a nut. I'm thinking I will leave the gerber tee and then reconfigure the waste and overflow connections from that Tee to fit a new tub. I plan to reconfigure them by cutting then using a no hub connection with pvc cut to the correct lengths for the new tub.


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## nealtw (Jan 25, 2017)

The adapter in the hub is just leaded in and can be taken out with 1/4" wide chisel
Then there is a rubber adapter that would give you more room to play with.

http://www.yourepair.com/1504/how-to-transitioning-metal-or-pvc-to-cast-iron-waste-pipe.html

Then if that still doesn't give you what you need there are flexible over flow tubes in kits 
https://www.google.ca/search?q=bath...r+flow+with+slight+bend&imgrc=Vq_pqEYdUGiocM:


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## bcbucs (Jan 25, 2017)

Shouldn't the overflow head & tube and the shoe & tube separate from the tee since I've unscrewed the compression nuts? Is there something else holding the tubes in place with the tee? Maybe I'm not using enough force to separate them.


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## nealtw (Jan 25, 2017)

In this picture we see a little blue or green.
If the fitting that the pipe is going into is galvanized,  brass does not play well with zinc and steel. 
So just below that it looks like lead, either he did some kinda solder joint or some one crawled under there and stopped a leak.
Either way you could have lead holding it from coming out.


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