Bath only secured to drain?

[Walter]

Hey Workshoppers,

We have recently had a bath installed in a flat, and I've been trying to find out if this is a new thing.

The bath Is ONLY SECURED TO THE DRAIN.  A mate told me about a place he stayed at recently on the south coast with the same sort of freestanding bath, and it also moved, and was only secure when it had water in.

Surely this is dangerous. i've taken it up with the contractor but not yet had an explanation.

Movie of bath showing movement 

[Noyade · Accepted solution]

Hi Walter.

Fascinating!

My wife and I looked at some bath tubs a couple of years ago and I noticed when lifting these tubs (they were very light) there were no attachment points, only adjustable feet. I asked the sales girl what keeps the tub in place when empty - she didn't know, "but the plumber would know."

I had a google and it seems a concern for a lotta bath owners.

I found this YouTube video - you can fast forward to the very end  - he siliconed around the entire bath base and the adjustable feet. I'm not sure if I even like that idea...

[Walter]

Hey @Noyade   thanks for that.

Interesting. you learn something new every day.  Looks like we will do this. sealing it will prevent wear and tear on the pipe, obviously.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Walter,

Easily moveable free-standing tubs are a relatively new issue. Before the development of ultra-light acrylic tubs, their weight held them firmly in place. The problem with fixing them down is that if any issues arise with the plumbing, the tub needs to be removed. If you wish, you can use a wet-area silicone to fix them down. As mentioned, though, I wouldn't go too crazy, as if you need to remove the tub, you'll create a decent amount of work. I'd suggest a few liberal dollops on the adjustable feet or where the tub contacts the floor. You can then run a bead around the perimeter. The perimeter bead can easily be cut with a blade to release the tub, and the other siliconed areas can be parted with some effort.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[extremebias]

Hi thanks to all the rain and resultant mould in the house and an observant better-half I had to clean behind the freestanding acrylic bath (old style with metal feet) and found the 40mm DWV pipe work was fixed. I wanted to find a neat way of being able to remove and refit the bath in future should I have to do this again.

After getting frustrated with the excellent range of non-usable pressure fittings (which don’t join on purpose, but a barrel union would have been useful) I cut down a black rubber pvc joiner and was able to set myself up to quickly remove and refix the bath if I ever have to in future.

Thanks for hints on silastic to anchor the bath. Might do that, but thought this pic might help others.

 

[EricL]

Hi @extremebias

Thank you very much for posting such an excellent method of removing your bath drain when you need to clean behind your claw foot bath. I'm sure our members who are in a similar situation will find this an excellent method of removing the connection between the bath and the waste. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric