Clawfoot tub collapsed

[jyl]

Driving home from taking my son to school. Wife calls, "you have to get home immediately". I drive the remaining three blocks, enter the house, find the kitchen ceiling dripping and soggy towels covering the floor. Head upstairs, and see that the cast iron clawfoot tub has collapsed. The two legs at the back of the tub are loose on the floor, the tub is sitting at an angle, the tailpiece has pulled out from the floor trap inlet, the horizontal drain pipe has pulled out of the tee, the supply lines are spraying water.

The tub collapsed when my wife was filling it for a bath, she tried to drain it, several gallons of water flooded the bathroom and the kitchen below before she realized what was happening, now the tub is still mostly full and leaking from the drain plug.

I get a bucket and empty the tub into the toilet. Carry floor jack from garage. Lift the rear end of the tub, wife slides the two rear feet into place. Jack up the tub, get the horizontal drain pipe in the tee, push the tub around until the tail piece is lined up with the trap inlet, lower the tub to insert tailpiece into inlet. Supply lines stop spraying, since the pressure is off them.

Whew. Assess.

One leg is not touching the floor. Adjust legs so that they all touch, tighten screws. I think the tub had been sitting on three legs for some time, and the tiny motion as people got in and out allowed the legs to loosen. Hopefully that won't happen now. Just in case, I put some wood blocking under the tub, pretty ghetto I know but no-one will see it. Run some water into the tub, remove the drain plug, water drains with no evident leak at the tailpiece or tee. Supply lines still not leaking. Tile under the tub not cracked.

Wife has been mopping up the flood, setting fans to dry off the kitchen ceiling. There are water stains there from the last time the tub overflowed (overly enthusiastic bathing by the kids). It's a 104 year old house. I imagine it's seen its share of domestic floods.

I think the problem has been handled. That was fun, not.

[eddie914]

BTDT

Old House
Old Cars
Old Body

Young Mind

[widgeon13]

At least she wasn't in the tub!

[jyl]

Ha ha, yes, she would have be pissed. I'm sure I'd have been blamed. Glad my floor jack is aluminum . . .

[look 171]

Hey John,

When was the last time that bath was remodeled? Just to make sure, check the floor joist aren't rotten from previous water damage. I often see rot under tubs and shower due to seepage over time. that tub is heavy especially fill with water. Its may become too heavy for rotted joist.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by look 171

Hey John,

When was the last time that bath was remodeled? Just to make sure, check the floor joist aren't rotten from previous water damage. I often see rot under tubs and shower due to seepage over time. that tub is heavy especially fill with water. Its may become too heavy for rotted joist.

and won't that be a E ticket ride for someone sitting in the tub to suddenly fall through the floor and wind up in the middle of the kitchen soaking wet. WOOOOO WHHOOOO can we do that again Daddy?

[jyl]

It was remodeled in 2000. The floor was tiled. But I don't know what they did or if they checked the joists.

[look 171]

The feet normally don't loosen up especially to the point where the tub drops. Push or step on the area and see if there's any sag or loose floor under that tile. It may just be that they forgotten to tighten the foot. Lets hope its that.

[fastfredracing]

https://youtu.be/wdYPxFMhEkE

[dtw]

[jyl]

Will check the floor as best I can.

The tub has been a tiny bit unstable as long as I remember. Meaning when you step in it, sometimes (if you were paying attention) you could feel a tiny rocking, like it shifted from one combination of three legs to another combination of three legs. I didn't think anything of it, which was dumb.

[look 171]

Install washers between the tub (cast iron?) and the feet to make up the difference. I am hoping that difference is just the difference when the tile was set. the other thing to watch out for is the water lines. once they are kinked, they will have more change of leakage in the future because they are under constant pressure. Are they hard copper lines?

[jyl]

The lines are hard - shiny chrome/polished looking. They did not get sharply kinked or creased, the change in their curve was small, but it was enough to cause spraying/leaking at the fittings to the tub and at the valves, until the tub returned to original position. I tightened the fittings slightly too.

[Bugsinrugs]

I wouldn't trust any of those fittings. They have a tendancy to blow just when you leave the house for the day.

[sc_rufctr]

Interesting story with a great outcome. You fixed the problem without overthinking it. Well done!

What would it have cost if you had to call the Plumber? $$$$$$

[jyl]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

I wouldn't trust any of those fittings. They have a tendancy to blow just when you leave the house for the day.

Should I replace them all?

[scottmandue]

I believe there is a 3 person limit on those tubs.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by jyl

Ha ha, yes, she would have be pissed. I'm sure I'd have been blamed. Glad my floor jack is aluminum . . .

I love those old tubs, and yea, life is SO MUCH easier with those Harbor Freight aluminum jacks. SO much easier to carry or load & unload.

[masraum]

Wow, could have been worse, I guess. Congrats on being able to put it back together. Maybe you can put together a less ghetto solution for under the tub if you are now wary of the feet.

[look 171]

Was the leak at the angle stops? That's where it normally leaks at the compression fittings. If there are no kinks, then a little tighter (only if compression fittings) will be fine. Get me a pic.