# Whats a good way to take a cast iron tub out?



## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

My dads renovating his bathroom. Gutting it the studs. Lav, WC, Tub, some baseboard heat. I told him we have to break the tub with a sledgehammer. He laughed at me. Is there any other way?


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## ianclapham (Jan 10, 2011)

Use a 16lbs. sledgehammer

Cover the tub with an old wet blanket to prevent flying chips of cast iron and porcelain,


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

I too take the sledge to it. just cover it up and put on safety glasses just in case.


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

Grinder with a diamond blade. Just make sure to use proper PPE.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

I always rip out the sheetrock and remove it whole. That was up until the last one. My helper dropped it and it broke my pinky.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Partner saw with an abrasive blade.


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

20# sledge and a movers blanket, she is out in 20 minutes....


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## beavercreekhc (Mar 15, 2010)

i do it the same way.. put a heavy sheet over the tub, get a BFH and hit the middle and a few whacks and it's out.


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

I agree with everyone that said BFH. Just make sure you check the opposite side of all walls effected for anything of value hanging on the walls. Oops moments suck.


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

*Lessons learned*

Don't do like me, I whacked with a sledge and it glanced off and wiped the front off the commode. Ack!!!! They have new commode on me, LOL. Also if pounding against outside wall be sure isn't stucco or other material that can reflect the empacts. :whistling2:


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## ianclapham (Jan 10, 2011)

mpsllc said:


> Don't do like me, I whacked with a sledge and it glanced off and wiped the front off the commode. Ack!!!! They have new commode on me, LOL. Also if pounding against outside wall be sure isn't stucco or other material that can reflect the empacts. :whistling2:


Plenty of stories there then. 

work smarter not harder


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

AND KNEE / SHIN protection ,,,,, BELIEVE me !!


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## beavercreekhc (Mar 15, 2010)

seems like most of the time its plaster and lathe as well and just adds to the mess but usually i'll cut up the wall a foot or so so you don't crack the wall.


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Typically if I'm removing a tub it's to install a Lasco trio or something to that nature. So I remove sheetrock full height and about 18" or so in front so the new tub will slide in.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

I have never smashed a tub to get it out. I always pull them out in one piece and dolly it to the truck. 






Paul


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

Those of you using blades and grinders to cut the tubs, you are welcome to learn a lesson from me. Cover the dry wall in the and use a dust removal system.

The first hot steamy shower they took, I got the rusted wall call back, from an employee who failed to have his hearing ears on. I had a big ole Kohler old school CI jetted tub that was surrounded in mirrors. What a disaster..... From then on we covered all the walls in painters static plastic when needed.


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## ghastings (Jan 31, 2011)

*Brand of caulking for china basins*

whats everybody using to caulk their china lavs, having problems with Dap adhering to the American Standard basins..... to many call backs.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

ghastings said:


> whats everybody using to caulk their china lavs, having problems with Dap adhering to the American Standard basins..... to many call backs.


We know you are. 

And you still haven't posted that intro.


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## plumbz (Jan 28, 2011)

get a B.M.F.H. and have at it, hit it in the middle I always found it easier seems to get bigger chunks.


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## plumbertom (Feb 1, 2011)

*copper, and brass , fittings*

I've heard that all non-ferrous(brass, copper,etc..) alloys,used for pothave replaced


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## Joeypipes 23 (Feb 2, 2011)

Your killing yourself to take it out in whole...bust it up in fours and youll save yourself aggrivation


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Joeypipes 23 said:


> Your killing yourself to take it out in whole...bust it up in fours and youll save yourself aggrivation


 
*Hello! Introduction Requested* 
An intro is requested from all new members. In case you missed it, here is the link. http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/.

The PZ is for Plumbing Professionals ( those engaged in the plumbing profession)

Post an intro and tell our members where you are from, yrs in the trade, and your area(s) of expertise in the plumbing field.

This info helps members who are waiting to welcome you to the best plumbing site there is.

We look forward to your valuable input.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

He's got a half decent web site, and with a name like JoeyPipes...:laughing:


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

There is a major weight difference between a modern (last 40-years) 5' recessed tub and an older 5' recessed tub, a corner tub or a 6' tub etcetera. I would have no problem rolling a standard 5' tub out with a dolly but anything bigger would get busted up.

Mark


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## bigdaddyrob (May 14, 2009)

Def use the BFH method. At 33, I still remember being 17 And doing some serous Dmg to hardwood flooring trying to take one out whole. That was enough to teach me risk vs extra labor just ain't worth it. Been sectioned ever since. 

Last oct I did one in close quarters- of course I missed. Caught myself in the back of the knee and couldn't get rid of the numb feeling in my shin and ankle until xmiss. Wear protection friends


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## Joeypipes 23 (Feb 2, 2011)

When your from Brooklyn ny u get a nickname my friends chose joeypipes n it stuck


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## plumbertom (Feb 1, 2011)

I don't blame yr dad for laughing;
my company can handle this for you, we'll pull off the roof, air vac in a mini track hoe 
and fly it out. 
We don't patch drywall or return roofs to oringinal condition, very well....

Grab yr tarp, put on yr goggles, and hammer away!
pretend it's the tax man.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

vinpadalino said:


> My dads renovating his bathroom. Gutting it the studs. Lav, WC, Tub, some baseboard heat. I told him we have to break the tub with a sledgehammer. He laughed at me. Is there any other way?


In all my years of plumbing we never broke a tub to get it out. Usually 2 men, if the stairs were wide enough we would turtle it down. Back end first that way a rope through the overflow could hold the weight during the trip down. The old claw foots were carried down. Later in life we would strap the 4.5 - 5 footers to a LectroTruck and get them down that way. I can see why dad laughed at you. LOL


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## Rando (Dec 31, 2012)

Personally I've always taken them out whole, just seems faster and cleaner. tried the busting up method, went back to the other way.


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## Pipe Art (Sep 11, 2009)

We bust them up when we have to, but mostly take them out whole. Either on a dolly or if thats not possible we carry it out. I don't like the mess or the sharp porcelain shards.


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## Plumb Bob (Mar 9, 2011)

Sounds like a job for the demo crew!

They usually use a sledge


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## revenge (Jun 30, 2011)

What I hate is when these dumb asses put two or three new floors and never think about the tup I had two inches of floor on the last tub I did


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## Kevan (Jul 5, 2010)

> Whats a good way to take a cast iron tub out?


Dinner and a show?


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## Plumb Bob (Mar 9, 2011)

What is aggravating to me is when a home owner remodels their bathroom and refuses to replace the bath tub. They end up with a brand new bathroom with an old tub.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Plumb Bob said:


> What is aggravating to me is when a home owner remodels their bathroom and refuses to replace the bath tub. They end up with a brand new bathroom with an old tub.


I love when they do that! :thumbup:


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## Bigcim (Feb 22, 2013)

I bust them up. I have a friend who cuts them with a grinder when he sweats his shirts turn orange. A cast tub scraps for around $60 here. so I save them and recycle them when I get ten


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## Nathan901 (Feb 11, 2012)

Ive been on many-a tub replacements where the customer couldnt afford a whole new tile job. Cut the backing board and tile out about 18-24 inches all around the top and pull it out. Usually i can lift it off the gound an inch or so to get a hammer or somthing under the bottom edge so i can grab it and lift it out. I can handle a standard c.i. tub, but anything bigger is a saftey risk to try and do alone.

My boss is old school, tells us how much of wimps we are, and how he used to carry them up flights of stairs. So we take em out whole


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

#*37* Nathan901 
Junior Member

 







*Hello! Introduction Requested* 
An intro is requested from all new members. In case you missed it, here is the link. http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/. 

The PZ is for Plumbing Professionals ( those engaged in the plumbing profession) 

Post an intro and tell our members where you are from, yrs in the trade, and your area(s) of expertise in the plumbing field. 

This info helps members who are waiting to welcome you to the best plumbing site there is. 

We look forward to your valuable input.


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

I'm 5'6" 135 lbs fully dressed, moving a cast iron tub for me usually isn't an option. Sledge hammer all the way for this guy. Not that I'm a whimp but if I dont have to put everything ive got into moving something I'm throwing into a dumpster anyway why wreck my back on garbage? I'm ten years past my mid 20's and I'm beginning to notice my body stays sore longer than it used to.


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

Plumb Bob said:


> What is aggravating to me is when a home owner remodels their bathroom and refuses to replace the bath tub. They end up with a brand new bathroom with an old tub.


We have a few companies around here that will come out and re-enamel an old tub. If it saves me from having to move it out of the bathroom I'm all for it. One of those companies has a clever name "Mr. Ugly". When they finish looks like a brand new tub. Lasts about ten years under normal usage.


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## plumber101us (Feb 25, 2013)

abrasive blade on a grinder cut tub in half and remove it. a sawsall with an abrasive blade will do in a pinch but takes longer


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## suzie (Sep 1, 2010)

Sledgehammer hey isn't there an eighties song here?


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

suzie said:


> Sledgehammer hey isn't there an eighties song here?


That was the only Peter Gabriel song I could stomach. Good video too back when MTV used to play music.


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## MindLost (May 25, 2013)

Proud Plumber said:


> 20# sledge and a movers blanket, she is out in 20 minutes....


Too right you are:no:


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

plumber101us said:


> abrasive blade on a grinder cut tub in half and remove it. a sawsall with an abrasive blade will do in a pinch but takes longer


Ok clue me in here. Cast iron bathtubs are minimum of 40yrs old, & most are 50 to 60 yrs old or more correct? Now the wood & insulation below & around ya, are all the same age, & very dry correct? Abrasive blades on grinders, I've seen, throw constant sparks. So how do ya keep the place from burning down? I mean even if you were to take the tub out & stand it up, it still seems like a fire hazard. Alot of bath remodels I encounter have that cotton insulation, & will start burning quickly, & don't go out easily.


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

Don The Plumber said:


> Ok clue me in here. Cast iron bathtubs are minimum of 40yrs old, & most are 50 to 60 yrs old or more correct? Now the wood & insulation below & around ya, are all the same age, & very dry correct? Abrasive blades on grinders, I've seen, throw constant sparks. So how do ya keep the place from burning down? I mean even if you were to take the tub out & stand it up, it still seems like a fire hazard. Alot of bath remodels I encounter have that cotton insulation, & will start burning quickly, & don't go out easily.


Just fill the tub with water before you cut that should put the fire out.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

MindLost said:


> Too right you are:no:


Not a plumber here..


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## Bigcim (Feb 22, 2013)

wyrickmech said:


> Just fill the tub with water before you cut that should put the fire out.


LOL:laughing::no:


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## MTDUNN (Oct 9, 2011)

Dynamite! Works every time!


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

MTDUNN said:


> Dynamite! Works every time!


Ive always found that to be the best method for gutting a bathroom with mud walls myself lol....


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## Plumb26 (May 18, 2013)

Epox said:


> Don't do like me, I whacked with a sledge and it glanced off and wiped the front off the commode. Ack!!!! They have new commode on me, LOL. Also if pounding against outside wall be sure isn't stucco or other material that can reflect the empacts. :whistling2:


Would have made sense to remove the toilet first, huh?:no:


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

Plumb26 said:


> Would have made sense to remove the toilet first, huh?:no:


Also if pounding against an inside wall be prepared to fix all the sheetrock nail pops in the ajacent room.


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## MTDUNN (Oct 9, 2011)

theplumbinator said:


> Also if pounding against an inside wall be prepared to fix all the sheetrock nail pops in the ajacent room.


Inch it out from wall, cover with drop cloth, wear safety glasses, gloves and ear protection before whacking it.


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## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

Glad you mentioned ear protection. :thumbup:


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## theplumbinator (Sep 6, 2012)

MTDUNN said:


> Inch it out from wall, cover with drop cloth, wear safety glasses, gloves and ear protection before whacking it.


That's how i roll....


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