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Installing New Bath Tub Up Against Exterior Wall

3K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  greghamilton 
#1 ·
Hi, I am installing a new bath tub where our old shower was and I have opened a large hole in our foundation to access the drain so that I can rework it and move it to where it needs to be. So, I am in the process now of putting together all of the PVC drain fittings coming up from the main 6" sewer line to the 3-way tee just under the wall where the vent goes up the wall. I am also in the process of figuring out how I want the lateral tee to angle towards where the tub drain will be, so I decided to make a template out of plywood using the measurements on the Kohler roughing-in paperwork. Unfortunately, the hole I made in my template plywood is where the paper says the hole in the bottom of the tub should be relative to the side & end of the tub. As I'm sitting here looking at this I realize the p-trap that will accept the tail-piece of the Watts Twist N Close Bath Drain does not need to correspond with the hole coming out of the bottom of the tub, but rather, it needs to correspond with the vertical piece of the bath drain assembly which is another 6.5 inches further towards our exterior wall. I have not mounted the bath drain assembly to the tub yet, but it actually looks like the outer edge of the vertical piece of the bath drain assy will stick out enough that I will need to trim out a couple studs so it will not hit them, maybe 1/4 - 1/2". The thing that really bugs me is that I am going to need to rent a jack hammer again and it looks like I am going to have to jack hammer so close to the edge of my foundation that I am scared I will be removing some of the exterior footing of the foundation which makes me worried I will damage the integrity of the foundation itself and/or accidentally punch through to where you can see the hole from the outside. Does anyone have any advice on my options here? I have already bought the bath tub, drain, and all other fittings I will need. I really don't have the money to hire a plumber. I know an easier solution would be to move it away from the exterior wall and maybe build a tile seat there or something, but I would rather claim the whole 3 feet or so on the other end with additional storage. I am also trying to figure out the best way to determine exactly where the p-trap needs to be. The roughing in document doesn't help me at all. I am considering setting the 316 lb. tub on blocks with the drain assembly attached and then using a ruler or something to extrapolate to where the drain assembly would need the p-trap to be under the floor. Any better ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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#2 ·
Is it possible to give us a picture of what your hole looks like?
Usually the overflow and drain shoe doesn't extend beyond the tub.

Don't forget that your vent doesn't have to be right behind the tub. It'actually best to offset it to one side so it doesn't conflict with the valve rough in. And you can use offset fittings under the tub to align to the trap
 
#3 ·
Please use this link
http://guestbathroomremodel.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

I have updated my pictures of the bath remodel. The pictures I just took tonight are the last 15 pictures, or #27 through #41. The best way to view the pictures after clicking on the link is to then click on Slideshow, then Full Screen, then click the Pause button at top so it doesn't just take off on its own, then drag the handle on the bottom to get to the picture you want, then hit the right arrow button on top to advance one picture at a time. I have added descriptions to each picture to explain it better. Number 29 gives a pretty good idea about how much more concrete I need to remove, especially if you look at the template pictures. The template is still accurate side-to-side, it's just that the actual hole is going to need to be a whole lot closer to the wall. You're right, after jacking up the tub as seen in the photos, and attaching the drain assembly, it does not stick out further than the edge of the tub, so I was incorrect in saying I might need to trim some of the studs to get it in. Plus, the vertical piece angles back to where the bottom of the tail-piece is further from the wall than the same pipe up where it mounts to the overflow drain opening of the tub. Taking a closer look at the roughing-in document, it shows the drain hole needs to by 1 5/8" from the studs, so I just need to update my template accordingly. It will still be pretty dicey to remove the additional concrete without punching through to the other side. A saw might be neater, but it might be harder to get it where I need it. Feel free to offer any ideas on how to make this easier. One of the hardest things is going to be moving the heavy cast iron tub around, especially with the tail-piece of the drain assembly sticking down about 6" lower than the feet that the tub sit on. I will probably go get either 4 or 8 cinder blocks and I am probably going to have to remove the whole bottom sheet of sheetrock in my kids room so I can have two people be able to grab the corners on the side up against the wall. I am curious about the offset fittings you are talking about.
 
#5 ·
I have seen a guy hook all the waste and overflow parts up to the p-trap, then just slide the tub in and make the final connections through the tub. It was an enameled steel tub, so much lighter, but outside of doing it like that, I do not know..


Is it to late to get a left hand tub?
 
#7 ·
Ghostmaker - yes, I want to do it code legal.
broox - that sounds pretty interesting, I would have liked to have seen that.
cleveman - yeah, that is one of the many things I need to work on, I will try to do better on that.


I was able to jack my tub up using a 3-ton floor jack and put it up on 4x4's and hang the brass drain assembly off of the bath tub, then attached a plumb line to the edge of the tub where it would hang next to the tail-piece of the drain assembly, then measured over to it and basically confirmed what the rough-in documents showed.

I went and rented the smaller 35-lb jack hammer and trimmed the hole out larger so the drain piece will fit down in there now with no problem.

I'm going to have to figure out how to rig up a couple of hoists using 4x4's so I can lift the tub and lower it in place. Will send pictures when I'm done.

Had a close call today. Found a 1/2" copper line just under the slab where I was making the hole bigger for the drain piece. If I had opted for the 75 lb. jack hammer, it could have been real bad.
 
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