Removing an Old Bathtub

Locate shutt off valves to stop water flow

The first thing the technician will do to remove the old bathtub is locate the shut off valves for the water supply to the tub in the bathroom (mostly to avoid water damage to the floors and wood). A probable place to look is behind the plumbing. The technician will look for an access panel. If an access panel is not obvious, the technician will check the hallway closets. Often the back of a closet will house the shut off valves either in the closet or in an access panel located in the closet. The technician will check the basement for an access panel on the ceiling. When there is no shut off control on any of the exterior walls, the technician will have to get inside of the wall (A utility knife, hammer, and chisel is used to make a square opening in the wall).

Removing spout and handles

After turning off all the water shut off controls, the technician will begin removing the spout on the bathtub. The spout comes off by twisting it in the direction of least resistance. If the spout does not twist off easily, then the technician will use a wrench to loosen it from the tub. The technician will remove the bath water handles by placing an allen wrench on the set screw and twisting it out.

Getting the tub out

Before the tub can be removed, the technician will consider the space necessary for removing the tub. Old tubs might be made of heavy metal, like cast iron. Ceramic tubs tend to weigh less. The difficulty of removing the tub will be even more complicated if a toilet is adjacent to the bathtub. If the bathtub is squeezed between a wall and the toilet, then the toilet is removed by the technician. Again, the technician will need to ensure that the water is shut off before unbolting the toilet. The toilet is pushed aside to make room for moving the bathtub away from the wall. The idea is to avoid having to lift the bathtub above the level of the toilet. The floor is a considerable obstacle for the technician if the floor is made of ceramic tile. To avoid damage to the tile, a piece of plywood is placed between the floor and the prying bar used to lift the tub. A towel is placed under any fulcrum points, and the prying bar is inserted into the side bottom of the bath tub. The prying bar is used to jack the bathtub up and off of the floor. After the tub is completely free, two or more people will carry the tub out of the bathroom. If the tub is too big to fit through the bathroom door, the tub can be placed in a corner of the bathroom. Ceramic bathtubs can be broken with a sledge hammer or a hammer and chisel. The broken peices can then be removed from the bathroom.