Can I offset a bathtub drain when I put in a wider bathtub?

While I'm in my bathroom, I noticed that I could replace the bathtub with one that is two inches deeper. That would make for better baths.

I could also, without even going past the tile, get a tub that is two inches wider. The problem with that is that the drain in the tub would then be half that distance (1 inch) from the drain in the house.

It might not be the same distance from the wall where my feet go, also, unless that is totally standardized. ???????

Do they have a simple remedy for offsetting a bathtub drain an inch or maybe more? This is the most important question in this post!!

Any other reason why not to put in deeper or wider bathtub? 2nd most.

Do I need to reinforce the floor under the tub?

2"d x about 48"l x 18"w (last two are estimates) = 1/6' x 4' x 1.5' = 1/6 x 6 sq.ft.= suprisingly exactly 1 cubic foot.= 62 pounds. I guess I could test by putting 62 pounds of extra weight plus me and the water in the bathtub now and see if it creaks as I add the extra weight. ??

Or I could lose 62 pounds of my own weight. Well that wouldn't help because when I bend my legs so my neck is at the water line, most of my body is displacing water, and if I were thinner, I'd just add more water to get the water line to the same place. The worst thing would be if I stood up to leave while the tub was full of water. No, that's no worse than if I were sitting down. No one adds water after they stand up, unless they shower next but then they open the drain. Random thoughts by that guy on SatNightLive just after it was funny.

Reply to
micky
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Whether it's simple or not would depend on what we don't know. If when you take the tub out, the trap and pipes are right there in front of you between joists, it could be just cutting a PVC pipe and putting in a new trap. Or it could be that a joist is in the way of where the new drain has to go. Or it could be that the trap heads off in the other direction under a wall, etc where you can't get to it. Or it could be that it;s a slab, there are no joists and it's buried in concrete.

If it's standard sound construction that small change shouldn't require reinforcing anything. If it's not, or you find that the plumbers cut the joists all up, then yes.

Reply to
trader4

First step it to find out the drain location on the new tub. You can probably get the specs on line. They are standard to fit the same location when you replace them Is there a way you can access the existing drain now? You may be able to see if there is a way to move the drain a bit. There is always a way if you have enough time and money.

A couple of months ago I took the tub out and replaced it with a shower pan and made a large shower 32 x 60. No one has taken a tub bath for years and this makes access much easier. Only a 2" step to go over.

The shower is ceramic tile, the walls half way up. Glass door 3/8" thick. We love it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

No, not without taking the tub out, or ripping out the dining room ceiling below. On the other side of the wall from the tub valves is a shower stall.

OTOH, it's one of 100 townhouses so the design they strove for was probably simple, and I don't expect anything very complicated.

I have time, and I have some money.

Yes, I've thought that when I'm really old the tub hurdle might be a problem, and I want to make it 2" higher.

I have a shower too if I can't use the tub. The bigger problem might be getting to the second floor! or the basement. The stairs are broken into 2 parts with a landing, U shaped, so I can't see one of those stair-chairs. I think it would be quicker to crawl.

When I was home from the hospital 5 years ago, after a big abdominal incision, I had a hard time sitting up. I got a friend to take a piece of wood, a 1x2 inche by 3 feet, drill a hole in one end and run some cotton clothes line through it. It worked fine at home and when I went into the hospital 4 months later to finish the surgery, I took it there too. I ttuffed it under the hospital mattress and I could pull on the clothes line to sit up. The hospital didn't complain about germs or anything.

When my mother was 87, she used a backless chair in the tub. With two legs outside the tub maybe. Sat down when she was outside, then lifted each leg to get inside, but still couldn't lower herself to the floor of the tub.

Maybe I can come up with a fabric seat and a block and tackle screwed into the ceiling. to get myself in and out of the bathtub.

Very nice.

Reply to
micky

Which means depending on how the piping is routed, you might not have access to enough pipe to effect the necessary work from above. If the pipe runs from tub, to trap, to shower, to sewer, then you'd only have a little bit of pipe, under the tub that accessible when the tub is removed. I'd say good chance you'd have to be prepared to get access from below.

Reply to
trader4

Presuming you don't run into any snags with the floor joists being in the way, then I don't see any problem in putting in an offset tub drain.

Offset drains are used all the time for sinks, in nursing homes or hospitals for example where the person using the sink is confined to a wheel chair and a regular P-trap under the sink would be in the way. In fact, a tub drain is NORMALLY offset because the flow down the drain and down the tub overflow spout collect at a tee before both flows go into the p-trap. So, all you're doing is making the existing offset an inch or two longer, and I can't see why that would be a problem.

PS: If you take baths instead of showers, it's a good idea to keep a 5 gallon pail handy. After bathing, pour a full 5 gallon pail of dirty bath water down your bathroom sink drain. Drains clog gradually, and putting maximum flow down the bathroom sink drain periodically keeps it clear. And, of course, it's a good idea to use that grey water in the tub to flush your toilet. If you flush the toilet normally before or after a bath, you refill the tank with cold water, and in a room filled with warm humid air, that results in the toilet tank sweating and puddles of water under the tank on the floor. These puddles are often presumed to be a problem with the toilet leaking.

Reply to
nestork

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