[SOLVED] Bath tap seemingly welded to iron bath (2023 Update)

[mfcexpert]

I have a cast iron bath which I wish to retain. It has two taps which I wish to replace. I've managed to remove the nut holding the hot water tap because it is on the side away from the wall. The other tap is almost completely inaccessible from underneath and I ( and a plumber I hired ) have failed to undo the nut attaching the tap to the bath.

Any ideas?

The tap seems to be keyed to the bath so that I can't unscrew it from the top and, although I don't have a blowlamp, I've applied a hot air gun to it. I've also tried penetrating oil.

Thanks in advance

Another Dave

[BigWallop]

Old taps are often stuck down and sealed with jointing compound, so may need to take a old wood chisel around the base of the tap to loosen it slightly. Keep the chisel flat on the bath roll (edge) when you do this so as not to dig in to the enamel of the bath.

[mfcexpert]

I'm sorry, I may have misled you. I can rotate the tap slightly ( maybe

15 degrees ) but come up against a stop. It's the nut that's seemingly welded to the bath. However I'll try your remedy on the nut - or as much of it as I can get to :-(

Thanks

Another Dave

[derek]

Old taps in my mums house had a square boss that engaged in a square hole in the sink, that and a bit of slack might account for 15 degrees or so of movement.They looked like modern taps from above.

DG

[OldScrawn]

Cut the tap off from the top with a 115 mm angle grinder, as close to the flange as possible. Then grind out the centre of the flange to separate the threaded part (underneath) from the flange. Then you should be able to prise the remains of the flange off without damaging the bath. Then you can get penetrating oil on the interface between the nut and the bottom of the bath. This will be "glued" to the bath with rust and / or sealant. If it is obviously rust you could also try phosphoric or hydrochloric acid, if you know how to handle them. Once it has soaked, use a hammer and drift from above on the threaded portion. Cast iron baths are normally surprisingly strong, if you have ever tried to break one up with a bolster or sledge in order to get it downstairs!

[mfcexpert]

By Jove! I think you're right. I'm not sure how it helps me though, except to rule out any possibility of uncsrewing the tap from above.

Thanks

Another Dave

[Andrew Mawson]

When I removed the taps from my cast iron bath they were of the square boss type described above, and due to access problems and gunged threads ended up cutting off the top of the tap with an angle grinder - amazingly without damaging the enamel ! Spent hours trying to removed them before I thought the unthinkable, then it took perhaps 5 minutes !

Andrew Mawson

[Alan Campbell]

Why don't you cut the pipe off and disconnect the waste to allow you to move the bath away from the wall thereby getting better access to the nut?.

[mfcexpert]

Andrew Mawson wrote: snip

Thinking the unthinkable indeed! This is similar to Oldscrawn's suggestion.

It may take me a few days to work up the courage to do this.

Meanwhile, thanks to all for their suggestions

Another Dave

[mfcexpert]

Success!!!!

I took the advice given to me ( and how often do you here that?), thought the unthinkable and applied an angle grinder to the tap. It went down fighting to the last but the power-lust given to me by the angle grinder meant there was no contest.

Many thanks to all

Another Dave

[OldScrawn]

If only more of my clients took my advice!

Glad it worked. The angle grinder is one of my favourite tools: can do a surprising amount of carpentry with a sanding disk in one.

Steve

[Nick]

I have an old cast iron bath which had square holes for the tap,

I managed to remove the backnuts (and lead spacers) however the taps were still solid in place.

I used an old wood chisel and this lifted both taps OK. Saved needing to use the angle grinder and was quick too.

[farter]

You're 19 years late, stupid.

Unlikely he is still waiting for your way of doing things.

[Brian Gaff]

Yes, but this makes me wonder, what bright spark decided to do away with locatable taps that could be aligned because the holes and taps had a square section? Fitting round taps on a sink or bath with square holes and keeping them form slipping is far more difficult now. Brian