Bath TUB kaput.. help!

[ProDave]

5 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

I can't unscrew it, the design means access isn't feasable. All I could logically do, is just about with all my strength to access & contort my hand, tighten it up, which I did  1/8 turn expecting this slighty loose aspect to fix it. Exactly the same. But now it's even less possible to unscrew even if I had some ptfe tape.

 

I need a new one simply without this stupid ass extra lower section.

Take the trap off the bath then you will have all the access to unscrew the little cap and examine what is going on.

 

Or just have another try at the shop and make sure you examine the next trap before leaving the shop.

[zoothorn]

24 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Take the trap off the bath then you will have all the access to unscrew the little cap and examine what is going on.

 

Or just have another try at the shop and make sure you examine the next trap before leaving the shop.

Yup, but thing is Ive silicone'd immediately under the bath fiberglass hole to the rubber washer, as advised. 
 

I could leave this rubber washer on tho.. & hope to get a mm perfect alignment next time, when I remove & fix/ or replace the trap. I think my only feasable idea. Tricky tho.

 

Thanks, Zoot

[ProDave]

You only need to unscrew the white trap from the bath waste and the outgoing pipe, neither of thouse couplings need or should be siliconed.  the black bath waste does not need to come off the bath.

 

Then you can examine the small screw cap that is leaking, unscrew it, and work out why.

 

But I don't understand why you can't unscrew it in situ?  if your fingers can't reach it, a pair of gland pliers most certainly would.

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

You only need to unscrew the white trap from the bath waste and the outgoing pipe, neither of thouse couplings need or should be siliconed.  the black bath waste does not need to come off the bath.

 

Then you can examine the small screw cap that is leaking, unscrew it, and work out why.

 

But I don't understand why you can't unscrew it in situ?  if your fingers can't reach it, a pair of gland pliers most certainly would.

Hi ProDave. Yup best idea was try attack it in situ.. so I heated the thing, then let it go cold/ doesn't take long in there, & this helped to shift the cap off.

 

Dug out black washer, seemed too big so trimmed edges/ reversed it: then cap went back on easier & further inward too: seems as Onoff suggested the washer was the issue.

 

Leak stopped. Fab, thanks job done. 

[Onoff]

Some of the black washers are formed conical. 

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Some of the black washers are formed conical. 

The screwfix chap was undoing this ( said he was a plumber & could he show me.. yes sure) & possibly reversed the washer.

 

Anyway, as usual I go with instinct: do what Onoff says & go from there. Spot on.

 

Actually I need tidy up a few more minor things in here whilst bath side is off.. need to keep thread open. 
 

Grateful chaps, Zoot

 

 

[zoothorn]

Chaps- I've had this annoying gap at end of bath to wall, now a good time to address it, before I put the side back on.
 

Gap is 7mm.... 35mm this end: the extention walls aren't square, no idea why (I think cottage 'shell' wasn't originally, that this 70's extention was built onto).

 

Could you advise- I do slosh a bit of bathwater down here.

 

Thanks Zoot

 

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, zoothorn said:

Chaps- I've had this annoying gap at end of bath to wall, now a good time to address it, before I put the side back on.
 

Gap is 7mm.... 35mm this end: the extention walls aren't square, no idea why (I think cottage 'shell' wasn't originally, that this 70's extention was built onto).

 

Could you advise- I do slosh a bit of bathwater down here.

 

Thanks Zoot

 

I’d fill it with clear ct1 . Once that’s gone off silicone some plastic bead on it .

[Onoff]

You could fill with foam backer rod -  cut to fit. Tbh you can use cut down pipe insulation.

 

 

Then I'd over seal with white BT1 not CT1. White CT1 will go yellow over time. 

 

Cut down insulation used as backer rod.

 

 

Alternatively do you have any uPVC window board etc left over? Cut and stick on again with BT1.

 

https://www.toolstation.com/bt1-ultimate-bathroom-adhesive-sealant/p74523?

[Pocster]

22 minutes ago, Onoff said:

You could fill with foam backer rod -  cut to fit. Tbh you can use cut down pipe insulation.

 

 

Then I'd over seal with white BT1 not CT1. White CT1 will go yellow over time. 

 

Cut down insulation used as backer rod.

 

 

Alternatively do you have any uPVC window board etc left over? Cut and stick on again with BT1.

 

https://www.toolstation.com/bt1-ultimate-bathroom-adhesive-sealant/p74523?

I meant clear ct1 just to make a water tight seal . Plastic beading over the top of that edge to hide it all .

[Onoff]

1 minute ago, pocster said:

I meant clear ct1 just to make a water tight seal . Plastic beading over the top of that edge to hide it all .

 

30mm is a massive width to fill. You really need backer rod or something. 

[Pocster]

Just now, Onoff said:

 

30mm is a massive width to fill. You really need backer rod or something. 

Yeah - it needs packing out . Which idiot can’t build a straight wall anyway 🙄

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, pocster said:

Yeah - it needs packing out . Which idiot can’t build a straight wall anyway 🙄

It's very odd, all this extention's walls are slightly on the c*ck.. none at right-angles.

 

I can only think the 1830 stone 'rectangle' shell wasn't quite right-angular on this one wall, so they had to compensate for it 'back' as it were when building onto this end. T'other end, where my new extention is.. this seems all ok.

[Onoff]

2 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

It's very odd, all this extention's walls are slightly on the c*ck.. none at right-angles.

 

I can only think the 1830 stone 'rectangle' shell wasn't quite right-angular on this one wall, so they had to compensate for it 'back' as it were when building onto this end. T'other end, where my new extention is.. this seems all ok.

 

Think my bathroom was 70mm out on two opposing walls.

[zoothorn]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

 

Think my bathroom was 70mm out on two opposing walls.

Crikey, no wonder you had a few extra pages then!

 

Forgive me, but I'm not quite on board with the suggested idea. The grey foam stuff I can visualise, & presume chosen cos it'll squish one end & fill out almost all the way along. 
 

The BT1 stuff understood, as likely the best quality stuff.

 

But I imagined it might be just be a case of some sort of plastic beading, to bridge the gap, glued to bath & wall, the lower section cut along say 20mm one end, 40mm this end. 
 

Im not quite understanding the grey foam. Or is this the first stage, then some sort of white placcy trim then goes -over- it?

 

Thanks, Zoot 

[Onoff]

You can grey foam first - you would still have too cut it to an oversized taper, then BT1 the whole width, from 0 to 30mm. Someone good with silicone could do it. I wouldn't try without a Fugi Cramer silicone tooling kit. The foam is primarily there to stop the silicone falling through.

 

Or put the grey foam in as above then bed the plastic trim on top. The foam stops the plastic trim sagging whilst it sets. 

 

 

[Onoff]

Just read 35mm one end not 30mm!

 

I have some foam backing rod here, could send you some.

[zoothorn]

On 19/12/2022 at 17:45, Onoff said:

Just read 35mm one end not 30mm!

 

I have some foam backing rod here, could send you some.

Hi Onoff that's very good of you. I might pick this up after the break, might well be the best idea this.. or I'll end up with a ton of waste grey foam/ innevitably it'll come in 5 or 10 packs, or 1/2 mile long.

 

Still not quite understanding using the adhesive -over- just the grey foam. You say ' cover it with bt1' as one idea. I'm trying to get my head round this.. my head's aching.

 

Surely if I smeared 1/3rd of a tube, of white adhesive, over the grey foam, I'd be left with an untidy finish/ no way of smoothing it over however carefully I tried. It just doesn't click.  And it'll be soft, unfirm, so easily damaged.
 

SO. I must be thinking wrongly/ you must be suggesting something entirely different (as so often: a box of forum text is almost impossible to glean meaning from: it's just forums).

 

Thanks, Zoot

 

 

[Onoff]

I see massive, silcone beads on site. Like 50mm wide.

 

Have you got any upvc window trim left over? If so go B) below. The packer rod will help support it whilst it sets.

 

Cut the plastic trim to suit, nice rounded edge towards the bath

1/2 fill the bath with water or more if you're a FC.

Fit the packer rod - it'll help support the plastic whilst the silicone sets and stop it from sagging

Clean the bath edge  and trim with Multisolve

Run a line of silicone along the bath edge

Run a line of silicone along the back of the plastic trim

Push the plastic trim down onto  the bath and against the wall

Wipe off the excess with a baby wipe. Tbh a Fugi Cramer kit here would help remove most of the excess and cleanly too

There is zero need for "soapy water" or a British Standard wet finger.

When set run a decent bead against the wall

 

You could use BT1 for both the sticking down and finishing bead.

 

 

 

 

[zoothorn]

Hi Onoff, great that helps make it clearer.

 

But this "packer rod" I'm still struggling with. I understand its there to support the trim above now, & solely there for this.

 

But isn't it circular in profile? On your sketch it's a rectangle. This could be possibly: bc the top is to be cut flat, or, bc the the idea is this stuff is to be squeezed into this shape (but if so the top is still circular).

 

Ok. Are we talking the grey foam stuff, circular shaped in diameter, that has a slit one side, used for cladding copper pipe-? If yes, I'll go from here, try to figure out the shape discrepancy.

 

Thanks for sketch! zoot

[Onoff]

You can just cut ordinary grey pipe insulation to shape with a box cutter, like I did. Cut it square, triangular, whatever. "Packer rod" is used to give some insulation to a gap as well as stopping you pumping copious amounts of silicone (or foam) into the void behind the gap aka under the bath in your case.

 

In my case I used it to make cavity closers that conformed to the shape of the cavity around the window.

 

Cut in half / pushed in:

 

 

 

Foamed over with Illbrück FM330:

 

 

Cut flush:

 

 

[zoothorn]

Hi chaps, hope y'all had a good Christmas break.

 

@Onoff thanks for these photos added 22/12. I've yet to do this gap, because floor kinda ruined by the bathwater flood.. so needing weeks to dry out (hardboard mainly, which was put down under the lino/ a lino job done by pro 2 yrs ago).

 

Lino was coming up in areas you see, due to the water ingress underneath. So I've lifted / rolled back, & aim to restick it back down onto hardboard once this is dry. Lino underside in a state needs prepping too. Urgh.

 

Will jump back on & do the tub gap once lino down.

 

Thanks, Zoot.

[zoothorn]

Hi chaps,

 

finally got this job done: the whole floor's hardboard needed drying out (2 months & resticking down, the lino underside scrubbed of mould & restuck down. And my end of bath gap done (thanks @Onoff did as per your idea/ best I could). Lino Edges all siliconed. New shower door glass trim on, & all areas siliconed.

 

New lease of life! All cos of a daft plunger frozen pipe fiasco.

 

Thanks for the help on this. Too cold yet for a shower but water-tested the pesky low hinge area.. & seems better.