I finally did it .....but it shouldn't have been so hard!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thursday my neighbor came over and helped me install my new American Standard Americast tub. The one I removed was cast iron. I'll wager it went over 500lbs and I cut it and hammered it into 4 separate pieces that my old body could carry out...one piece at a time, of course!

So Thursday we installed the new tub...not cast iron but a product by American Standard called Americast.

I'm a pretty good sized lad. I am over 6'1", wear a size 13 shoe, Tall Large or sometimes a Tall X-large shirt. I weigh 265 lbs. Well, I'd step in this tub and I'd get a creaking sound.

I work on CT scanners and MR scanner for a living. I'm used to splitting hairs. Millimeters and fractions of a millimeter are everyday tolerances I have to meet.

I struggled for 2 days with that tub.

Friday afternoon, I called American Standard. I got some woman who put me on hold, talked with someone with some expertise and then got back on the phone with me. "Did you put a bedding material under it?" "NO" said I. "The big orange 5"x3" sticker on the side of the tub says not to. If you do, the warrantee is voided." "The problem is with your stringer. Fix it" was her reply.

Well, Now its 29 hours later and the problem appears to be resolved. The answer? Among other things my oldest son (bless his heart) and I removed the tub numerous times.

I got some roofing nails...some washers........some string. I placed 3 washers over a roofing nail and nailed it near one end of the 60" stringer. I repeated the process at the other end. I then stretched a string between each nail insuring that the string made contact with the top washer. I measured between string and the top of the stringer at random distances along the stringer. I found one place that differed from the others by 1/32". In my mind, this isn't or shouldn't be enough to cause the creaking sound when my lard bottom is in that tub.

What I finally noticed was that the side of the tub that goes all the way to the floor was moving as I moved inside the tub.

In the end I placed a piece of aluminum stock on top of the stringer to keep the back edge of the tub from making contact with the studs in the wall. I nailed the walls of the tub as illustrated in the instructions but made sure the nail went in at an angle and yet the tub didn't make direct contact with the wall studs on any of the tubs 3 sides.

I have a lot of patience but it has surely been tested the last two days. If I could have found a cast iron tub in the colors that the LOML is decorating this bathroom with, I'd have returned this tub and bought a cast iron one.

GRRR!

I did it but it shouldn't have been so hard!

[David G Baker]

Ken, I don't envy you. Last time I installed a tub I had to remove the door frame to get the new tub in the bathroom. I got the old one out okay and wanted to save it but I lost control of the dolly that I moved it with when I went down a couple of steps and the cast iron broke into several pieces.
During my kitchen remodel I purchased a kitchen sink from HD. Did the cut out and put silicone on the new sink as instructed and set it in place. Found out that I couldn't get the sink to set flush with the counter top. The sink was warped. I removed the sink and returned it to HD and purchased a different model. The new model went in great, no problems. After a few weeks of use we found out that there was an area of the sink that is about the size of a silver dollar that would stain when coffee or other substances that were dark were poured in the sink. I kept the sink but will not purchase any more fixtures from HD because I think they are seconds.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

This tub did come from HD but it was a special order that was double the price of the white ones at HD and it took two weeks for it to arrive.

According to American Standard's home page, they only make one cast iron tub now and it comes white only. If we wanted to stay with white I wouldn't have replaced the tub.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ken - congrats on getting the job finished! Sure sounds like it was a pain at times! Take tomorrow off and do something fun for a change!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Uh Steve...tomorrow it's Wonderboard installation and maybe tile installation. Then Monday it's grout and Tuesday and Wednesday in Spokane.

The good news is the LOML flies into Spokane late Tuesday evening and then she'll be with me at the Veteran's Wheelchair Olympics on Wednesday. Home late Wednesday evening and then back to work on Thursday.

One of our granddaughter should arrive on Friday or Saturday and Little Riley is coming with her Mommy to visit Pawpaw!

[Gene Howe]

I'm glad it was an easy fix.:D:D
I thought for sure you had a cracked tub.

Gene

[Scott Shepherd]

If I could have found a cast iron tub in the colors that the LOML is decorating this bathroom with, I'd have returned this tub and bought a cast iron one.



You do know they can make them any color in your existing house, right? No need to remove, they can recolor in place and it'll look and act just like a brand new tub.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Scott,

I have a neighbor who is a professional painter and he just refinished his own tub. I discovered this after I'd layed out the new cash for this new tub.

[Ted Calver]

Ken,
You sure it was the tub making that noise?? :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ted,

I could see and measure the movement of the tub when I stepped into to it. Of course, if someone who weighed 265 lbs. stepped on me I'd probably groan too!:eek::D

[Steve Clardy]

Lots a trouble just for a new color Ken. Heck, lots of trouble just to take a bath.

A garden hose in the front yard is a fairly cheap, easy way to bathe. :rolleyes::D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lots a trouble just for a new color Ken. Heck, lots of trouble just to take a bath.

A garden hose in the front yard is a fairly cheap, easy way to bathe. :rolleyes::D

It hurts my feelings, Steve to watch the neighbors pointing and laughing at me!:rolleyes:

[Brian Brown]

Ken,

Congrats on finally finishing the install. What a pain in the "Bleep". You said
If I could have found a cast iron tub in the colors that the LOML is decorating this bathroom with, I'd have returned this tub and bought a cast iron one.


The last bathroom I did, I put in a cast iron tub, and let me tell you, they are no fun either. I'm lucky to still have my right hand after that one. It took 4 of us in a small bathroom, and I was the smallest (I'm the same size as you). What a circus. I wish I had video. $10,000 Here I come!

[Jim Mattheiss]

Ken:

We had the same issue in house #1 - the squeek. Unfortunately we didn't catch it till after the sheetrock was up. We just lived with it at that point.

Be careful with tools around the new tub - it can chip. DAMHIKT.

When remodeling house #2 we went with a cast iron Kohler tub. The CONTRACTOR had to round up 3 able willing bodies to muscle that beast into place. The only drawback to CI is that it's COLD in the winter - I could look up the Specfic Heat of CI but it's a big heat sink when filling it in the winter.

Cheers

Jim

[Bill Clark De]

Thursday my neighbor came over and helped me install my new American Standard Americast tub. The one I removed was cast iron. I'll wager it went over 500lbs and I cut it and hammered it into 4 separate pieces that my old body could carry out...one piece at a time, of course!

So Thursday we installed the new tub...not cast iron but a product by American Standard called Americast.

I'm a pretty good sized lad. I am over 6'1", wear a size 13 shoe, Tall Large or sometimes a Tall X-large shirt. I weigh 265 lbs. Well, I'd step in this tub and I'd get a creaking sound.

I work on CT scanners and MR scanner for a living. I'm used to splitting hairs. Millimeters and fractions of a millimeter are everyday tolerances I have to meet.

I struggled for 2 days with that tub.

Friday afternoon, I called American Standard. I got some woman who put me on hold, talked with someone with some expertise and then got back on the phone with me. "Did you put a bedding material under it?" "NO" said I. "The big orange 5"x3" sticker on the side of the tub says not to. If you do, the warrantee is voided." "The problem is with your stringer. Fix it" was her reply.

Well, Now its 29 hours later and the problem appears to be resolved. The answer? Among other things my oldest son (bless his heart) and I removed the tub numerous times.

I got some roofing nails...some washers........some string. I placed 3 washers over a roofing nail and nailed it near one end of the 60" stringer. I repeated the process at the other end. I then stretched a string between each nail insuring that the string made contact with the top washer. I measured between string and the top of the stringer at random distances along the stringer. I found one place that differed from the others by 1/32". In my mind, this isn't or shouldn't be enough to cause the creaking sound when my lard bottom is in that tub.

What I finally noticed was that the side of the tub that goes all the way to the floor was moving as I moved inside the tub.

In the end I placed a piece of aluminum stock on top of the stringer to keep the back edge of the tub from making contact with the studs in the wall. I nailed the walls of the tub as illustrated in the instructions but made sure the nail went in at an angle and yet the tub didn't make direct contact with the wall studs on any of the tubs 3 sides.

I have a lot of patience but it has surely been tested the last two days. If I could have found a cast iron tub in the colors that the LOML is decorating this bathroom with, I'd have returned this tub and bought a cast iron one.

GRRR!

I did it but it shouldn't have been so hard!
Want better perspective..Think back to your navy exxperinces---remember when those darn water de-salters ( not the right term) would break down and no showers for the crew and the marines--- wait maybe it's better to forget that and the ship mess with the fresh baked bread with the half dead roaches inside...yea o n second thought stick with the bath tub thingee