Bathtub modification help needed

May 29, 2008 11:33 AM

Bathtub modification in cheap apartment

Can't have a deep soak in the tub now because the landlord says the overflow drain in the side wall leaks into the downstairs apartment. So, I want to do a modification that can be removed when I go. I've had success in the past removing those nonslip flowers from an old tub with a razor tool for scraping paint off glass, so I'm thinking that if I epoxy a patch of something, not sure what, some plastic sheet of some kind, over the large 9-cm square metal drain cover, then I'll be able to get that off with said scraper later.

Does that seem reasonable? And what would be a good sheet material for covering. Or is there a better way? Some sort of box to epoxy over it? I already took the disgusting metal cover off and it doesn't look easy to cover the hole from within and I don't think epoxy will stick to that filth at all. I'm getting sick just thinking of that mess. Help! A relaxing *deep* bath is one of the few pleasures in this temporary one-year living situation.

posted by Listener to home & garden (13 comments total)

If I understand the problem correctly, it's something we ran into as well in a place we rented ... and this "deep water bath" solved the problem quite well. I was skeptical, but it worked fine. It gains you a couple of inches of depth.
posted by gyusan at 11:40 AM on May 29, 2008

I've put duck tape over the overflow drain in the past and it works perfectly, for short or longer term. Cheap, but not that nice though.
posted by ddaavviidd at 11:46 AM on May 29, 2008

The product gyusan linked to works really well (I had either that exact one, or a different brand that did the same thing). I've also had reasonably good luck with a few layers of duct tape, but I'm not sure I'd trust duct tape if the consequence is a flood downstairs. And be careful, because if you hit it hard enough with your foot during a bath it can come loose, and then you have a flood.

Epoxy might be hard to remove from the bathtub. I think you'd have an easier time removing silicone caulking (the same stuff that goes around the edges of the bathtub) -- if the overflow hole was a simple hole (not a metal thing that bulges out and needs a more elaborate cover) you could get a small piece of the material that you use to line shower stalls and caulk that over the hole. You will need to get that area super clean first -- elbow grease plus standard household cleaner should work, but if the area isn't clean the caulk won't stick and you'll have a big leak.

Whatever you do, talk to the downstairs neighbor to ask them to call you first if there is a leak, rather than calling the landlord who may not be pleased to discover your "fix" in the bathtub.
posted by Forktine at 11:52 AM on May 29, 2008

May be more trouble than it's worth for a one-year stay, but the landlord should really fix this instead of telling you not to take baths. Your local building inspector might be interested to know about it, in fact.

That said, I've been using the gyusan device for about 10 years now. They get moldy eventually and need to be replaced, but depending on the shape and configuration around the existing (leaky) overflow drain it works very well. Keep in mind that it does have a hole in it and thus is designed to raise the drain hole, not block it. Unless the hole is above the edge of the bathtub you are still going to be putting water into the drain unless you watch the level and then remain absolutely still.
posted by rhizome at 12:22 PM on May 29, 2008

I love my bathtub cheater product that was linked above.

Other than that, I'm no help. Caulk til you can't caulk no more?
posted by 100watts at 12:27 PM on May 29, 2008

Combine the device linked by gyusan with silicone caulk. Basically, caulk it to the tub, wrap tape across the top of it (to seal that hole) and then smear caulk on the tape.

The result should be pretty waterproof, relatively easy to remove when the time comes, and not horrifically ugly as long as you do it right.

I'm a bit hesitant to recommend using silicone on the drain hole itself, as then there's the risk of caulk getting down into the drain and wreaking unexpected havoc later on.
posted by aramaic at 12:33 PM on May 29, 2008

I would try the deep water bath thing linked above and silicone all around the edges to make it permanent. In any case I just to sympathize. I cannot live with out access to a deep hot bathtub. Good luck.
posted by sulaine at 1:28 PM on May 29, 2008

Add one more vote for the caulking method. I did this at my old apartment. Just loosen the overflow cover, run a few nice THICK beads of caulk around where it sits on the tub and re-secure it. Don't forget to caulk-in the screws as well, otherwise they'll let water through. Took less than 5 minutes to remove when I left.


I agree with rhizome -- the landlord really should fix the actual problem.
posted by OTA at 1:35 PM on May 29, 2008

I agree he should fix it too, but I don't think that's going to happen in this cheap old building. See my previous question re no heat this month! The Home Depot shop told me that they can't sell those covers because a tub has to have an overflow, by the building code. I am going to try silicone caulk to plug up the cover,, inside and out. Wondering the size of the cheater gadget, though. I don't see it on the page and my metal cover seems larger than most. Dimensions, anyone?
posted by Listener at 1:59 PM on May 29, 2008

Dimensions, anyone?

Although I'm not sure about the one gyusan linked, most of these are about 4" across (which is to say, I went & found several varieties online, and they all said the inner diameter was 4")
posted by aramaic at 2:42 PM on May 29, 2008

Your tub over flow cover hides a 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 pipe. What I'd do is remove the cover, get a universal drain stopper that fits the openning, silicone it on, replace the cover. The cover will completely hide the plug (some surgery with a box cutter may be required) so you wouldn't even have to mess with it when you move out. The plug will be a lot cheaper than a huge mass of silicone and silicone isn't designed to be put on more than a 1/2" thick or so.

Be aware though that what ever route you take if the leak is in the overflow tube (rather than it's connection to the tub) you might still get water downstairs when you drain your tub.
posted by Mitheral at 6:37 PM on May 29, 2008

No heat?!? I think I'd be forced to spend a lot of time taking very deep baths with water going into the overflow drain until he got it fixed.

When caulking, remember that the bottom part of the overflow (usually) has the opening where the water goes. Use extra-thick beads of caulk here. For the most part, you can't use too much caulk on this, that is unless you've got caulk dripping down into the actual drain.

Hang in there, I used to rent and can totally relate to an unresponsive slumlord.
posted by OTA at 4:25 AM on May 31, 2008

I ordered one of those gadgets online because I don't want him to ever be in the place and see that I've caulked around the exterior of the metal thing, which I would also have to do as well as the interior. I'm sure he would freak out that I'm using 3x as much water as he recommends is below "the danger line." He already shoved his way into the bathroom once without asking when he was supposed to be here to fix the stove. Besides, then I won't have to clean more of the troll hair and scum out of the overflow.
posted by Listener at 7:46 PM on May 31, 2008