How to split a cast iron bath at home. How to break a cast-iron bath: expert advice. About the weak point of the bath
Usually, cast iron bath is the most durable piece of every apartment. But sometimes in the process of repair it is required to replace it. Some try to endure it entirely, although this is a very difficult task, due to its enormous weight. Very often in our apartments there are such narrow passages that it is simply impossible to take out a bath because of its bulkiness. And after a little thought, you decide to break the tub and take it out piece by piece. Here the question arises: how to break cast iron bath? This article will give you the answer.
Start dismantling the cast-iron bathtub by removing the fasteners.
List of materials and tools:
- Bulgarian;
- sledgehammer;
- bags for construction debris;
- an old blanket or other soft cloth (put under the bathroom);
- burlap or other durable fabric (cover the bath to reduce the impact force of flying fragments);
- tight clothing, closed shoes, headgear, construction gloves, protective mask (to protect the body from flying fragments);
- soundproof headphones (optional).
Technological process
The scheme of the structure of the bathroom on legs and brick
First you need to unplug old bath from the fastening elements with which the bath was attached, and dismantle the drain. If it is not possible to disconnect the drain, it is cut off with a grinder. You should also remove all objects that may interfere with the dismantling of the bath (both under and above the bath), and remove the mixer. To dismantle the bath, the edge of which is embedded in the wall, you need to dismantle the legs of the bath (starting from the far ones) and, after that, pressing on it from above, “drop” it on the floor. Before dismantling the old cast-iron bath in this way, it is required to put some kind of soft material under it in a thick layer to soften the impact of the bath on the floor.
Breaking a cast iron bath will not be easy. This job requires a strong man and a sledgehammer. Before proceeding with the demolition, it is necessary to clear the space around the bath, lay a soft cloth on the floor (to protect the floor), put the bath itself on its side so that it has free access from both sides. Scrapping a cast-iron bathtub is a rather dangerous job: there is a big risk of injury from flying fragments of the bathtub. To protect yourself from these fragments, you should wear thick clothing, shoes, a hat, construction gloves and a protective mask. To protect your ears from loud enough noise, you can wear soundproof headphones.
To minimize the risk of injury from bath shards, remove household members from the premises
How to break a cast-iron bathtub without applying extra effort? The weakest point of the bath is near the drain hole. To break through it, a series of blows should be applied from the inside to the bottom near the drain hole.
In most cases, bathroom renovations involve replacing an old bathtub with a new one, or even a new one, and in both cases, you will have to go through an operation such as dismantling. In principle, it is not difficult to perform, but if you have to deal with, then you don’t have to look for it here - you’ll have to sweat a lot. In this article from the site, we will talk about how to properly and with the least labor costs to dismantle a cast-iron bath. Moreover, at your choice, we will offer as many as two ways to solve this problem.
Dismantling a cast-iron bath photo
Dismantling a cast-iron bath: a way to keep the bath intact
In fact, such a dismantling of the bath will require you to tear it from its place, set it in a certain position and simply pull it out of the apartment, while spending a huge amount of effort. You can’t cope here alone - at least two pairs of strong male hands will be needed. The only way to make the job easier is to avoid intermediate inconclusive actions that usually occur when people do not know what they are doing. The principle "maybe it will pass" only leads to unnecessary labor and loss of strength - you can avoid this if you follow a certain sequence. The question of how to dismantle a cast-iron bath is solved as follows.
- First you need to make sure that the legs are securely fastened to the bath itself - if one of them falls off during the work, then, to put it mildly, troubles can happen in the form of broken toes or hands, and possibly even more serious injuries. In most cases, the legs are attached with wedges - they must be all in place and tightly packed (adjust them if necessary).
- As a rule, almost all cast-iron bathtubs were connected to the sewer, as cast-iron as the bathtub itself - from many years of operation, these cast-iron siphons are so rusty to the bathtub that it is not possible to unscrew them in a normal way. Therefore, we simply take a grinder, put on goggles, lie down on the floor next to the bathroom and cut off the siphon with a grinder.
Dismantling the bath using a grinder photo
- In most cases, the old cast-iron bathtub is lined around the perimeter, which also creates some problems when dismantling it - it makes it immovable. This tile, mortar (or what you have smeared around the edges with) should be removed around the entire perimeter - only after that the bath will gain mobility, and it will be possible to continue dismantling the old bath. Further, as they say, a matter of technology.
- Now the bath should be moved away from the wall. All methods are good here, but the most effective is a crowbar or a mount. If you work together, then you can try to simply pull it away from the wall so much that a person can freely pass there - 400-500mm will be enough.
- Now we put the bath standing up, for this one will have to climb behind the bath. We take the bath by one of the sides and simply raise it to a standing position - in the process of work it will be possible to intercept the legs. They will play their part and serve as excellent handrails to help you transport the bathtub through the doorway, which is the next step in deciding how to take out the cast-iron bathtub?
- The technique of transporting the bathtub is very important here - without observing it, it will not work to take out the bathtub. It must be brought into the opening while standing, in an expanded position at 45˚ - as soon as the legs pass behind the doorway, simultaneously with the removal of the bath, it will need to be slowly turned around the door frame. In this way, you will ensure free passage for the other two legs.
- Everything, the main work is done - Entrance door into the apartment has a width of 900mm and does not present any obstacles for taking out the bathtub. The bath can be taken out into the street, loaded into a car and transported to the country, where you will find for it at least a dozen ways to use it, allowing it to extend its life in a different form. For example, an artificial reservoir can be made from it.
How to clean a bath photo
As you can see, the question of how to dismantle a bathtub made of cast iron is easily solved, but even if you know how to perform these works, you still have to sweat a lot.
How to break an old cast iron bath: dismantling with a sledgehammer
This is the easiest way to resolve the issue of how to clean the bath - and with this approach to business, you will have to strain much less. In fact, you just have to break the old cast-iron bath with a sledgehammer - as they say, break - do not build or even dismantle. But, despite this, such a dismantling of the bath should also be done, as they say, with feeling and arrangement, so that God forbid you do not injure yourself. If we represent point by point this method of removing the old cast-iron bath, then the order of work will be as follows.
- As in the first case, to start such a dismantling, the old bath must be cut off from the grinder and freed from cement mortar around the perimeter. Also, the bath will need to be slightly moved away from the wall - 10-15 centimeters will be enough.
- Two cuts with a grinder and a couple of blows with a sledgehammer will allow you to divide the bath into two equal halves. For this to happen, you need to know where and how to make cuts. There is nothing secret here - cuts are made on the curved edges of the bathtub clearly in the middle on its two sides. The wings of the bathtub must be cut through completely - they give the bathtub additional strength. After that, we simply hit the bottom of the bathtub with a sledgehammer, and it kind of folds down.
How to break a cast iron bath photo
In principle, in almost all cases, this is enough to freely take out the old cast-iron bathtub on the street with the efforts of two strong men. But if you decide on your own how to break a cast-iron bath, then to facilitate the task, it is generally better to chop it into pieces, put it in bags and take it to a landfill or scrap metal collection point. For further work, the grinder is no longer needed - the sledgehammer does an excellent job of crushing brittle cast iron into small pieces.
How to dismantle an old cast-iron bath with a grinder, see the video.
How to dismantle an old bath: work safety is paramount
So, we figured out the question of how to cut a cast-iron bath, now it only remains to highlight the topic of work safety. Without this, nowhere - the unorganized work of two people and even simply the wrong use of a grinder or a sledgehammer can lead to serious injuries. So what should you beware of when dismantling a cast-iron bath?
- Inconsistent work of two people. Each step or movement must be strictly verified and coordinated. Imagine what happens if someone relaxes at the wrong time and the bath crushes the other person? Quite often, in the process of dismantling cast-iron bathtubs, hands are injured. They are either pressed against the wall or dragged between the bathroom and door frame- the last place is the most traumatic, so here you need to be extremely careful.
- Grinders and sledgehammers, which, as a rule, emit a lot of small particles in the process of work that can damage the eyes and skin of a person. This is especially true when working with a bathroom - its enamel is chipped off in large pieces that can cause serious injury. When doing such work, you need to take care not only to protect your eyes, but also your whole body, for example, wear tight pants and a shirt with long sleeve. Let it be a little hot, but your body will not suffer!
How to dismantle a cast-iron bath with your own hands photo
This is how things stand with the answer to the question of how the cast-iron bath is dismantled. It should be understood that despite the seeming ease of the whole procedure, in fact, this work is complex and difficult. In many ways, it depends on the size of the cast-iron bath - if we talk about a small bath 1.5 m long, then it is easy to handle. But with large products of this type (for example, with a bathtub 1.7 m long), things are much more complicated, and their weight, which goes off scale for 100 kg, is to blame.
During the repair of a bathroom in an apartment or when replacing an old one that has become unusable plumbing equipment it is often required to dismantle and dismantle the bathtub on your own - a video of this noisy and dusty stage repair work, as well as detailed instructions in all steps will help to prepare in advance for possible difficulties and avoid problems. Consider two options - the preservation of the bowl and its complete elimination.
The hardest of all options- dismantling of plumbing made of cast iron. The task is complicated if the plans include taking out the entire bath, so that later it can be used, for example, in the country. The forces of one person are clearly not enough here - a cast-iron product can weigh under 100 kg, so at least two people will have to work.
There is no trace of the bath
Dismantling the problematic old strapping
After removing all objects that interfere with work from the room, the bath must be disconnected from the entire piping, including the drain. Cast iron plumbing has been in many homes since ancient times, when drain communications were made of cast iron pipes. It is usually not possible to simply disassemble them after many years, therefore, it will be necessary to dismantle the cast-iron bathroom with export in other ways.
First you need to disconnect the overflow. If it is made of plastic parts, there are usually no problems. But on old plumbing, you often have to deal with metal components that are not easy to dismantle. Sometimes you can unscrew this element with the help of pliers, simply by hooking the grate with them and turning it counterclockwise. If the overflow grate is strongly boiled, then you will have to use a grinder:
- Make a deep cut on the overflow with a grinder.
- Using the cuts, knock down the overflow grate piece by piece with a chisel.
Incision of the grate and dismantling of the overflow
With plastic elements, problems usually arise much less. It is only necessary to unscrew the fastener on the grate (bolt or nut), after which the overflow can be freely and without effort detached from the bath. The situation is similar with the drain - the siphon is easily disconnected after unscrewing the nut on the metal protective grill.
How to disconnect a cast iron siphon from a bath
To dismantle the bath, you need to disconnect the drain from it. If the drain is made of cast iron, then difficulties may arise at this stage. There are several ways to disconnect a cast iron siphon from plumbing. The first one is similar to that described above - an incision is also made on the top of the drain by a grinder, but already crosswise. The main thing here is to saw through only the drain grate without damaging the bath itself.
Cuts in the drain guard
If the grinder accidentally saws through the cast iron of the bath, then in the future it is no longer possible to put a new harness on it. Of course, if the surface layer of enamel is only slightly touched, nothing terrible will happen, but if a deep cut is made by negligence, plumbing with a new strapping will definitely leak. Next, you need to act in the same way as in the case of overflow:
- On one of the resulting cuts, place a chisel at an angle of about 45 degrees so that hitting the tool rotates the drain grate counterclockwise.
- In this way, try to unscrew the drain. If this is not possible, deepen the cuts if possible and simply knock off the ribs of the grate. To do this, the chisel must be placed so that the blows are no longer directed counterclockwise, but inward - towards the center of the drain.
With a chisel, you can also knock out the cross at the bottom of the grate. This will make it easier to get rid of the remaining parts after cutting. Upon completion of the dismantling of this element, the siphon will hang freely in the opposite section, being connected to sewer communications. To remove it, you only need to break the coupling in this place.
An effective way to dismantle the old strapping
Dismantling the harness before removal
Another way to remove the siphon to dismantle the bath involves using a perforator. The desired element is attached under the bathtub with a large cast-iron nut, which is simply not possible to unscrew in the usual way after many years of operation. But if you use a perforator, then the task is simplified:
- The tool must be switched to shock mode and a flat chisel nozzle must be fixed in the cartridge.
- Loosen the large nut connecting the siphon with the drain, acting on the edges of the nut with a perforator in shock mode, so that it gradually unscrews, that is, counterclockwise. After that, it will be possible to dismantle the siphon by hand.
There is nothing complicated in this method, in addition, there is no need to use a grinder, which can easily damage the enamel or even accidentally make a deep cut, rendering the bowl unusable.
After disconnecting the siphon from the bath, cut or break unnecessary area drain pipe one of the methods described above.
Video: Dismantling in the bathroom without damaging the plumbing
Dismantling of the old cast-iron pipes remaining on the sewer bed
After breaking the drain, it will be possible to remove the cast-iron piping under the bathtub. So that the dismantling of the bath is not difficult, the siphon from sewer system it is recommended to saw off the same grinder. True, you will have to work in a respirator, since when working with a grinder, cast iron produces very harmful fine dust, which cannot be breathed without protective equipment.
Dismantling the old cast iron bed
As alternative the pipe can simply be knocked down, since all elements are easily pricked. To do this, you can use an ordinary hammer, which you need to hit on the protruding parts - the tee, connecting elements and other parts. After that, the pipes usually loosen and are not difficult to remove without any plumbing tools.
Fast and safe removal of plumbing
After removal old strapping using the methods described above, you can begin to work on dismantling the cast-iron bath. To take it out, you need, if possible, to get rid of all interfering objects - the toilet bowl, if the bathroom is combined, washing machines, all kinds of shelves, bedside tables. The sequence of work is as follows:
- Remove the plaster from the end and side walls adjacent to the bath.
- Turn the plumbing on its side. It is easy to separate it from the wall, just lift and lower it several times.
- Disconnect the legs. In older models, for this, simply knock out the wedges from the mounts with a hammer.
After freeing from the legs and communications, the bath is simply taken out of the room. If possible, remove the door from the hinges - so it will not interfere with dismantling, and it will be impossible to accidentally scratch it. Also do not forget to plug the sewer socket with some rag material. Otherwise, the room will quickly fill with unpleasant odors.
Scrapping of a cast-iron bath for removal in parts
If you want to dismantle the old bath and install a new one, then the simplest and most fast way get rid of outdated plumbing - just break it with a sledgehammer. Cast iron is a metal, although durable, but it is not able to endure a series of strong blows with a heavy hammer and will definitely crack. After that, even small pieces will not be difficult to take out of the apartment even for one person.
The only significant drawback of this method is the strongest noise emitted during the scrapping process. To knock had less, you can use a grinder. The procedure will be as follows:
- As in the previous case, disconnect the plumbing from the communications, cut off or otherwise dismantle the drain pipe.
- On the perimeter, free the bath from the cement mortar. If there is a decorative screen, then it breaks with a chisel and a hammer.
- Move the bowl slightly away from the edge of the wall. With a grinder, make cuts on the folded edges in the middle on both sides. It is these edges that give the bowl the necessary rigidity, so you need to saw through them completely.
Then it remains to hit the bottom with a sledgehammer a couple of times, after which the bath will “fold” exactly in the middle. The only thing that should not be forgotten throughout the work on the demolition of sanitary equipment is eye protection. Use special masks or goggles, otherwise broken pieces of enamel or chips can lead to injury.
Video: How to break a cast iron bath
The work of disassembling communications, demolishing and removing the old bath is not extremely difficult, although its laboriousness for one person is very significant. The biggest difficulty is the dismantling of the cast-iron drain, the stuck nut of which is almost impossible to unscrew without the help of, for example, a perforator. Breaking will also require significant physical effort, so it is better to do the work with an assistant or immediately seek help from a specialist.
Video: The complete elimination of the plumbing system by the grinder
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How to break and take out an old cast-iron bath?
As a rule, a cast-iron bathtub is the most durable piece of every apartment. But sometimes in the process of repair it is required to replace it. Some try to endure it entirely, although this is a very difficult task, due to its enormous weight. Very often in our apartments there are such narrow passages that it is simply impossible to take out a bath because of its bulkiness. And after a little thought, you decide to break the tub and take it out piece by piece. Here the question arises: how to break a cast-iron bath? This article will give you the answer.
Start dismantling the cast-iron bathtub by removing the fasteners.
List of materials and tools:
- Bulgarian;
- sledgehammer;
- bags for construction debris;
- an old blanket or other soft cloth (put under the bathroom);
- burlap or other durable fabric (cover the bath to reduce the impact force of flying fragments);
- tight clothing, closed shoes, headgear, construction gloves, protective mask (to protect the body from flying fragments);
- soundproof headphones (optional).
Technological process
First you need to disconnect the old bathtub from the fastening elements with which the bathtub was attached, and dismantle the drain. If it is not possible to disconnect the drain, it is cut off with a grinder. You should also remove all objects that may interfere with the dismantling of the bath (both under and above the bath), and remove the mixer. To dismantle the bath, the edge of which is embedded in the wall, you need to dismantle the legs of the bath (starting from the far ones) and, after that, pressing on it from above, “drop” it on the floor. Before dismantling the old cast-iron bath in this way, it is required to put some kind of soft material under it in a thick layer to soften the impact of the bath on the floor.
Breaking a cast iron bath will not be easy. This job requires a strong man and a sledgehammer. Before proceeding with the demolition, it is necessary to clear the space around the bath, lay a soft cloth on the floor (to protect the floor), put the bath itself on its side so that it has free access from both sides. Scrapping a cast-iron bathtub is a rather dangerous job: there is a big risk of injury from flying fragments of the bathtub. To protect yourself from these fragments, you should wear thick clothing, shoes, a hat, construction gloves and a protective mask. To protect your ears from loud enough noise, you can wear soundproof headphones.
To minimize the risk of injury from bath shards, remove household members from the premises
How to break a cast-iron bathtub without applying extra effort? The weakest point of the bath is near the drain hole. To break through it, a series of blows should be applied from the inside to the bottom near the drain hole.
Lay the tub on its side so it's easier to break.
After it turned out to break the bottom, the bath should be covered with burlap and struck with a sledgehammer, expanding the gap along the entire bottom. Do not forget that the bath should lie on its side during the entire process of breaking through the bottom, because. the vibrations of a bathroom that is upside down when the bottom is broken can cause plaster to fall in the apartment below you. All strikes must be applied from the side.
After you manage to break through the bottom, turn the bath upside down and continue to apply side blows to the walls, trying to break it into pieces. If necessary, large pieces can be broken into smaller pieces: the smaller the fragments, the easier it is to take them out of the apartment. At the end of the work, collect the fragments in bags: they can be handed over to the scrap metal collection point.
A cast-iron bath, along with its strength and reliability, has one significant drawback - a lot of weight. And when it comes to dismantling a cast-iron bathtub, the owners have to face a number of difficulties - pulling the product out of the apartment onto the street is not so easy, and in some cases, due to tight passages, it is completely impossible to do. There is only one way out - to break the bath.
Ways to break a cast iron bath
In order to break a cast-iron bath you will need:
- sledgehammer,
- Bulgarian,
- gloves,
- reinforced bags for construction debris,
- soundproof headphones (optional)
- an old blanket or other soft material (optional).
It is customary to break a cast-iron bath with a sledgehammer. Of course, it is worth entrusting the matter to a man. Even a person with an average level of physical fitness, such a task is within the power. Keep in mind that you will not be able to quietly break the bath, so this work must be carried out during the daytime. If possible, warn the neighbors so as not to scare anyone or cause discomfort to anyone. Now, with a clear conscience, you can get down to business.
Before starting work, prepare a tool (sledgehammer), free up space around the bath, so that in the future it will be easier to collect fragments. If you're afraid to hurt flooring, lay an old blanket or soft cloth on the place of work. Be sure to wear gloves to avoid accidentally cutting your hands. As we said, smashing a cast-iron bathtub is accompanied by a lot of noise, reminiscent of bells, so it is advisable to have soundproof headphones.
To make the cast-iron bath easier to prick under the impact of a sledgehammer, cut its sides with a grinder in several places. If desired, you can divide the bath into several parts only with the help of a grinder. But this procedure is laborious, lengthy and is accompanied by a large amount of debris, or rather construction dust. Therefore, it is easier and more convenient to break a cast-iron bath with a sledgehammer.
5-6 persistent blows should be enough for the bathtub to break into at least two parts. If necessary, break large pieces again, then it will be easier and more convenient to take parts of the bath out of the apartment.
Carefully collect small fragments together with the remnants of tiles or other trim, if any, and pack in special reinforced bags designed for construction debris. So you can easily get rid of the old cast-iron bath.