Removing the drain pipe from the bottom of the bath

[jjgang]

Hello,
Seeing as this is a home reno forum....and you are all mostly men, I was wondering how you remove the drain pipe from the bottom of the bath...
I have a shower to install and I can't do anything until I have the stupid nut under the bath undone. Can anyone please help me!

[journeyman Mick]

What's the problem? Can you not get access to the nut or is the waste spinning as you turn it? More details please;)

Mick

[maglite]

Try a stillson......perhaps if your next post is less condescending....you may even get 2 answers.
1. to tell you what a stillson is.
2. to help fix the problem you have got.

[alanm]

Just finished a bathroom reno. Old fashion cast iron and thick copper pipes. I used one of those rubber strap oil filter removal tools. Just slip it around the nut (if the nut's big enough) and give it a few yanks loose. Remember to undo in the right direction, as I've seen a few people twist it the wrong way when upside down.

Give the thread a spray or two of RP7 (WD40) five minutes before you yank. Worked for me and skinned only one knuckle.

Or more fun, angle grind it off.

[Sturdee]

I was wondering how you remove the drain pipe from the bottom of the bath... I have a shower to install



By getting a plumber to do it. :D Not only easier but also legal.:D


Peter.

[Wildman]

Does the bath just need to come out regardless? I am thinking angle grinder, cut around the plug hole, remove bath, heaps of access to loosen nut then....Oh, you wanted to keep the bath????

Can anyone give me a good reason why it is supposedly illegal to do your own plumbing? (water not gas) More rubbish regulations to save us from ourselves from stupid politicians who still wouldn't know a stillson after a someone tried beating sense into them with a pair. If you are planning on staying in the house, then you have to live with the consequences of not doing it properly. Here I go again, sorry, my bad.

Cheers
Ben

[Sturdee]

Can anyone give me a good reason why it is supposedly illegal to do your own plumbing?
Cheers
Ben

Whether the reason is good or bad depends on your point of view, which in this case is irrelevant, as it is illegal to do your own plumbing unless licensed.

Any illegal plumbing could possibly affect public safety by incorrectly connecting to the water supply system or drainage system and so the only suitable advice is to use a licensed plumber as the question indicates that the member does not have much knowledge on plumbing matters.

Ben, here I go too, as it always amazes me that some people think that laws are made for everyone else but themselves. Everybody can use plumbers or electricians except themselves.:(

And don't start me on all these criminals on the road who habitually break every law dealing with driving. Those speeding, tailgating, red light runners and drink drivers all think that laws don't apply to them. :mad: IMO they all should be mandatory locked up for a while and their car crushed before handed back to them. Maybe then they will learn to obey.

Similarly anyone caught with illegal plumbing or wiring should be permanently disconnected from the public supply systems.


Peter.

[ozwinner]

:eek: Did your missus step on one of your bunions Peter? :eek:

Al :D

[Sturdee]

No, but still annoyed at seeing a drunk driver crash into another two cars last night whilst trying to park his car.

Plenty of empty spaces in another row of the carpark but he tried to park between two cars. Two families only mode of transport wrecked, one a couple with a young baby who were on a travelling holiday.:mad:

Peter.

[jjgang]

Thankyou for your replies.

I plan on talking to a plumber first , but at this time of the year they tend to be extremely busy.

Wildman.....yes the bath does have to come out regardless, as I am installing a shower system.
As you may have been able to tell I am a woman and I don't have much knowledge in this sort of thing, however my father renovated his bathroom a couple of years ago and he is trying to help me!Bit hard when he is on the other end of the phone.

The nut is very hard to get to as the previous owner only allowed a little bit of room around it!

[journeyman Mick]

Can you take a photo of the problem? If access is really tight and you're not reusing the tub, then cutting arond the waste with an angle grinder like Ben suggests might be the go.

Mick

[Ashore]

Whether the reason is good or bad depends on your point of view, which in this case is irrelevant, as it is illegal to do your own plumbing unless licensed.



I dissagree Peter , just where do you pull the plug , is it wrong to change a tap washer, renew a garden tap , remove a bath , replace a sink handset
If your toilet is running do you call a plumber



Ashore

[Wildman]

Similarly anyone caught with illegal plumbing or wiring should be permanently disconnected from the public supply systems.


My issue is with what is defined as "illegal plumbing". Why is plumbing illegal just because a plumber didnt do it, if it is done properly? I agree that people with no idea should not attempt these things, however, why should I do a 4 year apprenticeship with low pay just to be "legally" able to change a kitchen tap. Why is there no option for skills based qualifications for non-commercial use? I barely last 4 years in a career before I get bored and go on to something else anyway.

Road users are not really a valid comparison here, I agree entirely with your point of view on drunk drivers. A drunk driver poses a high risk to other road users and themselves however getting a copper water pipe join wrong and flooding your house doesnt pose much of a risk to anyone and if you got it wrong, you deal with the consequences and hopefully learn a lesson as a result of it.

My main issue is that fact that I am now subjected to 640,000 pages of state legislation alone (who knows how much federal legislation) that has been written by overpaid public servants who are far too far removed from "real life" to make informed decisions. Put the lawyers out of work and re-write it all from scratch in plain english. Should be able to get it down to a few hundred pages and leave the rest up to "common sense".


Regards
Ben

[Harry72]

I agree WM, plumbing is not rocket science... sure setting up a large system you need a pro plumber, but if your just extending some pipe's to say shift a kitchen sink why do you need a plumber as its already connected to the mains?

Then you got to look at the other problems asscoiated with pro's... to get a plumber(non-emergency$)here its a 6-12mth wait!(small town syndrome)
Most city folk take things like this for granted!

[ozwinner]

I agree WM, plumbing is not rocket science...

Hot on the left,5hi7 flows down hill.
Im a plumber......:D :D

Al :cool:

[jjgang]

I didn't intend to start an argument in here...all I asked was if anyone had any ideas on how to remove a bathtub!

[bitingmidge]

I didn't intend to start an argument in here...
Note to file:

If you don't intend to start an argument, don't ask a question here!!

P
:D :D :D

[Harry72]

jjgang, its not an argument its called a thread hijack... just a side tracking of the original question, its still valid in the grand scheme of all things plumbing you're question will still get answered and then some!

[floydus]

Common sense really does go a long way, plus if i want a job done without burnmarks, with taps put in at the right height, and without too much swearing and shouting coming from under the house, i'm going to do the bloody thing myself.

[pharmaboy2]

Removing a bath is not for the faint hearted - they are a ..... to get in and a ..... to get out. If its a cast iron bath, and given they weigh 100 odd kilos I would put on earmuffs, get big sledge hammer, and hit very hard (cast iron is nice and brittle), if its pressed steel, then either the angle grinder, or at the least you need to remove tiles and wall from front of bath to give you access underneath, get stilsons and turn. If access available underneath house, cut plumbing off with saw. Either way, removing baths is demolition work - not subtle, and never easy and quick.

[Markw]

Whilst on the subject of legalities, how many of the bush lawyers are aware that it's actually illegal to work on a vehicle that is not your own yet the sale of spare parts carry no warnings. :eek:

If you look at this issue, its far easier for Joe average to stuff up the brakes on his car, especially with todays high tech abs systems and kill himself or somebody else on the road. This scenario is also far more probable than him connecting the sewerage system to the mains and poisoning the local population (in fact I believe this style of reasoning for plumbing "protectionism" to be absurd).

Whilst I can appreciate the use of licensed electricians to some extent (generally in large industrial situations), I believe that this crap of "can't change a light bulb or tap washer" is just self perpetuation of an industry (think the word here is something like nepotism but not quite). When most standards and regulations are born or reviewed, its not the polititions who are to blame but the self centred industry representatives, including unions, plumbers guild etc, etc, who come up with this trash.

A real system would be where in the domestic area you would be able to install what ever you need, be it a new circuit, a new bath or cistern or a complete re-wire. Prior to final connection an installation inspector would for a small fee comparable to job size, inspect and approve the work. The insurance company would be happy :D , the home owner would be happy :D and the inspector would be happy :D . Who would NOT be happy, the rip off electricians and plumbers - well too f-in bad

But this will never happen whilst protectionism of an industry is still happening.

As said before domestic basic plumbing is actually very easy provided you understand the basics (has your plumber ever confounded you with technobabble? Not likely). Even reading AS3000 for electrics is not rocket science (you don't need a masters degree). But like good little Aussies we've taken another one up the a-hole so that business can blindly rip us off.