Cast iron bathtubs can weigh even more than 140 kg. Even if there are 5 Olympic weightlifting champions among your friends, taking such an item out of the house is a bad, but really bad idea, because you can hurt yourself and damage the house. Here's an easier way to accomplish that and save your reputation as a handyman landlord.
Steps
Step 1. Unplug as many plumbing systems as possible
Remove the faucet, trim and so on. In some homes it is not that easy to disconnect the drain under the bathtub. If that's not the case, just keep following the instructions.
Step 2. Slip a rag into the drain opening to prevent debris from entering
Step 3. Cover the tub with an old wet blanket to prevent shards of cast iron and porcelain from splashing around
Then take a sledgehammer and hit the edge of the tub with all your might at a spot about 2/3 of its length from the drain. Your goal is to break the tub into large chunks. Cast iron is brittle, and breaking it will be easier than you think. Get a big hammer and a strong friend.
Step 4. When you have broken the first piece, give it another blow near the drain to access the plumbing connections under the tub
Unhook the drain.
Step 5. Keep hitting
Break the tub into 3-4 large pieces to be able to remove it.
Advice
- Use a 7-8kg sledgehammer; a heavy tool works best.
- You can try to convince your friends how cool it is to try to tear apart a cast iron bathtub with a sledgehammer. You can also bet on who succeeds with the fewest hits.
- Remember the walls near the tub. The tub could move when you hit it and could hit them (see plywood advice below).
- Cover the spots you are about to hit with an old wet blanket. Porcelain shatters into thousands of sharp fragments. The blanket helps you control them, and if it's wet it adheres better to the tub than a dry one.
- Look around. If there is something you do not want to accidentally hit with the club, remove it or cover it with thick plywood. Sometimes clubs have a will of their own!
- If you need to replace the old bathtub with a new one, also made of cast iron, do not remove it from the packaging until it is in the room. A packed tub is easier to transport and harder to spoil.
Warnings
- Eye protection should be worn. And those for the ears are ESSENTIAL too!
- Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and work gloves. The porcelain fragments are very sharp on bare skin.
