Replies

1. 
   jet | Aug 25, 2007 12:11am | #1

   I did a repair of a bathtub for my Father in Law.
   http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=32935.1
   If you can re support the base from below than maybe you can repair it the way I did the tub.

   "No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it's only a question of degree." - W.C. Fields
1. 
   ickabod | Aug 25, 2007 02:41am | #2

   great repair job on your bathtub. should i have added support under base during installation or is 300+ lbs just too much for a fiberglass base?

1. 
   jet | Aug 25, 2007 02:52am | #3

   You should have poured a cement pad and set it into the cement while it was still wet.
   But that's water (under the bridge) through the crack.
   Can you get the base out??? Or is it way past that?"No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it's only a question of degree." - W.C. Fields

1. 
   ickabod | Aug 25, 2007 04:58am | #4

   way past that im afraid. did i miss that step in the instructions or is the cement pad something you do just in case?

2. 
   DanH | Aug 25, 2007 03:57pm | #9

   The repaired area will never be as strong as the original (unless you're able to patch it with multiple layers of FG fabric from the rear), so you need more support if the damage appears to have been from simple stress and not some sort of "event".I've always figured that you could drill a hole through the crack and squirt in foam, or possibly thin plaster, leveling compound, etc.
   So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin

2. 
   DonK | Aug 25, 2007 02:26pm | #5

   I would be surprised if 300# is too much for a fiberglass base. Around the drain should be even stronger. Sometimes people are using spray foam  insulation to help as support on the cheap tubs, might be a consideration with these bases too. Or, you might just have gotten one that wasn't made right. Go back to the seller and ask them to come look at it.

   OTOH, I was in Loew's this week and there was a kit for fiberglass repair in the plumbing section. It was in a fancy package and had a big name manufacturer on it (Elmer's ?), but it looked like a straight package of resin, hardener and probably glass. Wasn't cheap - maybe $25 for a small package?

   I've got one to do in a tub in a mobile home I have. Either that or rip and replace. Not looking forward to it.

   Don K.

   EJG Homes    Renovations - New Construction - Rentals

   Don K.

3. 
   DanH | Aug 25, 2007 03:04pm | #6

   Are you sure the unit is fiberglass and not acrylic or whatever? Is it layed-up fiberglass or sprayed/compressed stuff?

   So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
4. 
   user-124636 | Aug 25, 2007 03:20pm | #7

   I dont even attempt a repair on bathroom stuff. Just replace it.

    

   A real PITA I know, but at least you start with a fresh warranty, and likely should get the existing one to cover the damage assuming it was all installed properly to start with.

    

   I use expanding foam now to glue them down. It has the added advantage that the entire base is fully supported and very solid. 

   Just got to use the right foam and make sure the base cant lift as it cures. Getting it back down later is no fun. 

   People talk about insanity like its a bad thing........
5. 
   restorationday | Aug 25, 2007 03:56pm | #8

   I ran into this a while back. I ended up replacing the unit and setting the new one in a bed of Structolite as per suggested here. Worked very well.
   See this thread "Shower pan for a fat man" http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=79544.1