Steel Or Cast Iron?
- Thread starter BMWMK2
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Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Steel will be fairly smooth on the bottom...cast iron will be rougher because of the sand mold it was poured into.
If you aren't going to save the tub, safety glasses and a sledge hammer will crack it into manageable pieces. Watch out for shards flying...long sleeves and sturdy pants are also suggested.
If you aren't going to save the tub, safety glasses and a sledge hammer will crack it into manageable pieces. Watch out for shards flying...long sleeves and sturdy pants are also suggested.
Gary Swart
In the Trades
The weight tells the story. You're dealing with a cast iron tub.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Think car door steel thickness...not an I-beam. Some of them have sprayed on plastic to deaden the sound. A cast tub is probably 3-6x heavier than the same size steel one. Another thing...a cast iron tub will break if you hit it hard enough...a steel one will bend.
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Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Do you have the manufacturer's instructions? Usually, the best thing is to make a mud bed and set the tub into it while leveling it. This makes it feel much more substantial and can help keep it from crazing the finish over time.
Jimbo
Plumber
BMWMK2 said:
and I now have to use 3-4 people.
cast iron
I remember that too Cass. If you could lift one end up, you could walk it when it was still in the crate. And in the old days it seems that some of the plumbers would slide them from the truck and walk them to the house and if it was going on the first floor, walk them near the bathroom, take the wooden shipping crate off, and square them to the recess on the floor and push them into place and sit them on the 2" x 4" at the back wall and go from there. Once in a while you had to readjust that 2" x 4".
I remember that too Cass. If you could lift one end up, you could walk it when it was still in the crate. And in the old days it seems that some of the plumbers would slide them from the truck and walk them to the house and if it was going on the first floor, walk them near the bathroom, take the wooden shipping crate off, and square them to the recess on the floor and push them into place and sit them on the 2" x 4" at the back wall and go from there. Once in a while you had to readjust that 2" x 4".
hj
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tub
You got a helper with a cast iron tub? What a wimp. I always felt a helper just got in the way. The only things good about a steel tub, or any other steel fixture, are that they are light and cheap. Other than that, they are no good from the day they are installed and go downhill from there.
You got a helper with a cast iron tub? What a wimp. I always felt a helper just got in the way. The only things good about a steel tub, or any other steel fixture, are that they are light and cheap. Other than that, they are no good from the day they are installed and go downhill from there.
Mike50
DIY Senior Member
hj said:
You bet. I have a wood pellet burning stove with a cast bronze door-must weigh 60 pounds. Products like that are disappearing slowly. "Stamped" cheap metal is just that. OTOH there are some alloy products available that are pretty amazing too.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Cast iron is the most durable. I like acrylic as an alternative. The finish on anything other than the CI will scratch much more easily...you need to be careful of the cleaners and method (no scouring powder on an acrylic unless you like a matt finish!). As in many things, you often get what you pay for...those that cost more are thicker bodied and have a thicker finish layer.
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