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Giving New Life to a Clawfoot Tub |
| Yup, the man was amazing. Benjamin Franklin—who set so many trends—is also credited with bringing the first bathtub to America. The Founding Bather, so to speak. Bathing has certainly endured, and so have many tubs from an earlier time. We wish we could say the same about their plumbing. Over time, the chemicals in tap water will stain and corrode metal fixtures, turning faucets greenish-blue and drains dark brown. Happily, if your plumbing's dowdy, it's easy enough to replace. New faucets and drain assemblies are readily available, and the task requires only modest plumbing skills. Note, however, that you'll need help if you have to move the tub: most of the old clawfoots are cast iron and they're very heavy.
Before You Purchase New Fixtures
Check the dimensions of your existing fixtures before you look for replacements. Pay particular attention to the distance between the centers of the faucet holes. Also, measure the vertical distance between the center of the overflow opening (at the head of the tub) and the drain opening in the bottom of the tub. Faucet openings are typically 3 3/8 inches apart on center, but if your bathtub is an antique, the dimensions may vary. |
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Because faucets supply water and overflow-drain assemblies carry it away, they're sold separately. But your bathroom will look a whole lot better if both kinds of fixtures have the same finish, either chrome or brass. Our store is a good place to start; beyond that, there's the Yellow Pages (look for "specialty plumbing retailers"). And—especially if your tub is old and odd—you may want to explore your local salvage yards. |
Three-part Process
To retrofit your tub's plumbing, you'll need to remove the old plumbing, install the new drain and overflow assembly, and finally, install the new supply risers and faucets. We've broken each process into steps.
Step by Step: Remove the Old Plumbing
1. Turn off the water at the main shutoff valve. Your home's main shutoff valve is located where the water supply enters the house, most likely in the basement.
2. Disconnect the supply risers. Use an adjustable wrench or pliers to loosen the slip nut connections, and remove all the parts of the water supply assembly, from the supply pipes in the floor to the faucet spigots. If your replacement fixtures include new shutoff valves, remove the old ones from the water supply connections in the floor (this is why the water has to be shut off at the main valve). You may want to place a drop cloth around the plumbing assembly to keep the floor clean.
3. Disconnect the entire tub drain system from the drainpipe in the floor. Shove a plastic bag part of the way into the drainpipe to control septic odor. |
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4. Remove the overflow plate. Remove the screws or bolts that attach the overflow plate inside the tub to the overflow pipe behind the tub. If there's a plunger assembly inside the overflow pipe (common on newer assemblies), pull it out. |
5. Remove the overflow pipe and tee from the drain elbow. The elbow that screws into the drain strainer is connected by a short piece of pipe to the tee. Use a pipe wrench to loosen the slip nut connection, and remove the overflow pipe and tee from the drain elbow, as the illustration shows. If it hasn't corroded in place, remove the short piece of pipe, too. If it won't budge, remove it along with the elbow. |
 6. Remove the faucet. Use an adjustable wrench to remove the locknuts that secure the faucet to the tub.
7. Scrape away any old putty that remains around the faucet holes. Use a stiff putty knife and be careful not to scratch the surface of the tub.
8. Turn the tub on its side to get better access to the drain elbow.
Tip from the pros: Before you try to turn the tub, check that there's enough space in your bathroom. If so, use a thick canvas drop cloth or even sheets of plywood to avoid damaging the bathroom floor, and have a partner assist you in tipping the tub. If the bathroom's not big enough for the job, get some help to move the tub to an area with more working space |
| 9. Remove the elbow from the tub's drain hole. The elbow is most likely hardened into place with corrosion and old putty. There are a few ways to remove it:
Safety: Of course, when using a propane torch, you'll want to be careful not to set nearby surfaces on fire. Just in case, have a bucket of water nearby.
- If the drain assembly isn't too badly corroded, try disconnecting it with a spud wrench.
- That failing, use a reciprocating saw to cut carefully through the brass inside the drain. This destroys the drain and you can fold the pieces in on themselves and pull them out of the opening. It isn't easy, but it generally allows you to remove the drain without moving the tub
- Method three, shown above: try a large pipe wrench (12-inch or larger). If the assembly still won't budge, slide approximately 3 feet of sturdy iron pipe over the pipe wrench handle to give yourself more leverage (1 1/2-inch or 2-inch pipe should clear the thickness of the wrench handle). Be careful not to exert so much pressure that you break the wrench's jaws.
- If the assembly resists even the "big pipe" method, apply Liquid Wrench® or WD40™ and let it soak into the joint. Then try the pipe wrench again.
- If all else fails, use a propane torch to apply heat to the elbow around the threads. The heat should make the elbow expand around the threads of the drain flange and make it easier to remove. Heat until a drop of water would sizzle—not until red hot. Use the wrench and pipe handle again.
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 10. Remove the drain strainer. Once the elbow is removed, the threaded stem of the drain strainer will protrude from the drain hole. It's likely that putty and corrosion have cemented it in place. Try tapping up through the drain hole on the strainer with a mallet and cold chisel. If it won't budge, use a hacksaw to cut off the accessible part of the strainer stem. Go back to using the chisel on the remaining piece. Keep at it until the strainer chips away.
11. Scrape off the remaining putty. Use a stiff putty knife to carefully scrape away any remaining putty where the flange of the drain strainer used to be. Also clean around the hole on the underside of the tub to ensure a clean connection with the new fixtures.
The tub should now be free of all plumbing fixtures. Clean any dirt or corrosion from around the holes in the tub. Try using Soft Scrub® or a similar nonabrasive cleanser. If the tub is badly chipped or stained, consider having it refinished before you install the new plumbing. |
| When you're ready to put on the new fixtures, start with the water-removal equipment.
Step by Step: Install the New Drain and Overflow Assembly
1. Turn the tub right side up and place it near the plumbing connections in the floor of the bathroom. This lessens the risk of damaging the new plumbing fixtures when you move the tub later.
2. Attach the drain and overflow pipes to the tee, and tighten the connections by hand.
3. Attach the drain and overflow assembly to the drainpipe coming up from the floor. These pipes may need to be cut to the proper length with a hacksaw or tubing cutter. |
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4. Attach the drain strainer. Unless there's a washer or gasket to provide a watertight fit, apply a layer of plumber's putty to the underside of the drain strainer flange. From above the tub drain hole, screw the strainer into the female-threaded opening of the drain assembly below. Tighten the strainer as much as you can by hand, and use a spud wrench or pliers to complete the last couple of turns.
5. Fasten the overflow pipe to the tub. First, attach the plunger if your assembly has one. Feed it down the neck of the overflow pipe and use the cotter pin to attach the plunger unit to the toggle lever on the overflow plate. Place the overflow plate over the hole inside the tub, and use the screws or bolts provided to fasten it to the overflow pipe behind the tub.
6. Tighten all slip nut connections on the drain and overflow assembly with a wrench. |
| Now that you know you can get water out of the tub, you can put on the equipment that gets water into it: the supply risers and the faucet.
Step by Step: Installing the New Supply Risers and Faucet
1. Attach the shutoff valves and supply risers to the water supply connections in the floor. If the supply risers don't make a 90-degree bend to attach to the faucet spigots behind the tub, then use 90-degree elbows with slip-nut connections. If you're using chrome supply tubing, you'll need a tubing bender and some skill to fit the tubes between the new floor valves and the tub valve. |
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2. Install the new faucet. Unless your new assembly comes with washers or gaskets for this purpose, spread a layer of plumber's putty on the inside of the flanges on the two faucet stems to provide a watertight fit. Tighten the locknuts from behind to secure the faucet to the tub, and remove any excess putty that squeezes out from the connection. Connect the faucet spigots to the supply lines and turn the water back on at the main shutoff valve. |
Tools
- Pipe wrench
- Adjustable wrench
- Putty knife
- Spud wrench
- Reciprocating saw
- Torch kit
- Mallet
- Cold chisel
- Hacksaw
- Tubing cutter
- Pliers
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Materials
- Replacement faucet
- Drain assembly
- Drop cloth
- Liquid Wrench® or WD40®
- Plumber's putty
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