How to get rid of old bath

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123588740#Comment_123588740

Measure the distance down from the top upright including the bath and tie the other end of the rope to the bottom one in case it does go awry so it stops at the end of the stairs and it will be hopefully ok!

CelticRambler

I certainly won’t be standing it on its end at any stage though.

??? But ... but ... but that'd be far and away the easiest way to manoeuvre it through the door and around the landing.

Taps end at the bottom and face yourself into the bathing space. You should be able to "dance" with it slowly left and right and it'll follow you.

Have your minder keep a close eye on any brackets or plumbing that are still attached. That's what'll take lumps out of the walls or woodwork.

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123588745#Comment_123588745

Great idea except I only bought 5 metres of rope, the stairs measuring 4 so I won't have enough to reach. Although the length of the bath itself will give me a few metres spare once it gets to the bottom. I'll see what's left once I've tied it to the bath and top post.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123588789#Comment_123588789

Ok I see what you mean but I don't think I'll be able to lift it to upright on my own. Someone from here has offered to help tomorrow (thanks so much, and to @con747 who suggested it) so if I can't do it length-wise today I'll take them up on their offer.

Just to say, most of those comments yesterday were genuinely funny and I'm not beyond having a laugh at myself. It just reminded me of 'slagging' which I've always disliked, whether aimed at me or anyone else, as it can very easily become quite nasty and even a form of bullying. This was not that so please feel free to keep posting the jokes. 😊

Orban6

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123588726#Comment_123588726

I'm sorry that you thought I was been sarky. Have you considered knocking a hole in the wall and just shoving the bath out that way?

astrofool

Just concrete it in and build the new bathroom on top of it like they do with the tunnel boring machines.

You may need to add some steel structural support from below, but this is far easier than the other plans I've seen on the thread.

(I'd have it yeeted down the stairs by now as we did many years ago with a similar, avocado, cast iron bath and clearances in a house near Cabinteely, it's still going strong as a horse trough).

Ha Long Bay

The smelting point of cast iron is only around 1200c. Have you thought about constructing a furnace upstairs and simply pouring the melted metal down the stairs?

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123589940#Comment_123589940

Ah no, I’m sorry if I over-reacted. I can see that you and the others were just having a laugh. No harm done 😊

But no, I won’t be knocking holes in walls, concreting it in (??) or, heaven help us, melting it and pouring it down the stairs!! 😯 😏.

Cos.. I managed to get it down myself today, with a little help from my other half! It certainly wasn’t easy and took hours but I got there in the end. No injuries or damage to anything, apart from one bit of grating on the bannisters, easily repaired. However to those that said ‘just do it, don’t think about it’ etc., I say no way, not for me anyway. Maybe for guys with a lot of experience and muscle power but even then, the place could’ve got wrecked in the process unless it was properly thought out, with the awkward angles and the sheer weight of the thing.

So I didn’t have to strain at it physically, which was important given I was mostly working alone. I used a combination of a jack and a crowbar to lift or angle it, the dolly (which was an absolute godsend) to roll it along the floor when space allowed and 5 metres of very strong rope tied around the overflow hole and the bannister post. Getting it around the offset doorway and positioned at the top of the stairs was a pig. And then the real fun started, letting it slide down the stairs a bit at a time with a short amount of play in the rope. That was pretty freaky until we realised the rope was really going to hold - we totally depended on it and it turned out to be a real champ with the fecking ship’s hull of a bathtub literally dangling from it! Couldn’t manoeuvre it upside down without scoring the wall or breaking my back so she went down right-side up, which actually made it easier to control. All taps and legs etc. removed first obviously.

Anyway, down to the bottom and back onto the dolly to be rolled out to the drive with much ceremony. Some pics to follow, just for fun.

So many thanks again for all the help and advice - I couldn’t have done it without yez! 👍️ 😊

MarcusMaximus

Daft I know but why the hell not?! Reckon we earned it, along with a takeaway and a nice bottle of red wine (not in the bath obviously!)

HildaOgdenx

I had no advice to offer but was reading the thread. Well done, OP!

Timesheet

Well done OP, iv been following the struggles here too :-)

o1s1n

I look forward to your next thread, 'how to get my new cast iron bath up into my refurbished bathroom?' 😁

Nice work and a great read. Best of luck with the rest of the renovation.

magicbastarder

might be worth shooting the bath; that'd be enough percussive force to break it. you'd want a .303 rather than a .22 though maybe. and watch out for ricochets.

deandean

Well done OP. All you're missing there is a back brush and a rubber duck!

loyatemu

now put some wheels on it and find a hill - you're the right age!

Hippodrome Song Owl

Great thread OP. Zero DIY knowledge or skills here, but I've been following with interest. Delighted you got it out yourself, fair play to you!

MarcusMaximus

Manly thanks folks. Much appreciated!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123592104#Comment_123592104

Hah hah! 😂. Yeah, watch this space!

The farmer who used to store our caravan was pretty handy with a rifle. I'll get him to shoot it into smithereens and then he can take away the pieces and feed them to his sheep.

I'm seriously thinking of using it out the front. All we need is a few kettles of hot water and out with the duck and the brush as you suggest. Why stop at merely posing? 😉

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123592209#Comment_123592209

Ah that's brilliant! 😂 Where'd you find it?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123592235#Comment_123592235

Thank you very much 😊

KaneToad

Best thread of the year so far @MarcusMaximus

It had me gripped from the start to the finish.

MarcusMaximus

Great to hear, many thanks.!

SuperBowserWorld

That's a proper good news story. I am delighted for you but probably more relieved that it all worked out. Fair play. Quietly inspirational.

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123592383#Comment_123592383

Thank you. I'm delighted to hear that.

JayRoc

This is great stuff, I was properly invested in it all by the end

loyatemu

Ah that's brilliant! 😂 Where'd you find it?

"Last of the Summer Wine" - they always seemed to be tumbling down a hill in something

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123592735#Comment_123592735

Ah of course. I thought it might have been Only Fools and Horses.

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123592506#Comment_123592506

Great thanks, glad you enjoyed and stayed with it.

Grassy Knoll

good for,you, well done

Pat734

Well done ya daft ould thing. I enjoyed being kept up to date. You might as well keep us updated now on the refurb😏

kaizer13

Forget the angle grinder and sledge hammer. Neither should be used for any purpose inside a home. The possibility of collateral damage to buildings or people is too great. I have removed several cast iron baths from almost identical situations with only the help of my wife. It is essential to strip the bath of its tap and overflow fitting and feet. Ensure that any bath rim to wall sealant is removed from the top surface of the rim. If the stair carpet is to remain, then cover it with dust sheets for its protection. Tip the bath onto one edge in order to get it out through the doorway. It may be helpful to remove the door first. Arm your assistant with a couple of 18" lengths of 3" x 2" timber (or similar) to act as stop sticks. Have a length of rope of at least 12mm diameter, knotted around a lump of wood and threaded from inside the bath, through the overflow hole. This rope needs to be strong enough to control the weight of the bath and long enough to allow the bath to slide upside-down, down the stairs, one step at a time. The person at the top of the stairs should be able to sit on the landing with their feet braced and maybe even holding on to the top newel post whilst carefully lowering the bath one step at a time. This action has to be coordinated with the helper below the bath whose job it is to act as a brake operative by using the timber stop sticks in turn on every step as the bath is carefully lowered. With a lot of careful thought and by knowing how gravity works this system has worked for me many times and even in newly decorated and carpeted houses and without any damage to anyone or anything.

MarcusMaximus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123594493#Comment_123594493

Daft ould thing huh? 🤨 😉 . Yes I will look forward to torturing y’all some more!

10000maniacs

I remember I worked on a farm when I was a kid and every field had one of those baths with a small cistern attached that the cows used to drink out of. A farmer will buy it.