Kohler "Archer" acrylic: Install guide makes NO MENTION of ledgers. WHY?

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Paul Reece

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My wife and I are in our fifth whole-house renovation. This ain't our first rodeo... and it's not our first bathtub installation, either. In fact I was just beginning to feel pretty comfortable with the ledger board/mortar bed process. But now, there's this.
As I continue to struggle with the installation of the LAST Kohler product I will ever buy, I feel I should get an answer to this question before I decide to do it the way I've learned to do it and somehow really mess it up.
The Installation Instructions for this heated whirlpool appliance make absolutely NO MENTION OR REFERENCE to level ledger boards mounted to the wall studs. And I have to tell you this is NOT the most rigid piece of bathtub construction I have ever seen. The long, back edge (66 inches) will flex a full half-inch in the middle of its length.
Kohler has done a pretty good job of "rigid-izing" the bottom of the Archer. The wooden foot blocks are gone and an added layup of a rigid foam material encases the bottom of the tub and features molded-in reinforcing support ridges that run the length of the bottom where the tub sits on the floor. I'll still use the mortar bed because this is an old house renovation and I want the added leveling medium, but in a square, level, and plumb new construction project I can easily see this tub going down in just construction adhesive. Which says NOTHING about the flimsy flexible sidewalls and top edges. THAT's where my concern lies. Should I go ahead and install level ledger boards despite Kohler's failure to mention them?
 

Terry

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Yes. I would. With the acrylic, I use the ledger and maker sure it's suported from below.

I have installed some of the Archer tubs right on the floor when things were level. It's always a nice surprise when a remodel still has flat floors.
 

DIYitright

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Did you finally get it installed?

It took some fiddling (a lot) to get the ledger boards exactly in place because we could not see them- we were unwilling to take down more sheetrock from the adjoining rooms.
 

Paul Reece

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Did you finally get it installed?

It took some fiddling (a lot) to get the ledger boards exactly in place because we could not see them- we were unwilling to take down more sheetrock from the adjoining rooms.

Well, you're gonna have a hard time believing this but the bathtub has to go back to Kohler, and they're going to replace it.
In another post, on this same chat board (showers, etc), I outlined my suspicions that the tub was badly made, and the tiling flange was all screwed up. It turns out it was WORSE than I thought. The second of two repairmen sent out to look at the tub (the first one declined the job) pointed out manufacturing flaws that even I had overlooked.
I see you've read that other thread. I've now updated it with the repairman's findings--it's located here
https://terrylove.com/forums/index....arities-big-problems-ahead.61836/#post-459091
 
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