Crack in cast iron bath tub

[Obladi555]

I had recently installed a new tub drain a few weeks ago, and today I noticed a hairline crack with rust where the drain is (please see photos). Our tub is an American Standard cast iron and is most likely 40-50 years old.

Can anyone offer and help for this? Thank you in advance.

 

[Terry]

That looks to be a crack in the porcelain coating. Does it leak water? Or is it mainly that it looks bad?

A cast iron tubs weighs a good 300 pounds and is thick.
A porcelain on steel tub weighs about 100 pounds, and they can rust out.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Obladi555]

Hi Terry,

Thankfully there is no leak. My concern is that this will lead to a more severe problem down the road. Do you have any recommendations to remedy this?

Thank you!

 

[Terry]

I think it's more cosmetic.

 

[Obladi555]

Excellent, I feel relieved. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[hj]

It WILL probably lead to problems eventually, because the cast iron will rust, which is the brown stain, and that will create pressure under the finish and "pop" it off. No telling how long it will take, however.

 

[Obladi555]

hj, yeah the rust stain is what alarmed me. Is there a way to keep this from rusting further? I've seen a few "patch kits"online for tub chips and cracks...is that worth exploring? Thanks.

 

[hj]

Probably not, the metal is already rusting, and it will continue, but may be many years before it becomes a problem.