Sawzall blade for steel tub??

[sinkholed]

Bathroom remodel is down to studs, all except for removal of 3-walled 60"x30" tub. Managed to disconnect drain and remove nails from nailing flange, but tub still won't budge. Looks like underside of tub is approx 2" off of subfloor; I thought the bottom of tub is usually flush with its sides, so it too would be sitting on the subfloor??? Instead, it looks like there are metal "feet" at each corner that were nailed into the subfloor.

Looks like I'm going to have to sawzall the tub out of there. I tested a cut using a 5" 12tpi bi-metal blade that I had, but I need to get more blades. What would be the best blade to use for this, and any other hints you can give me for cutting/removing this tub would be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Tjbaudio]

Get a good blade that says for steel on it. Then when you use it run it as slow as you can. It will cut faster than if you go too fast and rip the teeth off.

 

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[Molo]

The best way to remove that tub is with a very dull and heavy sawz-all blade. AKA a sledgehammer. You'd be surprised how quickly you can break one down (10 minutes), and then carry it out in buckets. It's heavy! You could even get a few bucks at the scrap yard.

Molo

 

[Verdeboy]

Have you tried using a very large crowbar and just prying it up?

 

[Backglass]

The best way to remove that tub is with a very dull and heavy sawz-all blade. AKA a sledgehammer. You'd be surprised how quickly you can break one down (10 minutes), and then carry it out in buckets. It's heavy! You could even get a few bucks at the scrap yard.

Molo

He speaks the truth! It doesn't sound logical but cast iron will shatter with a sledgehammer. I'll bet you break it in half with two good whacks! It will literally take you minutes with a sledge or hours with a sawzall.

 

[hj]

tun

This appears to be a steel tub and all they do is distort when hit with a sledge hammer. But they are light enough that it should be able to be lifted out in one piece. In fact, I have never broken any tub, other than a one piece fiberglass one that I took the surround off first, to get it out of its recess. They ALL come out in one piece.

 

[Cass]

Why, hj, would you bother taking a cast iron tub out in 1 piece?

I am guessing it takes the same or less effort with a sledge.

With a sledge 1 person can take out the tub in pieces but 1 person isn't going to carry 1 out whole so the man power is definately greater and a sledge is much easier on the back reguardless of the plumbers age.

Also less chance of doing any damage to the home if it is going out in a bucket / small pieces.

 

[sinkholed]

I got more of the same sawzall blades & only needed 2 of them to cut the tub in half. It was quick BUT SCARY work -- I have a healthy respect for how one slip can lead to major injury. Sledge would've been safer, but given how the tub was wedged/attached to framing studs, I was afraid the sledge would've damaged interior & exterior walls.

 

[Shacko]

Bathtub

The best way to remove that tub is with a very dull and heavy sawz-all blade. AKA a sledgehammer. You'd be surprised how quickly you can break one down (10 minutes), and then carry it out in buckets. It's heavy! You could even get a few bucks at the scrap yard.

Molo

The original post said it was a steel tub, I won't reply to all the replys, but using a sledge hammer on a steel tub will only cause more problems.

 

[hj]

tub

Removing one piece, i.e. the tub intact, is a lot faster than removing a "million" small pieces, including the shards that are sharper than razor blades.

 

[Molo]

Thought he was referring to a CI tub, I have never removed a steel tub

 

[JeffSAV]

I thought I had cast iron but it was steel. 50 sledge swings later this was what I’d done (not much). I was going to cut it in half with a sawzall but posts I’ve seen mention that it might not be that heavy. I plan to try and remove in 1 piece. Will post results.

 

[Terry]

A steel tub rings hollow when hit, and cast emits almost no sound but the hurtful cry coming from your lips as you look down at your bruised hand.
With a steel tub the weight is less than 100 pounds and easy to lift out. If you decide to cut it, Diablo makes a nice metal blade for a sawzal.