Bathtub repair

[Cakemeister]

The joys of being a slumlord.....

I've got a problem with a bathtub. There is a rusted-out area the size of a nickel or so next to the overflow plate.

The Home Depot guy said to replace the tub. The guy at my local hardware store said to use some two-part waterproof epoxy as a patch.

Any plumbing experts around?

[Cakemeister]

Easier said than done. They all seem to be the same size.

Not being a plumber, I can't tell if you were being a smart-aleck or not.

[protokatie]

I am big on jerry-rigging, and since you said you are a slum-lord and the hole is about the size of a nickle, why not super or gorilla glue a quarter or half dollar over the hole? Thats the kind of lazy-assed thing I would do...

[Cakemeister]

I don't think I have the tools to cut something as thick as a quarter to fit. But maybe a piece of scrap metal would work.

[ChadTower]

Treat it like a CP and fill it like an unwanted button hole in a metal CP.  Only use an epoxy or somesuch instead of bondo.

[SavannahLion]

I'm a little puzzled. Why not Bondo Chad? They sell Bondo specifically for tub repair and Bondo is normally used on cars which experience a wet environment.

On a side note. About the Home Depot thing. I used to work at HD and it's policy to do the "job" in the "safest" manner possible, regardless of the cost. A good example would be cleaning concrete. We were orderd never to tell people about muriatic acid (swimming pool section), ever. Not even if acid washing was the last and only solution. We were told to start with selling them a power washer and to work our way down (in terms of cost), but to never tell people about acid.

My point being, it's going to be rare to find anyone at HD that's going to be brutally honest to you about your tub. They'll tell you to replace the tub outright (most expensive) and only grudgingly go from there.

[boykster]

2 part epoxy would work fine, and then if you wanted to get really fancy, you could use some tub-repair paint to make it look good and all.  You can find 2 part epoxy plenty of places, but a West Marine or other marine store has a good selection.

Personally, if its that big of a hole and it was my house, I'd replace the tub to prevent water infiltration elsewhere. If its a cheap rental?  Plug the hole and call it good.

[protokatie]

We were orderd never to tell people about muriatic acid (swimming pool section), ever.

When I was a teen, I had some good fun with muriatic acid. Take a 20oz plastic soda bottle, add half a cup of muriatic, throw in some strips of aluminum, then cap. Quick way to get aluminum chloride and hydrogen gas. Also, when those bottles pop, they sound like a .45 cal being shot. Great fun. (Don't try this at home, people. I am what I call an expirt.)

BTW, would cork + epoxy/silicone do the trick? If it isnt a major leak and it is a slum, that might be worth looking into.

[ChadTower]

I'm a little puzzled. Why not Bondo Chad? They sell Bondo specifically for tub repair and Bondo is normally used on cars which experience a wet environment.

I didn't know about tub Bondo.  That looks like the exact product for the job.   

Car Bondo is made to get wet but I don't know about immersed.  No point in caring, though, since you found the exact product dude needs. 

[Cakemeister]

The repair is done. Looks pretty good. The epoxy cures to close to a white color with just a slight green tinge. No painting required. I didn't bother repairing the rust spot on the other side.

The product I used is "PC-11" waterproof epoxy.

[HaRuMaN]

The epoxy cures to close to a white color with just a slight green tinge. No painting required. I didn't bother repairing the rust spot on the other side.

Wow, you are a slum lord...   

[ChadTower]

Wow, you are a slum lord...   

Dude, that's not bad at all.  I lived in some crappy places as a kid and this would be a quality repair for a low rent apt building.  One time we moved into an apt that had a 12" hole in the wall.  Landlord said he didn't know - he was clearly lying - and he fixed it by putting a poster of Nolan Ryan over it.  Another time our baseboard heater was so rotted it started spraying hot water.  Landlord sent over some guy who was so high he tried to set fire to our cat.  I could give a bunch more examples that are even worse but don't want to post them publicly.