Why no overflow on Trailer Home bathtubs

[Caulki...@work.com]

I've been around trailer homes and noticed they never have an overflow
in their bathtubs. I used to think that was just in the real old
trailers, but I'm seeing the same thing on the newer ones. Why do they
neglect to put overflows on those tubs? What's worse is that the
trailers tend to suffer a lot more damage when a tub overflows because
of the particle board floors used in them. If I was going to live in a
trailer, the first thing I'd do is install a standard bathtub. First
off because I'm not a person who likes to waste time watching a tub fill
up, and tend to walk away. Secondly bcause they are smaller tubs than
in houses. (while people are the same size regardless where they live).

[Ed Pawlowski]

Ditch the tub an put in a shower. That way you get clean instead of
soaking in your own dirt. Often there is not enough room to fit a
regular tub.

Agree that there should be an overflow though.

[Caulki...@work.com]

Personally I like bathtubs better than showers. I like to relax in a
nice hot tub after working outside in cold weather. But sometimes I
like a shower too. I have both in my house, a tub with shower surround.

But I agree that not having an overflow is very stupid design. I can
only guess that the reasoning is because those tubs are so shallow
compared to a standard tub, that an overflow would only allow about 6
inches of water. Yet, I dont understand why they need to be so shallow.
They may need to be shorter because of trailer house size, but there is
no reason they need to have less depth.

[Stormin Mormon]

On 10/20/2013 2:54 PM, Caulki...@work.com wrote:
> Personally I like bathtubs better than showers. I like to relax in a
> nice hot tub after working outside in cold weather. But sometimes I
> like a shower too. I have both in my house, a tub with shower surround.
>
> But I agree that not having an overflow is very stupid design. I can
> only guess that the reasoning is because those tubs are so shallow
> compared to a standard tub, that an overflow would only allow about 6
> inches of water. Yet, I dont understand why they need to be so shallow.
> They may need to be shorter because of trailer house size, but there is
> no reason they need to have less depth.

During power cut of 2003, a shower or bath (natural
gas WH) really was nice. I was out, four days.

Not sure about the over flows. Would make sense.


.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[Dean Hoffman]

Because most trailers are single floor?

I'm not sure trailer dwellers are regular sized. A fair share of my
neighbors are double wides. (especially the wimmens)

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

They are not shallow tubs, they are deep shower pans.

[The Daring Dufas]

The trailer type housing unit I lived in when I worked overseas had a
floor drain in the bathroom. The vinyl flooring curved up the walls in
the whole two man unit because I assume construction workers spend a lot
of time drinking and the continuous flooring without breaks or seams
would facilitate hosing out the trailer after the drunks barfed all over
it. It seems to me that a floor drain would be quite easy to install in
the bathroom of a domestic trailer home. ^_^

TDD

[HerHusband]

> I've been around trailer homes and noticed they never have an overflow
> in their bathtubs. I used to think that was just in the real old
> trailers, but I'm seeing the same thing on the newer ones. Why do they
> neglect to put overflows on those tubs?

As with most things in mobile homes, I'm sure it's a cost cutting measure.
One less part to buy, and reduced labor costs not having to install it.

Regardless, I've never seen an overflow drain that could keep up with a tub
faucet. If you turn on the water and walk away, the tub will still
overflow. For that matter, if you fill up the tub with water, and then hop
in, there's no way the overflow will drain fast enough to prevent the water
from rising up over the top of the tub.

In my opinion, overflow drains are just an annoyance. They make it
impossible to fill up the tub for a nice deep soak. You fill up the tub,
hop in, and get about three minutes of soaking time before the water drains
down the overflow, leaving you sitting out in the cold.

The only overflow system that seems like it would be good is the
"infinity" type tubs. These fill up to the very rim of the tub, with a
trough around the upper edge to catch any water that flows over. But,
they're not cheap, don't fit standard tub alcoves, and that trough probably
gets gunked up.

> I'm not a person who likes to waste time watching a tub fill
> up, and tend to walk away.

I usually hop in the tub while it's still filling up. This lets me adjust
the water temperature as needed, rather than discovering it's too hot or
cold after it's already full.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 10/21/2013 11:53 AM, HerHusband wrote:


>
> In my opinion, overflow drains are just an annoyance. They make it
> impossible to fill up the tub for a nice deep soak.

They make big deep tubs that will allow you to do that. You just have
to $pend the dollarS

[Caulki...@work.com]

My house was built in the early 1950's. It still has the original tub
with overflow. That overflow has always kept up with the water flow.
This is on a water supply with 60 pounds of pressure.
Considering the pipes that supply the water are 1/2", and the overflow
is 1-1/4" pipe, there is no reason it should not keep up. If it dont
keep up, I'd suggest checking for clogs or obstructions.

[k...@attt.bizz]

HomoGay, you've never had an overflow. You're always full of shit.

[HerHusband]

> My house was built in the early 1950's. It still has the original tub
> with overflow. That overflow has always kept up with the water flow.
> This is on a water supply with 60 pounds of pressure.

Pressure and flow are two different things. For example, a pressure washer
uses very high pressure, but the water flow is mimimal.

It's sort of like the difference between Voltage and Current in
electricity.

> Considering the pipes that supply the water are 1/2", and the
> overflow is 1-1/4" pipe, there is no reason it should not keep up.

Every overflow I have seen is covered with some kind of trim cover. While
the pipe behind it may be 1-1/4", the opening to that pipe is just a small
opening at the bottom of the trim cover.

Also, with 1/2" lines for hot AND cold supplies, you can dump a lot of
water in a tub in a hurry.

It's great your overflow can keep up with the supply. None of our homes
ever could (even our brand new home with fresh clean pipes).

In any case, I would never turn on a tub faucet and walk away.
That's like turning on the stove and walking away.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:10:39 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
<unk...@unknown.com> wrote:

>> My house was built in the early 1950's. It still has the original tub
>> with overflow. That overflow has always kept up with the water flow.
>> This is on a water supply with 60 pounds of pressure.
>
>Pressure and flow are two different things. For example, a pressure washer
>uses very high pressure, but the water flow is mimimal.
>
>It's sort of like the difference between Voltage and Current in
>electricity.

It's like the combination of voltage and current being power (wattage
or whatever) that actually matters. Combination of flow and pressure
gets the job done.

[DerbyDad03]

You stay next to your stove the entire time it's on?

[Caulki...@work.com]

On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 23:13:20 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
<teama...@eznet.net> wrote:

>> It's great your overflow can keep up with the supply. None of our homes
>> ever could (even our brand new home with fresh clean pipes).
>>
>> In any case, I would never turn on a tub faucet and walk away.
>> That's like turning on the stove and walking away.
>>
>
>You stay next to your stove the entire time it's on?

I was thinking the same thing! I dont stay by the stove when I'm
cooking. Particularly when I'm boiling something. I just make a point
to check it regularly, and often I use a timer that reminds me. Life is
too short to waste staring at a pot on the stove, not to mention it's
boring. During that cooking time I can check my email, read something,
watch part of a movie, make some phone calls, do some paperwork, fix
something, or do a million other things. But I do occasionally get busy
with something else and if I dont use a timer, I will tend to forget and
burn my dinner.

The same is true with the bathtub. I start to fill it, and check it
regularly. However, as I age, I'm more forgetful than I used to be, and
do have the water going down the overflow at times. I've thought about
timing how long it takes to fill the tub, and putting another timer in
the bathroom to remind me. On the other hand, I've heard that they sell
some sort of device that hangs over the edge of thge tub, and when the
water reaches a sensor on that device, it sounds an alarm. I like that
idea, and would consider getting one of them if I know what they are
called and where to buy one.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:21:43 -0500, Caulki...@work.com wrote:

>On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 23:13:20 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
><teama...@eznet.net> wrote:


>>> In any case, I would never turn on a tub faucet and walk away.
>>> That's like turning on the stove and walking away.
>>>
>>
>>You stay next to your stove the entire time it's on?
>
>I was thinking the same thing! I dont stay by the stove when I'm
>cooking. Particularly when I'm boiling something.

I know someone that does. She has some OCD things going on and won't
leave the room while the stove is on. Won't leave the house until
every appliance (except refrigerator) is unplugged.

[RobertMacy]

On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 20:21:43 -0700, <Caulki...@work.com> wrote:

>> ....snip....

> water reaches a sensor on that device, it sounds an alarm. I like that
> idea, and would consider getting one of them if I know what they are
> called and where to buy one.
>
>

swimming pool sensor?

sump pump switch?

[HerHusband]

>>> It's great your overflow can keep up with the supply. None of our
>>> homes ever could (even our brand new home with fresh clean pipes).
>>> In any case, I would never turn on a tub faucet and walk away.
>>> That's like turning on the stove and walking away.

>> You stay next to your stove the entire time it's on?

> I was thinking the same thing! I dont stay by the stove when I'm
> cooking. Particularly when I'm boiling something.

You guys crack me up. It's funny how I have one thing pictured in my
mind, and it comes across as something completely different on the other
end. :)

No, I don't stand and watch a pot until it boils (a watched pot never
boils). Of course, I'm still usually close to the stove cutting up
vegetables or something so I'm not really leaving it unattended. The only
time I leave the stove is when I've turned down the heat to a level that
simmers consistently. Even then, I usually have a timer to remind me to
come back and check it. It's easy to get distracted by email, TV, etc.

I suppose I'm a little more cautious because my mom stepped away from the
stove when she was browning hamburger. She got distracted and when she
came back the pan was on fire. Fortunately the smoke alarm went off and
she was able to cover it before the house caught fire. It's a lesson I
learned as a teenager and it has stuck with me through life.

My best friend in high school also started heating some oil on the stove
to make French Fries. He stepped away "just for a minute" to use the
bathroom. When he came back the entire kitchen was on fire. Ended up
costing thousands of dollars to replace the cabinets and repair the smoke
damage throughout the house.

If I'm cooking and UPS shows up at the door or something, I turn off the
stove and take the pan off the burner until I can get back to it. Better
safe than sorry.

> I've heard that they sell some sort of device that hangs over the edge

> of the tub, and when the water reaches a sensor on that device, it
> sounds an alarm.

Search for "overflow alarm" on Amazon. There are a few devices there that
might do what you're looking for.

I'm still surprised how many of you fill up the tub before hopping in. :)

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

[HerHusband]

Ed,

> She has some OCD things going on and won't leave the room while
> the stove is on. Won't leave the house until every appliance
> (except refrigerator) is unplugged.

I'm not that bad, but I do tend to err on the side of caution. We never
start the dishwasher, the clothes dryer, etc. if we're leaving the house.
If we'll be gone overnight, we turn off the icemaker in the freezer. If
we're gone more than a day, we shut off the water to the house.

I've had enough life experiences, either personally or by people we've
known, not to take chances. I would rather deal with a little inconvenience
waiting to wash the dishes or something, than come back to a disaster.

Things break. Stuff happens. That's life. A little prevention is better
than hindsight.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 10/23/2013 10:22 AM, HerHusband wrote:

>> I was thinking the same thing! I dont stay by the stove when I'm
>> cooking. Particularly when I'm boiling something.
>
> You guys crack me up. It's funny how I have one thing pictured in my
> mind, and it comes across as something completely different on the other
> end. :)
>
> No, I don't stand and watch a pot until it boils (a watched pot never
> boils).

>

> I suppose I'm a little more cautious because my mom stepped away from the
> stove when she was browning hamburger. She got distracted and when she
> came back the pan was on fire. Fortunately the smoke alarm went off and
> she was able to cover it before the house caught fire.

>

> If I'm cooking and UPS shows up at the door or something, I turn off the
> stove and take the pan off the burner until I can get back to it. Better
> safe than sorry.

You have to exercise some caution based on the chore at hand. I won't
go far if I'm frying something, but if a pot roast is on very low for a
few hours, I don't worry.

A couple of months ago, I put some eggs on to boil for breakfast in the
morning. My wife was ill in bed so I went in to watch TV with her. I
heard a "pop" but had no idea what it was. Then a second and third pop.
Then I remembered! Fortunately, it was not real bad and the pot was
even salvageable with a little elbow grease.

[taw...@poderacademy.com]

Trailer drain pipes were run above the floor, with shallow tubs. Having an overflow means you have to usually run the drain under the floor to the main 4" sewer line so you have the clearance for the p trap. Kinda depends on the bathroom layout.