Trough bathtubs?

[Roadschooldreamer143]

For a few reasons, I like the idea of a small tub for my young kids to bath in, by the time we are using our bus full time, my full time kids will be almost 2 and 4.5 yo. however I'm wanting to insulate it. Was considering corrugated steel walls on 3 sides, the 32" tub in there, then spray foam insulation in the gaps and a small "deck" around the edge for putting shampoo and soap and stuff on. My only concern would be the need to access the plumbing at some point and having to carve away insulation. Was thinking of maybe doing the spray on the sides away from the plumbing and just having an access door?? Or maybe there is some sort of insulating enamel paint I can use?

Ideas welcome!

Like this but not oval.

 

[Robin97396]

Way to go. That is the fanciest trough tub I've ever seen.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. You want to insulate the stall behind the corrugated metal, or you're just thinking of insulating the tub to retain heat better? Since it's inside the bus it seems redundant to insulate the stall unless you're attempting to control the moisture by sealing it up.
Since you're already doing such a nice job I'll assume I'm preaching to the quire. Personally I would probably insulate the bottom of the tub to reduce heat transfer, but beyond that I'd depend on the envelope of the bus for insulation.

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

Way to go. That is the fanciest trough tub I've ever seen.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. You want to insulate the stall behind the corrugated metal, or you're just thinking of insulating the tub to retain heat better? Since it's inside the bus it seems redundant to insulate the stall unless you're attempting to control the moisture by sealing it up.
Since you're already doing such a nice job I'll assume I'm preaching to the quire. Personally I would probably insulate the bottom of the tub to reduce heat transfer, but beyond that I'd depend on the envelope of the bus for insulation.

Yeah I don't plan to insulate the whole wall just was trying to paint the picture and then I FOUND the picture and didn't edit my post LOL! Anywho, yes I was talking about insulating just around the tub so the kids could sit in warm water for longer. In the summer I could care less because they will just bathe in a Rubbermaid bin outside if they want a bath lol. But we're going to live in it full time and our winters will be spent hunkered down at one of our families properties around the country which all happen to be in cold weather areas! So the best insulation possible is a must! I will eventually be making boxes with foam insulation filling that will fit perfectly in our skoolie window frames to keep the heat from escaping. Not as much light but much warmer!

 

[family wagon]

I would think just 1-1.5 inches of foam would make a big difference to keeping the bath water warm, but much thicker than that probably would yield quickly diminishing returns. Would you have the water supply so near to the trough that it would be encapsulated in foam that thin?

As for the drain hardware, I probably wouldn't worry about it being foamed in place. Leak test before foaming, of course. The stomp-style drain valve used in the picture you included would leave nothing serviceable inside the drain pipe and foam anyway -- all the drain stopper stuff is just right there under that cap.

There's surely some release agent you could apply to surfaces where you don't want the foam to bond, so that if down the road you wanted to remove the drain pipes or whatever it'd be an easy matter to cut through the foam and have it fall away from the pipes. Perhaps just a water mist, soapy water, cooking spray, etc. Maybe a wrapped-on barrier like stretch/cling wrap from the kitchen would be good enough. Check with your foam supplier, or if it's just Great Stuff etc from the hardware store, do a few experiments to find out what surfaces/contaminants it doesn't bond well with.

 

[ol trunt]

FW, you are right on with the kitchen cling stuff. I have used it for from everything like making plaster and expanded metal lath dies for making fiber glass molds to casting "rubber" form fit grommets for door striker plates. I've yet to find anything that dissolves cling wrap though some materials bond tightly to it. Jack

 

[bansil]

please plan on support underneath the tub, I cringe when I watch the tiny home shows and 2 people are standing in one and there is no support, that could get messy in a hurry

also make sure you can replace it when it starts to rust and leak, have you looked at the plastic feed/water troughs like at TSC?

Thats what we went with

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

please plan on support underneath the tub, I cringe when I watch the tiny home shows and 2 people are standing in one and there is no support, that could get messy in a hurry

also make sure you can replace it when it starts to rust and leak, have you looked at the plastic feed/water troughs like at TSC?

Thats what we went with

We were planning on spraying the foam insulation on the bottom as well for support because that was a thought I had. We are also spraying it with clear concrete sealer which will stick to the metal and provide a durable barrier for rust, then on the inside I am painting it with an enamel paint used for refinishing bath tubs and tile. It's basically like liquid porcelain...that will go on the inside to make it nice and smooth as well as protect from rust. Then I planned on using a flexible caulk around all the seams and edges to help prevent leaks.

I have looked at the poly tubs but haven't found any that meet our wants for depth as well as width and length. If you could point me in the direction of a 32" diameter x 2' deep round or a 3x2x2 oval tub like the one pictured that doesn't have tiered walls I'd be MORE than interested!!! I've searched for those dimensions and haven't found anything yet.

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

please plan on support underneath the tub, I cringe when I watch the tiny home shows and 2 people are standing in one and there is no support, that could get messy in a hurry

also make sure you can replace it when it starts to rust and leak, have you looked at the plastic feed/water troughs like at TSC?

Thats what we went with

Found this one...not quite as big but that's fine I suppose! I like that it's deeper and will still fit in the area we are using. I can still insulate it and build the same decking around it. Wondering if I should get a really small rubber pond liner for under it and up the walls a bit in case of a leak or anything even though it will all be caulked around the edges.

 

[bansil]

this is the one we went with...just have to finish installing

(31 x 53 x 25) 100 gallon or so :biggrin:

 

[Jolly Roger-SKO]

How about for the original tub/trough wrap it on the outside with some good plastic with the close plumbing installed under the plastic and make it a drop in tub just like a drop in sink.
A lot of the foams that you can buy doesn't work well for support? And usually wears down in the common standing areas/traffic area wherever your but sits and you stand in a bath tub is a common area and I would reccomend extra support in those areas.
If it on top of the existing bus floor then I would add some solid concrete bricks around the drain and in the main step in out a setting areas for support.
Some spray insulation loves galvanized metal (eats it up) so my plastic wrap on the original will help seperate the two and allow you to pull it out later or find a standard size plastic one because all manufacturer like to change sizes and shapes over the years or make sure it is a staple product (old timey feed stores) .
Just an opinion?
Good luck

 

[Jolly Roger-SKO]

Meant to add
Love the idea and I took a many a cool down/ bath in the cattle trough and the cattle didn't care cause we new each other and I didn't have soap?
I will be adding the same form of idea in 2-3yrs when my kids go to college and I have room after taking there beds out.
You are on the right track by thinking of getting back to all piping and things later even if it is an inspection portal and if a drain installed properly leaks it's only going to happen under full bathtub pressure (over time) and if the water lines leak installed properly then it will be under full on board pump pressure or street/campground/ incoming pressure and you can test/ fix all while it is outside the bus.

 

[Hernandez]

Hi, I'm planning on using a horse trough in our bathroom too. How yours came out. Could you share any useful thought and recommendation? I would like to know how your clear cement (liquid porcelain) worked.
Thank you
Pedro