Plumber or other handyman competent to install a bathtub

[Sheryl]

Does anyone know of one that might be willing to come out to Prachinburi (i.e. in Bangkok and environs, or maybe Kabinburi or even Korat)?

By competent I mean one who understands how to install a bathtub that will be used to take baths in, not as a place to stand and shower, with all the implications that has in terms of the weight that has to be supported.

It is possible there will need to be some repair/reinforcement of the concrete floor under the tub as well as the prior, poorly installed one, leaked through and did some damage.

I will have to buy the new tub so a store that both sells them and could provide installation would be fine (and perhaps up my chances of getting someone to come out here if I bought the tub itself from them.)

I realize I will have to pay extra for someone to travel and am prepared to do so.

Any advice much appreciated.

[tompelli]

I have a spa bath in my house in Prachin. Used it a couple of times in maybe 7 years, so think long & hard - do you really need it? Homepro has a store in Prachin, we bought ours from Boonthawong(?) in BKK. Our local builder installed it, not that complicated. Depending on the size/weight full concrete should be ok. Can PM me for more information.

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[Sheryl]

It is not a spa/bath, it is a regular bathtub and I do need it, use it daily, I am a bath rather than shower person.

The plot has now thickened in that I stopped using that tub 2 days back and this did not stop the leaking, in fact it has worsened and now spread to part of an adjacent room. Turning off the water to the house decreases the rate of the leak and after several hours it stops, but when turned back on, it resumes and takes a while to stop after the water is turned off again. So I assume the source of the leak must be in the water pipes coming into the house to the upstairs bathroom, and the water is flowing down and collecting under the tub and then leaking through the concrete. In other words, problem is more than just removal and installation of a bathtub.

I am not totally sure where the incoming water pipes are upstairs other than somewhere in the wall, and of course the leak could be anywhere along the whole length of the piping. Anyhow since it is evident there is a collection of water under the tub and likely damage to some of the concrete floor I think no choice but to remove the tub, once having done that it is likely that we will see that the water is coming down from a point higher up in the wall and we'll have to remove tiles and break through the wall there to locate and fix it. So looking at a large job, probably replacement of both bathtub and wall and tiles as well as underlying cement flooring. And desperately need a competent plumber(s) to do it.

[bankruatsteve]

Try to find and check all the cut-off valves and bum guns. If you're lucky, the leak will be one or more of those. If you have a leaking PVC joint, you could be into some serious destruction to find and fix.

Did you check your hot water heater and the copper? lines to the tub? The connections to the tub faucets?

As for plumber, you might try going to your local Home Pro or the like and asking for recommendation.

[Sheryl]

There is no visible leak anywhere, it is happening either under the tub entirely or else inside the walls around the tub and then leaking down under it. So bum guns, faucets etc are not involved.

Have now gotten the tub removed. Huge wet mess underneath as expected.

It turns out that when they installed the tub all they did was pile in huge amounts of sand around 2 sort of metal supports (not bolted to anything) so aside from the immediate leak problem not a proper installation by any stretch of the imagination.

Those huge piles of sand are now a morass of wet sand. Shoveling it out and still trying to figure out where the leak is. There is a PVC water inlet pipe running beneath where the tub was (coming from the floor and leading to the wall) but no obvious leaks in the portion visible though very hard to see a small leak with all the dirty wet sand around it. We cut it in half and sealed it off so that with the water on will be able to see which half had the leak. Either way will probably entail breaking open tiles - either on the floor if it is that half to blame or in the wall if the other half.

Assuming this ultimately gets resolved I will (in addition to a ceiling repair downstairs and repair of wall or floor upstairs) need to reinstall either old tub or a new one. So back to the issue of how to find someone who will do a competent job. Are the ones at HomePro usually OK? I.e. will they actually install a tub properly so that it is fixed in place and can support the weight of a couple hundred liters of water?

[bankruatsteve]

Home Pro will use a plumbing service to install. Not the idiots that work there.

[Crossy]

Home Pro will use a plumbing service to install. Not the idiots that work there.

I've not used HomePro for plumbing, but the guys who installed our aircons (they arrived in a van marked HomePro with the A/Cs) did a clean and professional job.

[Sheryl]

Ok thanks. Off to price new tubs today and will talk with them. Can't install for a few days anyhow as still sorting out possible water leak.

[Pacificperson]

Try using a stethascope on the walls. Sometimes you can hear the leak or hear the water flowing in the pipes.

[Sheryl]

No luck, alas.

Anyhow back to the tub: Home Pro will install though they charge 7,000 baht for it on top of the price of the tub. Seems exorbitant to me but I suppose I'll give in and go with them in the hopes that at this price, they at least do it right.

Extremely small selection of tubs though. I have to go to Bkk tomorrow so will check out Homer Pro in Rangsit as they likely have more.

[lopburi3]

This two threads is confusing - have you looked at Home Pro website for tubs? There seem to be quite a few available.(67). You can also find out which store has what. And on second view a huge range in price!

http://www.directtoshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?searchTerm=bathtub&categoryId=&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&pageSize=40&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=

[isawasnake]

I feel your pain. The only "solution" I have come up with her is sometimes my wife can find very good repair or install men. She got some good guys to do our aircon for sure. Other than that, my adage is that if you want a job done competently here, you'd better roll up your sleeves, get ready to buy a few tools, and do it yourself. Really. The best you are going to do will be a total crapshoot.

[Crossy]

No luck, alas.

Anyhow back to the tub: Home Pro will install though they charge 7,000 baht for it on top of the price of the tub. Seems exorbitant to me but I suppose I'll give in and go with them in the hopes that at this price, they at least do it right.

Extremely small selection of tubs though. I have to go to Bkk tomorrow so will check out Homer Pro in Rangsit as they likely have more.

If you've not already left Sheryl, try the new MegaHome, just north of Rangsit, between the Khlong Luang junction and Rangsit.

[Sheryl]

Already left. But had a long and very useful conversation with very knowledgable person at HomePro Rangsit (what a difference over the HP near me!!).

It seems that there is an iron frame they use to support tubs and these sell for 5,000 baht and then there is a 2,000 baht labor charge, so I assume that's what the 7,000 baht for installation was all about though I need to go back to my local HP and try to verify this. She also indicated there is an alternative method of installation they use involving "poon", which seems to be something concrete-like and is less expensive but involves more work to install (the iron frame thing is pretty simple). In both cases, no sand used.

As there are small differences (a few cm) between the height and width of the old tub and available new ones, there will probably have to be some building up of the area around it so I will probably buy the cast iron frame and have the current localchang install it as process seems fairly straightfoward.

Thanks for the home Pro website, good to have.

[Sheryl]

Well I may end up going back to Rangsit and trying Mega home after all. Struck out big time at Home Pro Prachin. After 5 agonizing hours there. I will spare you all the details. Suffice it to say they have no clue about bathtubs nor how to install them. I wasn't even able to buy one let alone arrange installation, and I tried very hard to do so. (To be fair that branch of HP only opened a few months back, the staff are new and inexperienced and it was pretty clear they had not yet ever sold a bathtub. If today's experience was anything to go by they likely never will.)

Having variously been told (by the same people) that:

- all they do is put the tub down on the floor, and leave it free.

- they put a layer if concrete down first on top of the existing concrete (unclear how they ensure a snug fit with the tub. Seemingly they don't and the concrete is just there to buffer the underlying water pipe, so tub still unanchored and likely to rock back and forth)

- numerous other garbled stories seemingly invented on the spot in response to my looks of horror/disbelief

And told wildly different prices for the installation (anywhere from 1,500 to 7,000 baht, by different people, which is what led me to probe what exactly their installation consisted of/included parts-wise)

It is clear that this is not a viable source of workmen to install a bathtub. HP Rangsit would be fine but they will not send people out to (nor deliver to) Prachin and rather insist I go to HP Prachin.

Which also proved not to be a place one could even buy a tub for someone else to install, as when I finally went to purchase the one I had been told was right there in stock, suddenly it was not in stock and would take more than 2 weeks to order. (Statement by someone who did not go to check....the same salesperson who told me there was no such thing as a paper with the specs of the tub and installation instructions on it on it (I am >95% sure it comes with such). I suspect it was in stock (and with such a paper) but what to do, they defeated me.

So I am back where I started. Will try 2 other places in Prachin tomorrow but they are small and bathtubs not popular out here so I am not too optimistic. And this is just trying to buy the &^%$ thing, let alone get it properly installed.....

I did find online installation instructions, in Thai and in English, from American Standard who have a model I like so if I can just obtain the tub there is some home I can get local chang to install it properly, at least I'll have an idea what it is he should be doing. (Which is not, of course, leaving it free-standing nor plopping it down upon a mountain of sand).

[Sheryl]

Have finally achieved purchase of a new tub. 2 days trying throughout Prachinburi province were to no avail as was a number of phone calls to places in Bkk but finally Boonthavorn in Patumthani cam through and were extremely helpful -- I was even able to arrange the whole thing on the phone without having to go down there. Will be delivered in 4-5 days.

Now back to the original problem of ensuring competent installation....

[bankruatsteve]

Boontharvorn is high quality place. I'm sure they will do a good job for you.

Cheers.

[Sheryl]

They aren't installing (won't come out this far), just selling the tub.

[lopburi3]

Actually they normally sell to contractors as well as normal customers - we have always used, in Bangkok, with contractor so not sure if they have lists/arrangements with installers but would expect they could find someone even if off records. They seem to have been getting more customer oriented in last few years.

[Sheryl]

It is 200 km distance between me and them, they do not have any contractors/installers in my area.

[Sheryl]

Well a "chang" has been obtained and actually shown up (something I have learned not to expect let alone assume). And so far so good, he shows signs of actually having some sense and also of working carefully i.e. resisting the urge many of them seem to have to do as much damage to the rest of the house as possible.

Boonthavorn however is kicking up a fuss over the delivery. Their transportation department has rejected my instructions, demanding a map, and then rejected the map, for no clear reason, and 2 subsequent maps also sent. I suspect they simply don't want to come out here and that many calls back and forth seeking intercession fro m the sales rep will be required to resolve this. I get that a lot from Bangkok places.

[lopburi3]

It is 200 km distance between me and them, they do not have any contractors/installers in my area.

But they might have a relationship with such a person who could do on there own (and extra expense for trip)? I would ask them as at least it would be someone experience in such matters.

Sorry responded before reading second post. But now sounds like the tub may be a no show and will have to arrange own transport - so I would be asking them if they know anyone that can bring and install and you will arrange details directly?

[Sheryl]

As I have already paid for tub plus delivery charges, I will persist until they give up and deliver it as promised....

[tompelli]

Once your tub arrives, make sure the Chang understands to leave some kind of access to under the tub (if it is built-in). If it leaks again, you don't have to demolish everything. Most euro tubs have a detachable front panel to let you see what's going on.

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[Sheryl]

Plan to build in a trap door like thing on the ceiling of the floor underneath.

No front panel and anyway it is a drop-in tub that sits within a tile/cement counter.

[lopburi3]

But believe that cement wall could have an access plate on it to the drain area of tub? Believe most/some hotels have that way?

[Sheryl]

As the wall is already there, would be a big job to install this.

Still fighting with Boonthavorn re delivery. After repeated lack of response from them finally got the sales rep on the phone who complained that I needed to send a different sort of map. I pointed out i had already sent 5 different ones, including several hand drawn in a word document. Emerged that her computer either did not have MS Word or had wrong version and she couldn't open it. Which if she had told me in the first place would have saved 2 days of back and forth. Anyway resent in pdf file and they now admit to having adequate map but still no date set for delivery. Inch by inch progress.....

[Sheryl]

Update:

A bathtub has been achieved.

And a nice long bath taken in it without (knock on wood) incident thus far.

(Of course, the old tub was in there for >15 years before it began leaking.....)

But this one does feel a whole lot more solidly in place and I know for a fact it is cemented onto strong brick columns, not sitting free amid a pile of sand.