How to Add an Overflow to a Bathtub | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House heating and plumbing expert Richard Trethewey removes an old bathtub spout and installs an overflow for safety. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps.) SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse Cost: $60—$100 for parts Time: 3 to 4 hours Difficulty: Hard Shopping List for How to Add an Overflow to a Bathtub: - Bath waste and overflow toe-touch kit - 1 1/2-inch PVC piping fittings to design - 1 1/2-inch PVC pipe p-trap - Plumber’s putty - PVC primer and pipe cement Tools for How to Add an Overflow to a Bathtub: - Basin wrench - Reciprocating saw - Open-end wrench Steps for How to Add an Overflow to a Bathtub: 1. Turn off water supply to bathtub. 2. Remove old spout by unscrewing it from the rear space of the bathtub with a basin wrench. 3. Remove line to old drain shoe with a reciprocating saw and unscrew the shoe by hand. 4. Add plumber’s putty to the toe-touch and place it in the empty drain hole. 5. Have a friend hold the shoe on the outside end while you screw and tighten the toe-touch into the shoe with an open-end wrench. 6. Have a friend place the back of the overflow along with a gasket through the upper hole in the bathtub. 7. Now tighten up the overflow with the nut from the overflow toe-touch kit. 8. Pop on the cover to the overflow on the bathtub side. 9. Depending on design of piping, prefit PVC pipes to your custom system. 10. When you find a design that fits, make the connections with PVC primer and pipe cement. Resources: To replace the old spout with an overflow, Richard used an ABA Classic Bath Waste and Overflow Touch Toe made by AB&A [https://ipscorp.com/plumbing/brands/aba/]. Richard also used standard 1½-inch PVC pipe and fittings, which can be found at home centers and plumbing supply stores. About Ask This Old House TV: Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we re ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House INSIDER to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://bit.ly/34RYEP5 Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter http://bit.ly/AskTOHTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG http://bit.ly/AskTOHIG For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseWebsite How to Add an Overflow to a Bathtub | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/