Changing shower to a bathtub

[ice2fire]

DW likes a bathtub instead of a shower. SO, how difficult/easy would it be to convert our shower to a bathtub ? Cost ?

Thanks for any suggestions/ideas.

[drsteve]

I've never seen an RV tub that was suitable for anything more than rinsing off a toddler, or as a place to stash dirty clothes and empty beverage cans. As others have said, there's not enough hot water to fill one up anyway. As far as on demand heaters, some people love 'em--I have one in my S&B that works great--while others are not so happy.

[ice2fire]

Quick check with Camping World (not that I ever buy stuff from them - more expensive than most) is about $200 with dimensions of 24"W x 42"L X 13"H. DW only usually at home uses only about 8" deep (Just like her Mother !!), so that would be adequate.

Looks like the baths have lips around 3 sides, end, back, end. I wonder if we could cut the existing panel at one end at the appropriate height, and slip the bath under it ? What about the back ? The existing shower wall panel is only about 24", so need more panels, or one big one, and then there is the other end.

It would be adequate if we kept the existing shower head. No need for bath taps.

[ice2fire]

Yes, we'd also have to get one of those in-line continuous water heaters, don't seem to be outrageously expensive. Any opinions on propane versus electricity ?

DW is very athletic, so getting in and out would be no problem. We also have a full hook up, so no problem with draining water. However, how deep are the tubs ?Covering "the essentials" as one poster neatly said, is hardly enough. I'll check on that. She only weighs about 160lbs, so not a problem. But we might need to worry about her plus water weight.

More detective work needed. I have a RV man coming around soon to do a minor job soon. I'll ask him. Thanks.

[stasha]

GWolfe wrote:
The tub was nice for giving the pups a bath if they get into anything while out camping too.

Great idea. We travel with 3 dogs.

[stasha]

Tyler0215 wrote:
Get a bigger water heater. Do you have room for that?

I wonder if adding on one of those instant heater units might be the trick?

[GWolfe]

My last camper had the small tub, this one a shower. I had less water splashing out onto the floor with the tub, it seems like I am always cleaning up water off of the floor in this camper. The tub was nice for giving the pups a bath if they get into anything while out camping too.

[Tyler0215]

Weight wise, no problem, they put tubs in RV's everyday, usually TT's. But they are available.
If you have the room for a small tub, why not? Cost wise if you have someone else do it it will cost a bunch. There's a lot involved. You have to remove the old shower, redo all the plumbing and walls. Get a bigger water heater. Do you have room for that?

[rockhillmanor]

I've had 3 RV's that had a tub so I know you can buy a lightweight RV tub that you could add safely with existing frame from shower, by taking out shower pan.

But,....

1. RV Tub is not that tall, barely covers the essentials.
2. Water heater is small capacity. I found one tank of heated water is not enough to heat a tub.
3. Unless you are parked with full hookups, using a tub once a day will full up your gray tank in a heart beat.

That is why I no longer buy RV's with tubs. It's showers all the way.

[Sam_Spade]

stasha wrote:

BUT, similar to your situation, my wife also wants her tub!

Well you can't always have what you want. 🙂

I strongly encourage anyone who actually embarks on this project to NOT disable the shower because.......if you are not connected to "city water", just one bath likely would use up your ENTIRE fresh water supply. I also wonder about the 12 V pump moving that much water all in one shot.

[Dutch_12078]

We have a so called "garden tub" that's about 24"x36" in our coach. We have tried using it as a tub, but as said, the hot water capacity really limits the amount of water you can fill it with. Getting in and out of the limited space is also not that easy. It does make for a little roomier shower area though, than the common 30" units. As far as sealing goes, it's no different than many shower stalls where the wall surround extends over a lip on the tub edges. At the front, we originally had a 3-section sliding door, but have since replaced it with a retractable shower screen that's sort of like window shade mounted sideways. The screen has a lower track that prevents water spray from escaping the tub area. The screen opens up all but a couple of inches of the full tub front, making entry/exit and tub cleaning much easier.

[stasha]

agesilaus wrote:
Weight would be the major issue. Your home bathtub if it is not on the ground floor requires heavy beams, closely spaced to support it. My house has 2X8(might be 2x10) beams with 12 inch spacing. RV's are not built on the ground and don't have the bracing for a tub. Water is heavy (62.4 lb/CF) and you also have the weight of the bather.

And do you have room for a tub? Few RV bathrooms are that large.

The RV tubs look like they are drop-in's into your present shower unit, having dimensions typical of shower units. In our past 3 MH's I wanted to replace the shower floor with a tub, but never got around to doing it.
Here's a link to some options: http://www.rvpartscountry.com/RvBathtubs.html

I don't know how to attach a pic of an example 24 x 36 tub.

I imagine one would just use the present drain hole. There would be the concern about sealing the sides so that water would not leak down the sides when using the showerhead or splashing around with your baby duck. And then there is the question how to seal the front/visible side of the tub, where it would meet the shower door.

I am sure someone has solved these things.

Obviously, the size will be prejudiced against overweight people, and the elderly and others with arthritis and orthopedic problems might have difficulty getting up from being scrunched into such a small area.

BUT, similar to your situation, my wife also wants her tub!

[JaxDad]

Does your DW like cold baths?

I’ve never come across an RV with much of a hot water heater. 6 gallons won’t go very far and the time to reheat would likely mean the previous tank full of heated water would then be cold before the next one was hot.

[agesilaus]

Weight would be the major issue. Your home bathtub if it is not on the ground floor requires heavy beams, closely spaced to support it. My house has 2X8(might be 2x10) beams with 12 inch spacing. RV's are not built on the ground and don't have the bracing for a tub. Water is heavy (62.4 lb/CF) and you also have the weight of the bather.

And do you have room for a tub? Few RV bathrooms are that large.