On 15 Feb 2007 15:39:14 -0800, wrote:

When I plug stopper at the bottom of the bath tub and turn on the
water, after sometime the bathtub overflows. The overflow drain at the
top of the tub does not seem to be doing it's job. The outflow is less
than the intake. My house is one year old. My builder won't accept
that it is problem. Is this normal and acceptable?

I think it is normal. I don't want to accept it, but I have no
choice.

Even if the faucet open very little, the drain is not enough to keep
from overflowing on my tub and my powder room sink. The other two
sinks are identical, so I suppose the same thing applies.

Is there any
california safety requirement for bathtubs?

Human safety? How would a better overflow help humans to be safe?

Household safety. I don't think there is a rule anywhere about how
much the drain has to drain.

I'm sure they slow down the time of overflow, although I'll admit some
seem to barely allow anything to pass, not just tubs but sinks.

In order to have a deeper bathtub, I inverted my overflow, and I
didn't pay attention before, but the middle of my open section of the
metal part just about reaches the tub. I was going to try to put in a
spacer to open it up a bit, and I guess that will open it along the
middle also, lowering the water level when I want it high. Not sure
what I'll do.

When I had no heat last two winters ago, furnace problem, I got
started leaving the hot water in the tub after I took a bath. Made use
of the heat and humidity. But one time I left the water running a
little bit too. Sitting in view of the bathroom floor, but water is
invisible. Poured into the dining room below. I wasn't happy. Now I
am extra careful to check that no water is coming out of the faucet
before I leave the room, and I've continued to only leave for maybe 10
seconds when filling the tub. I often get distracted on another floor
or another room and stay for an hour, but I won't allow that to happen
when filling the tub.


(In Brooklyn NY, I defeated the overflow to have deeper water, and
extra inch or inch and a half, and it was a rental so I was even more
worried I would do some damage. Lived there for 10 years and never
made a mistake once. AND, I remembered to take the tape off the
overflow holes before I moved out. (1930's tubs in a luxury building
used an external outside pipe with stopper pipe, with overflow holes
in the top of the stopper pipe. Very nice arrangement actually.
Makes the tub smooth inside.

Thanks
Tom