Steel tub and loud noises?

Question

I asked this question yesterday, but none of the answers I got worked out. Still have the same problem...I will quote:

"I have installed this tub: http://www.americanstandard-us.com/bathtubs/new-solar-bath-for-above-floor-rough-installation/
 as per the instructions. I have installed tubs before. Instructions do not call for mortar bed, so I did not use one. 

 The problem is, if you stand in the tub and shift your weight from side to side, the tub makes very loud cracking/creaking noises from beneath, coming from the [glue??] connection between the styrofoam pad and the steel tub itself. Whenever you rock your weight to one side, this connection makes a loud "snapping" or "cracking" noise as it shifts with you. 

 I have tried shimming under the styrofoam, I have tried shimming between the styrofoam pad and the tub, I've tried shimming under the skirt, and also under the nailing flange between the flange and the stringer. I've put shims everywhere I can think of -- the noise persists. 

I am 100% sure the noise is coming from the connection between the tub and the styrofoam. Whether it is glued on or not I don't know. I could not figure out how to get the sound to go away, so I cut the sheetrock open on the other side of the wall so I could look in underneath the tub. The styrofoam isn't rubbing against the floor, and the noise is less of a "creak" and more of a "crack", like a snapping sound whenever you lift your weight up and shift it to somewhere else. 

 Taking the styrofoam out and using a mortar bed would be impossible, the pad is about 5 inches thick, meaning the bottom of the tub basin sits 5 inches off the subfloor and between the basin and the floor is a thick piece of styrofoam."

So I filled the tub with water and let it sit, hoping the weight would settle the tub. No luck at all. 

I tried taking down the 2x4 nailer so that the tub sits on the styrofoam alone and nothing else - this seems to deaden the sound a little bit, but then I get a new sound, which is like crushing styrofoam, so that's probably a bad idea. 

I tried shimming the edges of the tub up so high that the styrofoam is sitting off the ground by half an inch, and this made the sound much worse. 

Nothing I do can make this noise go away, and it's very loud, not something you can just get used to. 

Any ideas???

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

If it's too late to replace the tub, I would try removing as much styrofoam as you can and replacing it with something else. Urethane foam or mortar (build a form around the bottom of the tub). You might be able to mix mortar very dry and push it in. Whatever you use should be non-expanding.

Did you call AS? I get 800-442-1902 when I google it.

Did you call AS?  I get 800-442-1902 when I google it.

cabinfixer · Answer

Remove the shims and  fill the tub 1/4 to 1/2 full of water. Get a can of expanding foam and spray it all around the base of the tub starting with the most difficult to reach side first.  Fill all gaps and get it behind the styrofoam strips. Quickly fill the tub up the rest of the way and let it sit full of water overnight. The weight of the water will keep the tub from being pushed up by the foam.  Drain the water the next morning and test for squeaks.

? · Answer

Without physically being there, and giving you the benefit of the doubt, that you are correct, you may try this. If you can remove the styrofoam block from under the tub. Fill the tub up about 1/4 of the way. Spray a couple cans of spray foam (typically used around windows and doors), and spray completely under the base of the tub. Allow it a day to fully expand and harden, and that should fix the problem, if it is indeed what you believe it to be.

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Steel tub and loud noises?

3 Answers