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Just bought a new house - new to me, but it's from '52. My bathtub looks like it's relatively new, and at first use was great. When we recently used it for a bath, however, it felt like there was some water... underneath the floor of the tub? It could be moved around, like a water bubble underneath a lawn.

Worried, I checked the basement - but there's no leak, nothing's even wet. What in the world is going on, and how do I fix it?

Even when the bathtub is empty, the water underneath the floor seems to remain - and it's got worse again when we tried taking another bath (which, in both pro-and-retrospect, we probably shouldn't have done).

enter image description here

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1 Answers1

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You probably have a bathtub liner with a hairline crack, and water between the liner and original tub.

If a renovation of this bathroom is on the horizon, you may opt for a short-term fix to temporarily get rid of the water. Since you have access from the basement you can remove the drain basket, then most of the water in the liner will flow into the drain. Some water may end up on the basement floor. Also look for the cracks or wherever the water is getting under the liner and seal that. Don't re-use the basket or the drain shoe washer. Watch youtube videos on how to replace a bathtub drain and use new parts as much as possible.

If a renovation is not on the horizon you may be able to replace the liner or remove it and reglaze the tub.

jay613
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