I didn't ask how it happened

I just had the following interchange with my good tenant. This is the same family whose water heater was leaking for over 2 months before they told me. Son brought up the rent and casually said:

Tenant: Do you have something to put on the bathtub?
Me: Ummmm what's the problem?
Tenant: I think the thing on the top needs something.
Me: What thing?
Tenant: Maybe some epoxy?
Me: What needs epoxy?
Tenant: The round thing.
Me: The drain or the overflow?
Tenant: I think we need epoxy, do you have anything?
Me: I am confused, I'll come down and look.
Tenant: Ok

After looking at the OVERFLOW cap, it was fine but the entire area around it (the ACTUAL TUB) is rotting and rusted and porcelain chipping off), I suggest using Caulk to fill in the HOLE all the way around.

Me: OK, come with me and I'll give you some caulking. It will save me a trip walking back down here.
Tenant: Ok.
Me: All alone walking back to house to get caulk. Tenant nowhere in sight.

Me back at house with caulk.

Me: Here's the caulk, just push the tip sideways and it will come out. (special can with self propellant)
Tenant: Do I need to add water?
Me: NO just push the tip and it will come out. Spread it around the drain in thin layers and let each one dry before adding another. Smooth it out with your finger.

Tenant then proceeds to liberally apply a thick coat all over and I walk out growling under my breath.

Hopefully it will at least fill in the gaping hole and coat the rusted, falling apart tub.

I have NO idea how this happened. All I can figure it they cleaned it with something totally caustic, like Muriatic Acid and left it sitting on there and it ate the porcelain and now the tub is falling apart around the overflow plate.

I went on the net and bought a BIG oversized overflow cap to cover it all. Hopefully it will arrive before they further kill the tub. At least it will look better.

I am still shaking my head wondering how anyone can 1)Not tell me for 2 months about a leaking water heater (bill doubled on water), 2)Let lime from our hard water build up to a point on the kitchen faucet that it actually corroded the metal and had to be totally replaced, and 3)Managed to somehow destroy the actual porcelain over iron tub around the overflow plate.

This is a family whose house is spotless and neat and they are nice people. I just don't know.

Arrrraaaaghhhhhh!

I think you need to do handy-man inspections quarterly so you can check things out for yourself. I think that falls in what a landlord can do as long as you let them know when to expect you. What a shame.

Ana

I was going to suggest just what Ana said. Could this tub be old enough that it is starting to rust and the porcelain is chipping of because of the rust underneath? I have an old porcelain over iron tub out in my barn - just sitting there - and I discovered that rain had been been blowing in on it and causing it to rust out.

Oh Sorta what next?? I agree with Ana about the inspections every now and then. I have lived in places that were inspected every three months. Hope what he did fixes it!!


Nan

This sounds like a cast iron tub that has rusted away for some reason.This is like a fender on an old car rusting away,in fact you would repair it the same way. You would have to get automotive Bondo to fill the area after you have removed all the loose rust then sand it smooth, then repaint it with porcelain paint. This would be a lot of work and expense,. I would get a new tub.

My goodness Sorta! I agree with Ana and Geo!

I agree with Geo - this sounds like a rust problem underneath the porcelain that is causing it to deteriorate and fall off.

What fun. Thanks for all the helpful hints. I'm going to make a little walk down there today to see what's happening.

I have two almost identical houses behind me on a 2/3 acre lot. When I bought them, the same tenants were living in this 'deteriorating' house. They are the aunt and uncle of the original landlords.

Both houses were built in 1954 and the tub in the other house was in perfect condition, but the one in this house was rusted through all over, including the bottom. I had to immediately replace all the 'fittings' (shower, tap, faucets) and apply a coating to the rusty bottom as a temporary fix.

Then I found a great 'remodel' deal and had BOTH bathrooms completely redone. New tub, tile surrounds, plumbing, toilet etc. Was a great investment.

So yesterday, I checked with the back tenant, and his tub and everything else in the bathroom is PERFECT. My 'bad luck' tenants have had mega breakdowns and degeneration of all water related items in the 15 years I've owed the property. I've replace the kitchen faucet TWICE, the bathroom faucet TWICE, the water heater, the toilet fittings TWICE. Same nice family, same since since long before I bought the houses.

Also, this family's house had TWO new water heaters before I bought it, NEW faucets, NEW toilet, etc. On and on. I really think that because they were in the custodian business for the Naval Station, that they are using some STRONG cleaning supplies on everything that is eating away at the finishes.

The house is SPOTLESS, all the time, awesome cleaning, but I'm comparing the other house to this one and one is fine, this one is crumbling away in the plumbing areas.

I'm heading down there today to ask to see how the 'fix' went and ask to see what they are cleaning the tub and tile with. You could EAT off the bathroom floor and lick the tile in the tub it's so sparkling. Not kidding. I've never see anything so clean and bright. Looks new all the time. Gotta be some sort of acid cleaning product.

In the meantime, I'll see if I can convince them to let me know IMMEDIATELY when things 'happen'. I've tried for 15 years and have not been successful. It's always well after the fact and damage is so much more than if they had notified me sooner.

Don't know how to proceed since I don't want a fuss, and I actually yelled at the nice lady a few years back about the sewer pump back up. They never tell me when the toilet won't flush and it's only when the other house tells me he has sewage in his tub that I find out the offending house has been having problems 'for a few weeks' as they put it. UGH!

If I have to replace that tub, I'm going to install one of my claw foot tubs (I have two old neat ones) and make it oh so cute in there. Would be cheaper and easier than a whole yank out and remodel.

UPDATE: Went down to check on progress of the tub 'repair'. He actually did a pretty fair job. All exposed metal is sealed nicely. I made him show me what they use for cleaning and it turns out it was Scrub Free, which isn't a bad cleaner.

Asked him how and when he noticed this problem and he said they saw a 'chip' of porcelain and then it just got bigger. Oh well. Wish they had told me when it was a TINY chip. Now I know it's probably just water getting behind the porcelain.

The new larger overflow drain cover should fit perfectly over the old one, without disturbing the repair and make it look nice and new. Problem sorta fixed.

THEN remote doorbell hasn't been working for weeks and weeks. I asked about batteries. Finally the son dragged out a coffee can of misc. batteries, some of which were rusty, etc. I got my little plastic battery tester and found most of his stuff was dead dead dead, including the batteries in the base unit of the doorbell AND the outdoor buttons. Sigh. I showed him how to check batteries, gave him some new ones for the buttons and all is working again.

It never ends.

It they'd told you about the chip when it was small you could have used a porcelain repair kit. They may not tell you of the failures because they don't want to bother you. Still, it isn't their house, so anything that goes wrong should be reported.

Yup, Homer, I agree with you. A minor fix would have been nice and it's gonna cost me in the long run.

When I was a renter for almost 30 years, I fixed everything i could myself and didn't bother my landlords unless it was something really big. Treated the houses like my own. I guess I was a rare case since the renters I have had and those who I know of from friends who are Landlords seem to not care as long as it's not their house. Damages go untold, little things become big things and thank goodness all the money I spend on my rentals is totally tax deductible right off the top of my income at tax time. It doesn't make it right, but at least it's an offset.

Hopefully things will be calm for awhile.

An acquaintance and his wife owned a set of apartments which burned beyond repair because they could get one particular renter to stop storing things in the water heater closet. At least that's what they believe happened. It was a nice set of apartments, but stupidity caused them to lose it all.