Thanks for the pay check did you know Nick pays me and Roy to jerk your chain its always good for a couple hundred clicks:shock:
Wow 360 clicks I will get a good check for this thread
Delusion too?
I see.
Good info to know!
I have read the article on answers.com. IDK, I have looked at a lot of tub manufacturers and found they specifically call them overflows. But I only test the overflows on new construction. About 1 out of 15 leak. I also don’t know why someone would not call them “True Overflows”. If they are installed correctly, then they perform the intended function.
I have to say that I don’t believe it costs millions and millions of dollars to re-design a tub mold. In fact, I don’t think designing an overflow as a safety device is that difficult and I’m pretty sure It’s been done lots of times, since tubs are available that differ radically in design. I haven’t researched this, but I think it would be a good idea to reach past answers.com for a good general answer to this question.
When I inspect new or newer construction here in AZ without overflow drains I make sure to tell the clients and put a comment in the report that care must be taken to not over fill sinks and tubs
This belief is also held by many building inspectors and building code officials. Here is how bathtub overflows came to be: 100 years ago manufacturing molds for cast iron bathtubs had a hole for mounting a tub spout inside the tub. In other words, the original purpose for the hole was as a mounting point for the tub filler spout. It was later learned that water from the tub could back siphon through the spout into the water supply. Plumbing codes made this installation illegal. With the tub spout moved up on the wall, manufacturers were left with a hole that had no purpose. The molds for the tubs were so expensive that the manufacturers could not afford to change the mold to remove the hole. Their first idea was a solid plate mounted in the hole with a chain attached to the plate and a rubber drain stopper at the other end. Second idea: A trip lever to move the tub stopper up and down. The lever is attached to a rod which went down the backside of the tub and then under the tub to the drain where it attaches to the stopper. This assembly required a housing to enclose the trip lever rod. Once this housing was in place some trip lever plate manufacturers cut a slot in the plate. The slot allowed a very small amount of water to flow down the housing when the water level in the tub reached it. People later dubbed this assembly an overflow even though it would not prevent a tub from overflowing due to an unattended filling operation. There was no intention at the time for this to be a real overflow and no code work (standards creation, engineering calculations, testing protocol, or listing) was ever done to make this setup a real overflow. Nothing has changed from then to now - we are still installing trip lever housings - not overflows.
