I don't have one but I imagine the water would get cold quickly.

Sounds like it could work - I have no idea - but I'm just laughing because all the farms I've been around use old bathtubs as horse troughs!

I think it would look cool, just not sure how comfortable it would be. I love to lean back and put my head on the back edge of the tub. Not sure you could do that with a horse trough. But I guess it depends on how you use your tub. I hope you get to do it, it's a great idea.

it is functional, and you could always contrive some sort of seat if you want to lie back, as sam says.

it's deep, so I wonder how much water you would use when filling it (perhaps not to capacity)?

as a green/environmental matter, I wonder which uses more energy in manufacture and usage.

I think the major con would be that a horse trough would not be as comfortable as a bathtub. Also, I'm not sure how durable it would be against leaks. If a horse trough leaks a little bit, no problem, its refilled everyday. If a bathtub leaks, you've got a big mess to clean up.

-Jonathan

my only concern would be the drain. i'm not sure that a typical plumbing fixture could accommodate the trough. high leak potential? but other than that, i think you'd be set.

People use them as hot tubs outdoors -- there are websites about it telling you which ones are best. I would like to get one for my garden but don't know where to find it. Also DH isn't mad for them.

I love the idea, and you could put a little stool or bench in it.

I too would worry about leaks around the drain. Also, more water means more weight - make sure your floors can support it.

From my experience with cattle tanks, I don't think a horse trough would drain completely, as the water would collect in the seam between bottom and side wall instead of heading toward the drain. That could definitely lead to rust. You'll also need to watch out for any sharp edges on the metal. I think if you want to use the trough, you could get some kind of clear spray-on liner for the interior to fill in any cracks, cover the edges, and make it a bit softer. Considering that some of our great-grandparents were still washing in metal tubs less than a century ago, I'd say this is definitely a viable idea. Go for it! :)

you should be able to plumb sufficiently, but the galvanized metal will rust eventually in places and as mentioned, the potential for leaks is high... plus, chemicals used for cleaning you or the tub itself will eventually wear the finish. if you're set on it you might think to get it plumbed then have a tub-refinisher spray coat it with epoxy for a safer, more rust-proof interior finish. it might be cool to have it in a contrasting color like turquoise.

WOW - totally cool idea... I so love it... WOW!!!

Will you please report back if you do this? I'd love to hear how it goes.

The others are right:

The pro is that it's cheap.

The cons are:
It's not going to be comfortable to lie in.
It's not going to drain completely.
It's not going to retain the heat of the water.
It's going to be a major pain to clean, because as the zinc layer (the galvanizing) corrodes it will trap mold, mildew, soapscum and dirt.
It's not going to improve your homes resale value - In fact, it could be a serious detriment to making a sale and you'll probably have to replace it with a proper tub when it comes time to sell.
Finally, it may not even meet the plumbing codes in your state.

Claw foot tubs are pretty comfortable but the horse trough looks kind of awkward to sit in. I don't think it would make for a very enjoyable bath. Maybe if you had kids and they liked to play and splash a lot. Then the sides would keep the water in a bit better...The trough doesn't look very conducive to having a bath and reading a book.

I saw this done in a very unusual eclectic house with a black plastic/rubber/vinyl(?) kind of livestock water trough. The black plastic one worked pretty well, and they had been using it for years. Don't know about the metal ones.

I used to swim in our unused water troughs when I was little. You would really need to watch out for leaks and metal. Every once in a while the metal would come up on one and we'd cut ourselves. I suppose you could prop it up to drain properly, but as one person noted there's grooves around the edges that could rust. We always left ours upside down for a couple of days after the summer pool party was over, to make sure it dried properly.

Growing up around a farm in Maryland where it gets pretty hot and humid in the summers, we often got in the troughs to cool off. There were a few big round ones (about the size of hot tubs) and at times there would be a bunch of us chilling out in the trough after taking care of the ponies.

i love the look of the horse trough, but all the practical issues listed about are enough to make me second-guess the idea. What if you bought a fairly cheap normal tub and put it in the horse trough. Horse trough exterior, comfortable, non-leaking, heat-keeping tub on the inside. Just an idea!

I like the idea, but I think it's not all that practical. You ought to be able to find a salvaged claw foot tub somewhere, they're usually not too hideously expensive, and re-finishing enamel sounds a lot easier than dealing with the metal.

salvaged claw foot tub with some kind of silver paint on the outside. now that probably would give you the look that you want, with the relaxation factor that you deserve.

For $80, it's worth sating the curiosity of posting. I was really hoping to do this in my renovation, but I wound up finding a free tub, so I didn't... You can make anything into a tub, with some ingenuity, even wood or tile, so I don't see why (besides bureaucratic codes, perhaps) you couldn't do it with this.

Folks - thanks for all of your input - but in order to maintain family harmony - we are now proud owners of a regular, standard, white tub.

My rustic "aussie" jackeroo bathroom idea has been stripped down to a sterile white bathroom with very little character. Most of your con points were valid and the resale aspect for the house pretty much clinched it.

All that said, I will post before and afters of this bathroom renovation. It currently has a pretty horrid 70's look to it - so even the sterile white will be an improvement!

sublease - edgar60

we have one that we use outside on a regular basis. It's not a lounging tub but more of a pool. We haven't experienced any problems with plumbing or draining or leakage, but we're not using it inside either. So we're not watching it as closely.

I agree with what everyone says here about the downsides, however, what if it was used mainly for showers?

I have used a livestock tank for an "indoor pond" for my turtle, Martha, for the past 3 years. We live in a studio (Victorian storefront used as a residence for the past 30 yrs) and it works double-time as a water feature/planter/room divider, too. Martha is in her mid-30s and just loves being the center of attention/in the middle of the room (unlike most turtles). It's works great for this so far. I keep it at 80 degrees for her with an aquarium heater. True they do not drain entirely (I use a tank cleaner siphon thing connected to an outdoor hose to do water changes). I think pluming one would be rather tricky. Might work outside though where you could just open the drain to empty and refill with a hose.

You can see photos of ours here:
http://tinyurl.com/lx55og

I don't know if it would make a good tub, but it would make an AWESOME planter....

Sorry - I just noticed the tinyurl link is not working. Try this link instead to see our livestock tank/horse trough used as an indoor pond.

Where can I get them for $80???? I've been looking for them to use as planters...

ooo planter! good idea :)

Actually we have done this.
The drain that comes on the trough will need to be plugged (it usually comes with the screw-in plug); then drill a new drain hole on the bottom of the tough. This is because the drain it comes with is in the SIDE of the trough - not allowing for full draining.
For comfort, we have built a wooden "back rest". Here's where we got the idea: http://tinyurl.com/ylp3oj5
or here:
http://www.materialicious.com/2009/08/patricia-urquiolas-vieques-tub.html

You can also check out the title "You can make the best hot tub ever" by Becky Bee. While the title is suited most for an outdoor hot tub, it has good instruction regarding the drain installation, etc.

:) Cheers, Jill

Actually I have a black plastic horse trough that I use as a bathtub and I love it. My husband and I both can fit into where as if it were a regular tub we couldn't. To keep the water at the desired temp we put carpet squares under it.

I've got a photo stashed somewhere of a family that sprayed in a fiberglass liner for $75 and had it in their cabin, used it all the time and loved it. We had one of the troughs made by Rubbermaid as a kid (heavy gray plastic) during an extended bathroom-less phase of my parent's lives and it was SO MUCH FUN. Also very comfy. Also, however, totally unattractive. We're going for a salvage clawfoot for our garden because, well, they are cuter.