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In the old "Khrushchev" houses, the tenants have not changed for decades. I also lived for a long time in this small Soviet-built apartment. Therefore, I am not by hearsay familiar with the dimensions of the "Khrushchev".
The projects stated that these houses are designed for 20-30 years of operation and no more. But after a while the system of construction of "free" housing collapsed in the USSR. The market economy has burst out, so the “Khrushchevs” still live today. It is unlikely that they will disappear somewhere within the next few decades.
It would seem that in such an apartment to make a cast-iron bath, the operational life of which exceeds 50 years. The price tag of this design is higher than that of a steel bath. The latter is a metal stamping covered with enamel.
Disadvantages and advantages of steel baths
Let's try to figure out why the Soviet people preferred cast-iron baths. To do this, let's talk about the main properties of steel products. Of the advantages, I have highlighted the following points:
- 1. Steel bathrooms are lightweight, even one person can easily move them around the apartment.
- 2. It is quite simple to install such structures.
Actually, I didn't find any more pluses. But I found many disadvantages:
- 1. Steel lends itself to deformation, the bath can change its shape if someone big and heavy climbs into it.
- 2. If you drop something hard into the bathroom, the enamel will be damaged, which negatively affects the appearance of the structure.
- 3. When water is drawn into a steel bath, the pressure is very noisy.
Properties of cast iron baths
I found more pluses in cast iron baths. Here are the main ones:
- 1. A cast iron bathtub can weigh 100 - 170 kilograms, so it is rather difficult to install it. But when the structure falls into place, it is unlikely that someone will displace it. This is a plus when connected to cast iron sewer pipes.
- 2. Cast iron has a high heat capacity. Since the walls of the bath are at least 10 millimeters thick, the water in it cools slowly. In addition, there is not much noise when drawing water.
- 3. It is not so scary to drop a heavy object into a cast-iron bathtub, since this does not deform the material and almost does not harm the enamel.
It turns out that in Soviet times they made a choice in favor of good baths. Why did this happen? It is hard to believe that the authorities cared about the comfort and convenience of their citizens.
My dad, who worked as a plumber for many years, helped me find the answer to this question. He just found the times when the "Khrushchevs" were being built.
According to him, steel baths came from the factory defective, with chips. This happened due to the fact that the structures were carelessly treated at construction sites and in warehouses. In addition, cast-iron bathtubs were immediately lifted into the constructed apartments using a crane. It is quite difficult to harm such a solid product.
Also, cast iron bathtubs have a rather long service life, which is a definite plus, especially when they are in hostels. After all, people often spoil other people's property, and cast iron can serve for years even with careless handling.
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