How to fix a stuck bathtub drain stopper?
Sources
How to Fix a Bathtub Drain Stopper | This Old House - YouTube
www.youtube.com
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1
6 Ways To Remove Stuck Bathtub Drain - Rusted, Won't Budge
www.youtube.com
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2
Trouble removing lift and turn bathtub stopper : r/fixit - Reddit
www.reddit.com
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3
How can I remove a stuck bath stopper assembly?
diy.stackexchange.com
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4
Answer
To fix a stuck bathtub drain stopper, follow these steps:
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Remove the Cover Plate: Use a slotted screwdriver to remove the cover plate on the overflow "trip lever" to access the linkage and plunger inside.1
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Identify the Issue: Inspect the plunger and linkage to determine if the plunger is not adjusted properly, causing water to seep by the bottom.1
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Adjust the Linkage: Adjust the threaded linkage so that the plunger drops down farther when engaged, preventing water from seeping by.1
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Reinstall Components: Reinstall the linkage and plunger, and attach the cover plate to complete the repair.1
- Alternative Methods: If the stopper is stuck and cannot be removed by unscrewing, try lifting it slightly (about 1/8 inch) and turning it counterclockwise against the resistance. This can help loosen the stopper3.
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Use Specialized Tools: For more stubborn cases, use tools like a tub drain wrench, plumber's wrench, or a tub drain extractor to create a long moment arm for maximum turning force.2
- Consider Disassembly: If the stopper is still stuck, you may need to disassemble the drain fixture from behind the wall to access the stopper4.
References
1. How to Fix a Bathtub Drain Stopper | This Old House - YouTube2. 6 Ways To Remove Stuck Bathtub Drain - Rusted, Won't Budge3. Trouble removing lift and turn bathtub stopper : r/fixit - Reddit4. How can I remove a stuck bath stopper assembly?5. How to Fix a Slow Draining Bathtub (3 Simple DIY Solutions!)
Author: Jack Kwaak
Key insights
- It's really inexpensive and you don't have to hire a plumber to get it unstuck.
- The mechanism to keep the water from draining gets pushed down when you pull the stopper up.
- The drain stopper may get stuck due to deposits and calcium build-up, which can be common in older homes with brass fixtures.
- Pouring CLR down the drain can help break up calcium and rust, freeing up a stuck drain stopper.
- 🧼 It's important to clean and grease the drain stopper before putting it back in to make it slide in and out easier.
- 🧼 Using CLR to break up deposits and marine grade grease for the drain stopper can help keep it clean and functioning properly.
- The process of fixing a stuck drain stopper can be done without spending any money.
- Removing and cleaning the drain stopper with CLR can save hundreds of dollars in plumbing costs.
Video Full Text
- Mauri guys I'm I'm here in the the bathroom I wanted to show you something here. Most people probably don't really know how to do this. We're trying to give my daughter. Her first bath here in the tub and we realized that the drain to the tub is actually it's actually blocked. Can't you can't move it. It's stuck. It just you can't like engage the stop to keep it from draining. So I'm gonna show you guys actually had to take it apart and how to get it out in stock. It's really in effect or in inexpensive you don't have to hire a plumber or anything like that.Read More
- So I'm gonna show you exactly how to do that. This is what I'm talking about alright here. So this guys were here stuck now for the purposes of the video. I've actually already gone apart and taking this apart and actually cleaning out the clog. So it actually does function so but I'm gonna show you exactly how to do it alright so once you put these back down all the way this guy down here. So this is what you're working with here you'd see in there. Alright this mechanism right here to keep the water from draining gets pushed down okay. It gets pushed down when you pull this up. It pushes this down and it stops the water from draining okay. So what you're gonna do is you're gonna try pulls it up on it. If you can't pull up on it. You can't pull this out. It's stuck okay but you don't want to force it. You get a little coterie pin in here. It's hard to see in the video get a little coterie pin here so that's real tough to see and you don't want to break that we wanna break.Read More
- We can use that in here anything like that okay you're gonna reuse this and the older houses. It's brass okay in older homes its brass. Like some of these 80s anything new or probably 90s. 2000s it might be plastic so we'll definitely be plastic in the two thousands but brass and all their homes I have an older home. So I'm pretty sure I have brass so if I go to pull on this thing. It's probably not going to break but just before I do that. Though the reasons why I get stuck is because of deposits and the calcium deposits rust dunk. Whatever nasty stuff.Read More
- This is your friend. CLR. CLR is your friend okay. We're gonna pour some CLR down in there I've already done it. It's actually almost empty but I'll show you just basically pour it down in there you'll let it sit for a couple of minutes. Let it free up. So you literally just gonna pour it right in here alright. If you need something much kind of wedge in here kind of direct. The CLR down in there don't worry. It's an actual pipe. The pipe goes down to the drain. It's not gonna drink my knee or anything like that you know so the sea lard is just gonna go down over there. It's kind of sit. It's gonna break up all the calcium and rust in there and then eventually you can kind of get this free. So if it's great if it's if. It's in the drains position and the water is flowing out. I mean you got to push it down okay.Read More
- You gotta push it down to get its up. So what you can actually do is give it a couple little taps here right there's a couple taps maybe with a screwdriver put the screwdriver here on top of the linkage give it a couple of taps with the hammer and kind of push. This down a little bit and give it a little bit of you know break it free and right buddy pull it up and it'll come out all right and that's what you're working with okay right here. This one kidding all right so this part right here used to be cleaned all right. It needs to be cleaned and then it needs to be greased before you put it in here so I didn't grease it before I put it back in. I just wanted to show you so. I'm gonna go ahead and grease it now and get it fitting covered. I'm gonna act with clean this a little bit. Here you know the deposits off so that way it slides in and out a little bit easier and then I'll put some ice on it. I'll show you here what kind of grease.Read More
- I'm going to use okay all right. So I got this sitting in a little bit of CLR to uh break up some of the deposits here. So like I said you may get see sort of where it's wearing I'm gonna let that sit and since you are for the wall and then trying to scrub off some of the calcium deposits and we'll see what it looks like here. In a few minutes all right guys. So we got it pretty clean some some stuff here but for the most part is. It's pretty well smooth to the touch. Mostly comes from the positive and good shiny all right so what we're gonna do is. We're gonna use the two for see down here which is the marine grade grease. All right that right. There is not water soluble so. It's not going to dissipate underwater or moist conditions. So it's good to use. It's actually for outboard inboard engines. Marine engines so if it's good for that. It's definitely good for this.Read More
- So we're gonna put some of that on here and it will slide it back in the hole. All right guys. So we got it a greased up here alright. So we're gonna put it back in the hole there. And we're gonna see what it uh how it fits and see how it slides up and down okay brand-new. I think what I might do is put some grease back here to you to get it smooth and then together see how it works all right guys. So we got it all put back together. We're gonna see here we're gonna check the operation of it. We're gonna see how smooth it is and then we're gonna see if it actually prevents water from draining and if it does then we're all done here all right yeah. That's almost like brand-new I mean I've been Helms. My grandmother's home used to be real hard. You mean they'd have to like pull up on this thing. This thing is nice real smooth yeah looks like it's holding water here and even cost me anything and everything I needed to fix my tub. You know a lesser man probably would have told me you know you would have had to get behind.Read More
- The wall cut out the drywall get back in there remove. The pipe stores nonsense and it would have been hundreds of thousands of dollars or some crazy stuff and I did it for free. 20 minutes of my time. Took it apart clean that thing out major just let it sit in some CLR. You know let it sit there for a while scrubbed off all the deposits and then put some grease on. It. Put it right back so if you can get that guy out of there without breaking any of the linkages or anything like that you're in good shape Bob would pour the CLR down there. First let it sit for a little while let it eat the calcium deposits and stuff like that away so that way you can free it up and you'd be good to go thanks for watching.Read More