Bath tub drain replacement?

Question

I tried to use pliers to unscrew the drain but it was so coroded that the crossbars just fell apart. So I tried to loosen it from around the tub and the drain pipe separated from the tub. Can I fix this without taking the whole tub out? If I have to call a plumber, how much does this usually run? Thanks in advance.

Sorry, I think I was using the wrong nomenclature. I'm just trying to replace the tub basket, not the whole drain.

Answer 1

Which type of drain have you got?
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/RepTubDrn.html

There are actually 2 connections with a tub drain...
1) there is the plumbing connection itself, where the drain directs the water into the house plumbing....we need to know if youve got plastic or metal drain pipes. If it is plastic...it is possible the drain is actually glued together... which means you'll have to cut it apart.
2) there may be a locking nut on the bottom side of the tub, that holds the drain in place...its easier to take this type apart from UNDER the tub.

Next question is what is under the floor? Is this tub over a basement, crawlspace, or living space? Is there an access panel (sometimes located on the other side of the wall).

Answer 2

Currently dealing with the same issue. Old drain is working, just not the most attractive thing to look at. Have no idea how old the fixture and tub is as it predates by purchase of the house but the tub is a solid two-piece affair made of solid metal. Hate to create a lot of work for something relatively minor purely for aethetics. Anyway, in my experience messing with the drain, I ran into the exact same issue with the standard 1-1/2" coarse thread and the 1-3/8" fine thread "universal" drain adapters available from the big box hardware stores not fitting. FZrom what I can tell the diameter is 1-3/8" but the thread of the old tub is just slightly larger than the standard fine thread in common use today. And. it's not as coarse as the thread on the standard 1-1/2" drain either. It's basically close enough to the fine threaded 1-3/8" drain to allow you to start screwing it in but after a couple of revolutions, the play in the thread spacing is gone and it tightens up because the thread in the tub is too wide. While I have not tried to force it and essentially cross thread it as described, I would not attempt this solution myself. My luck the cheap metal of today's replacement drains would snap and leave me with a broken drain seized up and stuck tight in my tub. I am planning to investigate with a local plumbling supply store that I know carries many more parts than a normal hardware store to see if they have it. The other possibility that occurred to me is to possibly take the old drain into a local finishing shop to see if I can have it cleaned and re-chromed to look like new. May cost a couple of bucks to do that but well worth avoiding the alternative of tearing into the bathroom wall.

Answer 3

We don`t all have the same house and live in the same area. Can you tell us what floor the tub is on? If its the main floor , do you have a basement? If not is there an open area on the other side of the wall the taps are on that you can get to and cut a small 12"x !2" section of the wall out near the floor? That will give you acess to the bottom of the tub. Go to Home depot or Rona and most of them will give you an idea of what to do and where to look.

Answer 4

When you replace the drain on the tub, you would have to seperate the drain pipe from the tub. Usually you have to go into the crawl space to do it. You have to put the fitting around the drain pipe, screw it into the drain coming out of the tub, and tigten it down.

Answer 5

Go to this website: www.managemyhome.com

You should be able to find your answer here from a certified license technical online support team.

You can also click on Ask An Expert and they will provide you with step by step details on how to do the replacement.

Oh! by the way this is a very reliable site. I manage the team that answers these questions and was active in getting the Ask An Expert section functional.