I have to remove the drain in the bathtub. Was installed about 30 years ago. Can someone give me some tips. I have a plug wrench. I`m worried about the pipes (metal) snapping if I torque too much. Would a few drops of liquid wrench be helpful? Thanks. Patt
That is a tough problem. Often the threads get corroded tightly together and your plug wrench will merely snap the grid apart. Almost impossible to get any oil to penetrate where it's needed. And, yes, stuff will start to snap under the tub.
If it looks like it will not unscrew, and the thing absolutely
*must* come out, I usually put a Sawzall blade to it from above. Saw vertical "slots" in the sidewall to weaken it to where it can be collapsed a bit. Then it *will* come out.There is a rubber gasket *under* the tub, between the tub and the "shoe". That will need to be replaced. If you can't get under the tub, work a new gasket thru the hole from above.
And plumber's putty between top of tub and new drain.
Allow about 2 days for this job :-(
JJim
Thanks for the info JJim. The only reason I feel I have to remove it is that water is leaking from it. Could I just put a bead of silicone around the drain in the tub? Thanks Patt
Oh, in that case, I would definitely try the silicone. Dry the thing out with a hair dryer first. Good luck, Jim
the silicone is worth a try. A cheapo solution i used was a flat rubber bath stopper. a flat rubber disk that you just lay over the drain- the weight of the water holds it down. not hi -tech but stops water from going down the drain and stops it from going down 'around' the drain. available at most hardware/plumbing supplies for a buck or two. using this you don't have to depend on the bathtub's linkage to close the drain.
lee h
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