DIY: How to Replace a Bathtub Drain Stopper with Common Household Tools
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2015
- In this video I demonstrate how to replace or install a bathtub drain stopper with tools most people have around the house. I only needed pliers, channel locks (large pliers would work), and a flat head screw driver. The process is simple and only takes about 20 minutes to complete.
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This took intimidation factor away from this stay at home wife/mom whose husband is on the road and this job could t wait. I DID IT!! Thank you so much
That’s great! I’m glad you felt empowered!
I'm hoping to be able to accomplish this replacement. I am a widow who is on my own, after losing my builder/Mr. Fixit husband, to a construction accident, and you can't imagine how difficult it is just mentally taking on tasks like this not to mention having no idea where to start. Can't hire someone for every little thing that goes wrong in my 22+ yr old house; and I no longer have the luxury of just letting him know then later finding it fixed. You are doing a great service sharing your knowledge. Thank you! 😊
I am so sorry for your loss. Hopefully you are able to get the old one out. That is the hardest part.
I lost my Mr Fixit/husband also (pancreatic cancer). This 65 yr old widow is honoring his memory by fixing things myself.
Rubber gasket goes on the bottom side of tub between drainpipe and tub. Use plumbers putty where he put gasket
Literally looked through the comments to make sure SOMEONE pointed this out and explained how it's done properly 👏
Yeah, most videos I've seen has the rubber gasket underneath the tub, then plumbers putty placed on the inderside of the drain screw thingy.
I really hope the water doesn't leak through and ruin the floors. There's added weight with a person in a tub, and especially the weight if they are taking a bath. That needs to be a tight seal with putty to prevent leaks, not something I'd trust to those gaskets alone that get brittle so quickly. The putty smooshes into all the gaps and creates a better seal.
Bro thanks for your skills I really appreciate it
As an octogenarian live alone woman I just knew a youtube vid would tell me how to do this. It was so easy. I had no channel locks but needle nose pliers. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!
I’m glad it worked for you too!
Thank you. This is very helpful to a new homeowner
My pleasure!
Thank you for this video, I fixed my drain all by myself! You're such a blessing ☺️
Hope you didn't put the rubber washer under the drain like he did. It needs to go under the bottom side of the tub. You can see the original rubber washer under the tub when he pulls out the drain. You need plumbers putty under the new drain so when installed it creates a seal on the top side of the tub and there is also a seal on the bottom side of the tub with the rubber washer. It is a common mistake but it makes a big difference, this video shows the rubber washer installed in the wrong place. Not trying to be negative just don't want you to have any water damage in the future.
This tub is absolutely th-cam.com/users/postUgkxVoi3B4CB6Oygq1-vo4OTL1M_M5JkrXif . Great quality too. The perfect size for the space in our master bath!
Yep.
Great video and very helpful. This was the exact problem that I was having. Thanks.
I’m glad it worked for you too!
This video was a BIG help thanks so much!
cfocheerleader1 Good! I’m glad I was able to help.
Thank you so much for this video . Fixed it ! Now this lady can take a bath . Woohooo!
Thank you for the well made video
Dwk001 You are very welcome. Be sure to subscribe!
Thank you so much for this. It should be a quick and easy repair!
You’re welcome.
Rubber gasket goes between tub and drain pipe...below tub. Not between drain and tub (not on top of tub).
Correct !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Important point.
I understand that but once you have the drain out is it not wise to replace the rubber gasket that is probably degraded too? That was my point.
Always use plumbers putty around the seal and it's not for the threads at all...
Thank you, you explained great!
My pleasure!
Thank you will be replacing mine!
This video helped me- thank you so much!!
Glad it helped!
As a house wife that’s a diy gal, great video thank you!!
I’m glad you liked it.
Good vid just what I was looking for .
Thanks!
Thank you for this video!!!
You are so welcome!
This video is so VERY VERY helpful. I thought I would need to hire a plumber, but after watching this video, I see I can do it myself! YEAH!!!
Jeanne Gleason A mistake in the video was pointed out to me. Ideally, you will use plumbers putty on the threads when screwing it back in. The rubber washer is supposed to go under the tub so it isn't needed.
Again I thank you so much for caring enough to write me about this correction. I've gathered up the tools and was about to start my when I saw your email about the correction. I will look at your posts first in the future when I need to do home repairs. Thanks! JG
It's fixed. Thanks, TightWadRepairs! JG
OMG Finally!! Thank you
Good video. Very helpful.
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Very good info. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
I didn't know that the top comes off. Was able to fix my tub. Thanks for posting this video.
Joerg Meyer Great! I’m glad you found the video. Be sure to subscribe.
thanks for help, very useful
Roseanne Qiu You are welcome. I’m glad you found it helpful.
Neat video!. Cheers from 🇨🇦
Thanks!
@@TightWadDIY been doing renovation and came across this. Very helpful. Just started my own channel.
@@methane101 Congrats on the new channel! It’s a slow grind at first. Stick with it and it will pay off big time in the long run. Feel free to reach out on Instagram if you have any questions.
@@TightWadDIY thankyou. And I hear ya. I can see that already!. But like you said. It takes time. Most good things usually do. Thanks for the helpful insight!. I definitely will. Love the community!. Very helpful everyone is.
Perfect explanation. I was going bananas.
Great Visio. Just removed plug so I could clean hair from drain.
Couldn’t figure it out until i watched thanks
gary palmer You are welcome, Gary. Be sure to subscribe. I have lots of home maintenance and repair videos.
I don't know why they are this so difficult to remove. We should be able to remove the top of the drain without any tools.
I keep mine off just so I can clean it monthly.
This video really helped me. I removed my tub stopper and I couldn't get it to screw back in. I am going to need to just end up replacing the part that you are replacing.
Awesome, thanks!
Management You are very welcome!
I could not pull this thing open for the life of me, but then I tried it with a towel and it immediately and effortlessly opened up, lmao holy crap
That’s awesome!
THANK YOU!
CarTech You are welcome. Be sure to subscribe!
❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉just what I needed to know
This video did the trick! I got IT out!
Great!
Thnaks for filming it
You’re welcome!
Thank you soooo much!
C Minneapolis You are very welcome. Be sure to subscribe and hit that thumbs up!
Note that some similar looking drain stoppers have a set screw that retains the stopper. It can be accessed by pulling up on the plug. Once the set screw is loosened, the stopper can be removed. For this type of stopper, the dual pliers method will not work.
0:00 Introduction
0:52 How to remove drain stopper
2:12 How to remove drain
3:27 Discussion of new drain and stopper
4:43 Installing the new drain
5:24 Installing the new drain stopper
Thank you! I need to go back and add chapters to all of my old videos!
@@TightWadDIY also should post a correction of this video. The gasket is in the wrong place and no plumbers putty between the drain seal and the tub. Not trying to be a dick but this is incorrect. Still better than what some might do, but not as a professional 🤷♂️
Thank You
THANK YOU 🙏🏾
You Sir are a hero! Everytime I have taken this off it has been a major hassle. 3rd video this time and when I applied a wrench it actually worked. After years of owning a home, I will never use any pop up drains, Ever Again! they clog and are always a hassle for what??? the convenience of stopping up the tub to fill it with water. Do yourself a favor ditch it.
I’m glad you found it helpful!
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
You rock
Thank you for this. I needed to remove my drain to clear it and your method worked perfectly, but when I put it back on I couldn’t get it to stay up! When you removed yours you mentioned that a piece was missing, what is the missing piece? I think mine may have gone down the drain when I was disassembling it. It was staying up fine before I took it apart so I’m thinking I’ve done something wrong.
Great job
The rubber gasket replaces the old rubber gasket which is between the lip of the bathtub and the drain pipe.
I noticed this too, but is a rubber gasket better that using plumbers putty or silicone?
@@sacchn6199 The rubber gasket is there to seal between the drain pipe and the bath tub. The bath tub itself lowers a bit with the weight of the person in the tub, and the additional weight of the water if the person is taking a bath. These rubber seals get brittle quickly, so it should be changed when you do this. The plumbers putty is what makes the actual seal between the drain plug, the pipe, and the tub. You use extra and the putty squishes into the cracks and makes the seal water tight. If his daughter takes a bubble bath, the added weight in the bath tub will cause a small leak from pressing the actual tub down. I wouldn't use silicone (caulk?) it's okay for sealing the gap around the tub, but not durable enough for this. Really don't want water leaking under the tub onto the floor through cracks in the drain. Especially if the tub is upstairs or above a basement.
Thank you!! Now I can fit my cleaning snake down the drain!! 🎉
Yay!
I have the opposite problem.
I know this is TightwadDIY, but if your break the cross pieces in the drain when trying to use pliers - more likely with an older part - and have to buy the extraction tool, you'll maybe wish you'd spent 10$ on a proper drain wrench in the first place. And I believe it's recommended to put the rubber washer on the bottom side of the tub, and plumbers putter on the top side between the drain and the tub.
You are right. This video had a few misleading things. When I replaced mine, the tub drain was so old/rusted that the cross pieces were all half broken. Even using the drain wrench didn't work. I believe the previous owner tried using pliers and broke them. I had to buy the $20 extraction tool and a 1/2" rachet to get it out. It was a painful job. The rubber washer was supposed to be underneath the tub, in-between the tub and drain pipe so that water doesn't get underneath the tub and cause damage. The plumbers putty needs to be where this video shows the washer is. It's similar for the overflow drain replacement. Washer goes outside the tub between tub and PVC drain pipe. No need to use plumbers putty for overflow drain.
Grsat video but how do I remove the drain if the cross is missing/broke? That's the issue I have now.
I’m so close to banging on the pipes or cutting any available sections!!! 😢😡😳
I am in the process of trying to replace my kitchen sink side sprayer, seemed like an easy enough task, until I realized that I’m no plumber or magician!! How was I not aware that rust is like SUPER glue to a bolt/nut/screw??? So one can of WD-40 and a few bad words later I decided to move onto the next project which was the bath tub drain… I watched your video, and what do ya know..: a beautiful new functioning tub drain.! Sooooo I think I’ll just wash the dishes in the tub now 🤪🤣
Serious note thank you kindly for posting this and sharing🙏🏻
😂😂Yes. Rust makes things very difficult!
I might just try this. Thank You.
What I've been searching for is those flat rubber stoppers that just work with suction.
Cannot find them anywhere.
amzn.to/3hYQ1Ka Here is a link to the flat stoppers. It should work for you.
Rubber gasket goes underneath a tub. Plumbers putty goes on the top.
Hi,would you advise how to prceed if there's no flat head screw ( no any kind of screw ) like it shows @1；37，of your video, thanks!
Very good demo. And plumbers, and handman wanted $175 to replace that. LOL. I had to tell them that it was not rocket science. In fact, to change a wax ring and this stopper, they wanted to go there to make a service call first to see if the rocket was broken or had taken off?.
Crazy.
Got the top unscrewed but ours has a weird deal in it. Not a regular screw. It looks like a pin or something with a round hole in the middle.
Hello Tightwad. This is Cathy. Cleaning is not fun but sometimes cleaning still needs to be done.
That’s right, Cathy.
Where did you get the part?
Can you link the tub stopper or a similar one?
That rubber gasket is supposed to replace the one inside the drain, not to create a seal with the threaded part and the tub
This video is helpful but I should point out that there are several types of stoppers. One is as seen here but there are at least two more. On one type the top knob does not come off and it has a set screw below the stopper lid. Another has the whole stopper that if pushed down and turned until it engages the shaft the stopper comes out whole. Be careful with those big pliers because you can ruin your stopper if you do not have this kind.
Then how do you remove those? I have one with a set screw & it just spins, even when I loosen the screw. It's driving me crazy. I just want to clean out my drain fully.
The top part doesn’t unscrew for me. Any ideas?
Does any bath tub drain works? Are they a commen size? Thank you
They are not a common size.
Do you know if we can get a new bathtub drain part that catches/strains hair?
Living with three girls I’ve tried a lot of solutions and none are great.
Very good video. However, the drain stopper in my house was installed in '92. The previous owner must have taken a lot of baths with bath salts as the corrosion was so bad, I broke off the '+' in the center using the drain removal tool and cannot remove it now. I have no idea what I'm going to do now short of replacing the entire jacuzzi tub, which ain't gonna happen.
Gary You will need to get a tool like this instead. www.walmart.com/ip/Superior-Tool-Company-05255-Tub-Drain-Extract-Tool/39109258?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=13578&adid=22222222228026966353&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=56103153249&wl4=pla-88718151849&wl5=1015433&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=117879013&wl11=online&wl12=39109258&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManxQBKLmqx3Ebnx3HivWqalU2xSzOSHJ9bzF0XJ0hMe_31Z74YZtfSQaAmhIEALw_wcB
@@TightWadDIY This is an underrated comment as I had a similar issue and this is what helped me.
@@Leo-ni6iu Great! I’m glad it helped you out too!
I tried everything you demonstrated, but I could not remove the plug. I'm trying to recover a diamond earring that possible went down the drain while showering. The backing for the earring was in the tub after shower. Any additional advice would be helpful.
You may need to order the drain removal tool linked in the description. Sorry about your earring. Do you have access to the trap under the floor?
I just had my tub reglazed a month ago, but now I'm having the same problem as in this video. Can I replace the top without unscrewing the entire fixture and ruining my reglazing?
Sorry I can’t say for sure without seeing it. Maybe call the company that did the work.
Did you buy part for tub at Home Depot, Lowes or contact tub/ shower company like Danco or American Bath Group?
I have new push drain, wondering how it catches hair.
This one was from Lowes I think.
The top cap screw is stuck onto the "plate" and wont turn, any idea how to get the whole stopper out
You can try to wedge something in there and turn the whole thing to remove it.
Where can I get one of dem rubber letter D's
😂😂 Dollar Tree!
The cross piece is already broken for me so it's hard to remove.. do you have recommendations?
They make a tool that expands so you can still twist it out.
@@TightWadDIY can you share what type of tool it is so I can find it and purchase it please?
All i was able to take off was the little top piece but to find under it is a stripped flat head screw how do i take it off? Please help me i dont want to do mosre damage then there already is under there
There are several different styles. You may have to drill and tap the screw if you can’t get it to come out.
The management where I live have dismantled drain toppers from bathtubs for safety and ]precaution of drowning. I presume , but need to soak in the tub.
flat rubber 6 inch diameter stopper.
what if the crossbar is broken? How would you remove the drain?
This is my problem as well. I think you can use a hammer and screw driver and tap it out.
Hey man pretty sure the gasket goes between tube and pipe. Then you have the putty.
Rubber gasket is installed incorrectly. It goes in between the tub and the drain pipe underneath the tub. And apply some silicone or plumber's putty under the drain lip.
Thanks!
Yeah that gasket was put on wrong
Ok, I need to know how to get one of the “new” stoppers (the one you installed) OUT of a tub where it constantly slips down & closes on its own. It was installed by a previous owner. I know it’s this type, it has the rubber gasket & that little keyhole. Or if anyone knows the technical name so I can google it to find a video of someone removing it that’d be great too.
Thanks in advance from a 42 year old woman with an MS in civil engineering that can’t fix a simple bathtub drain.
Yeah I tried and it ended up breaking the cross inside the drain 😑 now how do I get it out!?
They make other tools that expand so you can unscrew it.
I'm thinking about just removing the stopper mechanism and replacing with a rubber plug. Has anyone ever just done that?
Pablo Cruise That would absolutely work. We always used a rubber stopper when I was younger.
@@TightWadDIY THanks for the reply - I'll see what I can do!!
Mine is completely Stuck any advice???
Do you mean the drain is stuck down or your can’t remove the drain to replace it?
What disaster can happen if you cross-thread the stopper as you mentioned? Also, why do ppl even use these types of drain-stoppers anymore? They clog with hair & gunk so easily! A mesh screen seems to be more effective, using the stopper only when wanting to fill for a bath.
Donald Smyth If you cross thread the stopper you will have to replace the drain pipe which means removing the tub in most cases. Our children are young so they won’t be using the shower for several years. We have no need for a mesh drain at this time.
Doesn't work for me. Need help please
My cross peice is actually what's broken. I'm not sure how to unscrew it with the cross peices being broken off
They make other tools that expand to fit the hole then you can unscrew them.
@@TightWadDIY I found a kit on Amazon that just popped in without any tools!
Mine doesn’t have a flat head in the middle. It’s a square 🤔
Do you have a socket set with an extension you can use?
That rubber washer goes underneath the tub
👍🏼
Sorry you flunk for putting the rubber washer in the wrong spot! It belongs under the tub, not on top of the tub like you show. The originally installed washer in this tub was done correctly
🎉dj
Your not supposed to use the washer that comes with it...those are only for new installations of a tub
Just use plumbers putty under the rim of drain
Totally wrong! Not much done right in this video.
This product should br avoided. Hair will clog this withing 1 month.
That all depends on use of course.