How to Change a Bathtub Drain Plug

Changing a bathtub drain plug can prevent water escaping when the drain is supposed to be closed.

You actuate a bathtub's built in drain plug using the lever located below the bathtub's faucet. Under the back plate for the drain's lever is the bathtub's overflow drain. The bathtub's plug assembly runs through the overflow drain and into the main drain under the tub. Even though the drain's plug assembly seems complex, changing a broken assembly and installing a new one can be performed by a homeowner with little plumbing knowledge or experience.

Things You'll Need

• Rag
• Screwdriver
• Flexible retrieval tool
• Needle nose pliers
• Replacement linkage assembly
• Replacement brass plunger

Instructions

1. Place a rag over the bathtub's drain to prevent losing screws or other pieces. Back out the screws holding the drain lever's back plate to the tub wall and place the screws in a safe location.

2. Pull on the lever's back plate and pull out the metal linkage from the overflow drain. Feed a flexible retrieval tool down the drain if the brass plunger piece does not come out attached to the linkage and pull the brass plunger out of the drain.

3. Use needle nose pliers to undo the loop portion of the linkage assembly that attaches to the backside of the lever's back plate. Insert the end of the new linkage piece into the loop on the end of the lever's back plate and pinch the linkage end into a closed loop.

4. Thread the end of the new linkage assembly through the loop in the top of the new brass plunger. Pinch the end of the linkage assembly closed using a pair of pliers, preventing the linkage from slipping off again.

5. Insert the brass plunger and then the linkage assembly into the overflow drain. Tighten the screws in the lever's back plate, then pull up on the lever to close the drain and fill the bathtub with two inches of water to check for leaks in the drain.

6. Disassemble the drain again if the drain leaks. Loosen the locknut on the linkage piece and twist the plastic sleeve portion of the assembly so the assembly lengthens by a quarter inch, then replace the assembly and test the drain for leaks again. Continue adjusting the linkage assembly a quarter inch at a time until the drain does not leak.

References

• This Old House: How to Fix a Bathtub Drain Stopper