How to Fix a Leaky Bathtub Drain That Is Hard to Get at
If you begin to notice water creeping out from places in your wall where it shouldn't be, you might have a leaky bathtub drain on your hands. Normally, servicing bathroom drains isn't terribly difficult, but there may be times when you need to figure out how to fix a leaky bathtub drain that is hard to get at. In these cases, you will have to approach the leaky drain from another angle in order to access it, check the damage and fix it. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Drain key
- Adjustable wrench
- Screwdriver
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Keyhole saw or jigsaw
- Pipe wrench
- Pipe thread compound
- New drain pipe and overflow pipe (if needed)
- Plumber's putty
Instructions
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Purchase or rent a tool called a drain key at your nearest hardware or plumbing shop. This will help you get a grip on the bathtub drain, which can be hard to remove. Insert the key into the drain. Adjust a wrench so it fits snugly over the end and turn counterclockwise to remove the drain.
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Loosen the two screws on the overflow plate with a screwdriver. Pull the overflow plate off the side of the tub. If the overflow plate has a lever on the front, there will be a chain connecting to the plunger in the overflow tube. Slowly pull the chain and the plunger out of the tube.
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Determine how the pipes behind the tub are accessed. Newer homes will have an access panel that will allow you to reach the drain pipes easily. However, in older homes, these pipes and the leaky bathtub drain connected to them might be hard to get at. In this case, you will need to cut out a section of the drywall in an area that corresponds to the head of the tub. Take the measurements of the width and height of the bathtub and transfer them to the wall behind the front of the tub by tracing the tub outline on the wall with a pencil. Use a jigsaw or keyhole saw to cut out the drywall so you can access the drain pipes.
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Use a pipe wrench to unscrew the vertical overflow pipe from the drain stack. Unscrew the bathtub drain pipe, which connects to the main drain pipe horizontally. In the case of a leaky bathtub drain, these pipes may be very rusty. Your best bet in this case would be to cut them away with a rotary cutting tool.
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Apply pipe thread compound to the new bathtub drain pipe and connect it to the main drain stack. Apply thread compound to the overflow pipe, insert it into the stack coupling and tighten.
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Replace the overflow tube cover and secure with the screws (first inserting the plunger in the tube, if needed). Roll out a bead of plumber's putty and press it into the underside of the flange. Insert the flange into the bathtub drain and tighten with the drain key.
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Give the pipe thread compound and plumber's putty time to cure according to manufacturer's instructions. Run the water in the tub and check for leaks. Replace the drywall patch, by bracing it from the inside of the wall with some scrap lumber. Use drywall joint compound to fill in the cracks on the patch.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
