We’ve all been there: After a long day of work you decide a long, hot bath is the perfect way to unwind, so you start to fill up your tub only to realize that it’s slowly draining, wasting your expensive hot water. While it’s a frustrating problem, it’s also one that’s relatively easy to fix for a handy homeowner. In today’s blog, your Silver Spring plumber tells you how to fix a leaky tub drain. Learn more, below.
Tub Won’t Hold Water? Your Silver Spring Plumber Is Here to Help
When your tub won’t hold water, it’s almost always the bathtub drain stopper that’s to blame. In most cases, the problem is that the drain stopper has become disconnected from the plug or spring that connects it with the linkage, which connects the drain stopper to the trip lever. Luckily, it takes less than an hour to adjust your stopper so by making this quick fix you’ll no longer have to worry about wasting your precious hot water.
Fixing bathtub drain stopper
Step 1: Remove your tub drain stopper’s cover plate.
Step 2: Pull the lever toward you and then lift it straight toward the ceiling in order to reveal the linkage.
Step 3: Using a magnetic tool, retrieve the plug or spring and re-connect it to the end of your linkage. If you don’t have a magnetic tool you can simply attach a magnet to a dowel or piece of string and use that instead.
Step 4: Take a look at the linkage and make sure that all other connections are secure. The linkage should not be tangled and must hang straight. Another common problem is the U-shaped pin at the top of the linkage that connects it with the handle. If this has fallen out it will need to be replaced.
Step 5: Tweak the length of the linkage by adjusting the nut in between the halves of the linkage. If you have a spring-loaded stopper you will need to shorten it. If your stopper uses a weighted plug then it will need to be shortened. The linkage can be easily adjusted by turning the nut with pliers.
Step 6: Once properly adjusted, carefully feed the entire mechanism back into the overflow tube, put the cover plate back into place, and then see if the lever works. If not, you’ll need to readjust until it works properly.
Your Silver Spring Plumber Can Help
Got plumbing problems? Give Master Plumbing & Mechanical a call at 301-650-9100 and let our experienced plumbers get the job done right.
For over 30 years, Master Plumbing & Mechanical has served the Washington, D.C. area, including Montgomery and Prince George’s county. We’ve built our reputation on recommendations from our satisfied customers.
We’ve received Angie’s List Super Service Awards for both plumbing and drain cleaning every year consecutively, going back to 2007, as well as the Best Plumber award from Best of Bethesda. Our company is fully licensed, bonded, and insured and we offer friendly, courteous service with fast response times.
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