How To Unclog A Bathtub Drain The Right Way - Popular Mechanics

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Bathtubs are prone to clogs. It all starts with a wad of hair and gunk that slows drainage, which creates more buildup until you stand ankle deep in lukewarm water whenever you take a shower. It's gross. The problem can usually be traced to a ball of hair in the drain and on the trip waste mechanism, the linkage that controls the tub's drain. Fortunately, clearing the clog is pretty easy.

Fig. 1

For tubs that have a drain without a pop up, first undo the screws that hold the trip lever cover in place (fig. 1). Slowly withdraw the trip waste mechanism and plug from the overflow pipe. Clear hair from the mechanism and run hot water down the train to flush away any debris. Then, open the trip lever on the cover plate, and feed the lever and plug back into the overflow pipe. Now, if the drain flows freely without the plug, but poorly with the plug, you'll need to make an adjustment. Unfortunately, this is where many homeowners pitch the pop-up and head to a hardware store for a rubber stopper. Don't do it.

Fig. 2

To improve the drain rate, shorten the trip waste linkage by about ¼ inch. This moves the stopper closer to the trip waste lever. Loosen the nut on the threaded brass arm and then thread the arm into the bracket (fig. 2). Reinstall the mechanism and test the drain rate. When trip waste lever is in the drain position, the stopper is higher up the trip waste pipe and this should increase the drain rate.

Fig. 3

The same technique applies if you have a tub with a pop up drain. You clear the hair that's fouled the mechanism, flush the drain, then test the drainage and adjust the pop up linkage if needed. In this case, first pull the pop up out of the tub (fig. 3). Clear debris and rinse the drain. If the tub drains too slowly after reinserting the pop up, you need to adjust the spring arm linkage to move the pop up higher above the tub floor. Remove the trip lever cover plate and use a screwdriver to lengthen the spring arm linkage (fig. 4). Reinsert the linkage back into the overflow pipe and test its action. The pop up should be slightly higher above the tub floor, permitting a greater drainage rate.

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