I wanted to post about this DIY project because I had a hard time finding the information I needed to learn how to remove and replace an old broken tub drain . As you can see I did it , here is my fresh new brushed nickle tub drain , it is the twist and pull style.
Here is the old drain , broken and with a large chunk missing from the rim which recently began to leak, which it turns out was a hidden defect that our builder or the plumber who installed it hid, it was hidden under a little lump of caulking and it just slowly over time corroded away after some really good scrubbing.I didn't want it to start leaking into the floor and in turn to our dining room ceiling , so I figure I could replace it , right ...although this really intimidated me I went on to find out if I could , sure I could all I would need it a new drain and over flow package. But how the heck do I remove the old drain .
$27.00 for this brushed nickle finished set , I want to slowly replace all the shower component with brushed nickle.
I also needed plumbers putty .
Look I did it I got the drain out , it was easy right , NO it was not easy at all , I tried with pliers , no avail ,the inside cross bars were very corroded and they broke under very little pressure, what I needed was a DRAIN KEY , don't worry it is not expensive. It is just two pics down , you place it in the drain and use a screw driver in the holes of the drain key and turn it counter clockwise , I asked my husband to do this I didn't have the strength , easily enough it did start to budge , it is simply screwed into the pipe below.
After removing any residue of silicone , by scraping , scrubbing with rubbing alcohol and using a magic eraser it was time for the putty , roll the putty in your hands to create a snake of putty and place around the opening , this will create a water tight seal.
Place the drain into the hole , {remove the plug part first , there is a small screw to loosen and it simply lifts right off }, place the drain in with the drain key inside and slowly start to screw it into the pipe , removing the excess putty as you go , use your screw driver to completely tighten the drain into place and then replace the plug and tighten the screw , that is it folks , you too can install a fresh new tub drain .
This drain is a Moen and it is from Home Depot.
This is such a pretty over flow cover , so shiny and new.
I am glad I gave this DIY a try, I am convinced I saved us at least $100.00 in labour and the parts including the tool came to just $55.00 and now I have learned something new and we have a nice new leak free drain .