Help with Kohler lift and turn tub drain

Users who are viewing this thread

Chasgynonc

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
near Charleston, SC
Two out of 3 Kohler lift and turn drains in my 3 yr old home have either lost the internal screw or become interminably clogged. Normally, I can remove the small handle on top to get to a screw to remove the drains, but with this Kohler lift and turn there is no screw below to allow the drain to be pulled out. Any help on how to remove this type of drain?
 
Last edited:

Gerard

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Florida
Lift and turn tub drains with no set screws

I also have Kohler bath fixtures in my 3 year old remodel. Is this the life span of these things?

I was lost, lost, lost, like you, for months and months, despite much googling. Finally I found the answer.

Most lift and turn tub drains have a set screw. In fact, everything you read makes it sound like they ALL do. You can find the set screw if you look just underneath the stopper with a flashlight -- you have to get pretty friendly with your drain. Make absolutely sure you do not have a set screw hiding under that stopper before you proceed with what I did.

But some stoppers actually have no set screw. How do you get them off? Lift the stopper part way up (all the way up and it spins around freely; part way up and it will not turn, providing the "resistance" for you to screw against) and then turn it counter-clockwise. This will unscrew the stopper from the rod that connects it to the drain.

This worked like a charm on my clogged drain. It took a lot more work on the one that was simply broken (the stopper would not stay up). The locking pin in that one had fallen out, so the stopper would turn endlessly and never lock, which meant that I could never unscrew it. After much struggle, I managed to jam what was effectively an awl into the hole where the missing pin was supposed to go, causing it to lock in place sufficiently, and then unscrew the stopper from that rod.

Now I have to figure out how to replace that missing pin.
 

Brunelle

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
MN
Gerard, thank you

Gerard, whoever you are, thanks for the info -- we had this exact same problem in our house, and we spent way too long on Google trying to figure out what to do. This worked quickly and perfectly. For others, I'll repeat: if your lift-and-turn drain plug doesn't have a set screw, try lifting it just a bit -- an eighth of an inch or so -- and turning counterclockwise against the resistance. The top ought to come off in a few rotations. Then you can flip a coin with your housemate to see who gets to remove the gunk in the pipe.
 

who

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Southeast USA
Gerard thank you. I have looked for a set screw. I tried to the two channel lock pliers method and could not figure it out. Your instructions made it easy and it worked like a charm. Sorry to hear about your broken pin.
 

diyhandyman

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Utah
Set Screw for Kolher lift and turn tub drain

Thanks for the help on this site. My Kohler tub stopper has a set screw that fixes the chrome stopper to a brass post that threads into the drain. The set screw worked loose and was lost down the drain. I unscrewed the brass post out of the drain (counterclockwise) and then took the assembly to the hardware store where I found a new set screw. The size is 8-32 x 1/4. I put PTFE tape around the set screw to make sure it wouldn't work loose again and then reinstalled the assembly. Everything is good again.
 

diynewbie

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Minnesota
I too have a Kohler tub with a lift and turn drain stopper.. I am struggling to remove the set-secrew to de-clog the drain. The set screw seems to be a brass one and easily stripps off when trying to unscrew using any regular screw drivers.. I would appreciate any advice to remove the stopper and de-clog the drain and I would like to replace the screw with a stainless steel one so that it doesn't strip in the future .. The space is so narrow (about 1/4") between the tub floor and the lifted drain that even insertnig a screw driver is a PIB (pain in the b..t).. .. Please help..
 

DIYIlliterate

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Tempe, AZ
Thank you Gerard!

GERARD
I love you!

I have been trying to figure this out for 2 hours.
I'm not going to lie, I was literally crying in my bathtub; I had given up all hope lol.
I visited countless websites!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!:D
 

Squirrelyone

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Brilliant!

Gerard, I signed up for this forum just so I could thank you. I'd been going at my drain (I live in a rental house, so I had no idea of my make or model beyond the lift-and-turn part) with pliers and screwdrivers and kitchen knives (don't ask), but all to no avail. In the end, I still needed pliers, just because the thing was so old and grimy that it was the only way to get a good enough grip on it to remove it, but lifting it just a little bit like you suggested worked beautifully. At last I was able to chisel off the years' worth of lime buildup just beneath the drain. SO much buildup. At first, I though the drain *did* have the screw just underneath, but no - that was a sediment deposit.

The little victories in making a house livable. :)

I know the original post was old, but it's still extremely helpful!

Thanks!!
 

Kimmy1975

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Ontario, Canada
Omgosh! Thanks so much. I have been having such an issue trying to figure out how to remove my bathtub stopper. I have searched the internet and watched SO many videos. I finally came across your post and it worked!!! :) Thanks so very much for posting this! I was beginning to think it was a lost cause! lol
 

jmscott600

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Lafayette, Ga
Gerald I also lost the lock pin too and I still can't get the stopper out, how did you get something widget in the hole


I also have Kohler bath fixtures in my 3 year old remodel. Is this the life span of these things?

I was lost, lost, lost, like you, for months and months, despite much googling. Finally I found the answer.

Most lift and turn tub drains have a set screw. In fact, everything you read makes it sound like they ALL do. You can find the set screw if you look just underneath the stopper with a flashlight -- you have to get pretty friendly with your drain. Make absolutely sure you do not have a set screw hiding under that stopper before you proceed with what I did.

But some stoppers actually have no set screw. How do you get them off? Lift the stopper part way up (all the way up and it spins around freely; part way up and it will not turn, providing the "resistance" for you to screw against) and then turn it counter-clockwise. This will unscrew the stopper from the rod that connects it to the drain.

This worked like a charm on my clogged drain. It took a lot more work on the one that was simply broken (the stopper would not stay up). The locking pin in that one had fallen out, so the stopper would turn endlessly and never lock, which meant that I could never unscrew it. After much struggle, I managed to jam what was effectively an awl into the hole where the missing pin was supposed to go, causing it to lock in place sufficiently, and then unscrew the stopper from that rod.

Now I have to figure out how to replace that missing pin.
 

Melanie_Lee

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
British Columbia
Please help. I also have a Kohler bath tub with a lift and turn drain stopper having a set screw underneath. I was able to remove the stopper and then I put it back in by using a Philips driver on the set screw. But the problem is that now the stopper became loose once re-assembled to the brass post that threads into the drain. It doesn't have a fixed position any more like it used to do before. I rotated it counter-clockwise and removed the set screw. So I tried turning the stopper clockwise, but it doesn't seem to work. How can I make a firm fix of my stopper? It moves like a tooth that is about to fall out...
 

Brian Steg

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
North Carolina
Two out of 3 Kohler lift and turn drains in my 3 yr old home have either lost the internal screw or become interminably clogged. Normally, I can remove the small handle on top to get to a screw to remove the drains, but with this Kohler lift and turn there is no screw below to allow the drain to be pulled out. Any help on how to remove this type of drain?
Just returned from family visit. Typically fix things when there and this time ran into broken Kohler lift and turn drain. I used needle nose pliers to hold the brass shaft while turning drain off shaft. There’s is no set screw on the shaft and small knob on top is not involved in removing the unit. Once the (large) drain cap is unscrewed from the shaft the remainder is easily unscrewed from the tub. This was the easy part.
Two trips to Home Depot for suitable replacement. No luck. One too tall the other wrong threads,
Decided to fix original. That was relatively easy. Get tap and die set for #6 screw. Hole in shaft almost exact to begin with but need to drill through shaft and then tap. Put in #6 brass screw and head with some minor filing will replace missing pin. The threaded screw extending out the other side of the shaft is cut off and filed smooth. This appears to be much more stout than original design. I hope this helps others.
 

Bh151

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Pennsylvania
You are a life saver - been at this for almost a week not being able to find a good video or even teh old Kohler part. Was about to replace the entire drain piece and came about this post. Thank you!!! (pin was broken, no set screw)
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks