Replace drain basket in bathtub

[hj]

quote; why NOT replace the entire drain assembly?

I guess the biggest reason would be that he does NOT have an overflow opening in his tub. And given that it is an old "remote overflow drain", the odds of it having a conventional sized thread borders on zero as far as replacing the plug is concerned, because those drains were specific to each manufacturer. The difficulty of removing the plug has very little to do with anything other than HOW the original installer put it in. IF he used any sealant on the threads it will probably have to be cut out.

[marcwd]

quote; why NOT replace the entire drain assembly?

I guess the biggest reason would be that he does NOT have an overflow opening in his tub. And given that it is an old "remote overflow drain", the odds of it having a conventional sized thread borders on zero as far as replacing the plug is concerned, because those drains were specific to each manufacturer. The difficulty of removing the plug has very little to do with anything other than HOW the original installer put it in. IF he used any sealant on the threads it will probably have to be cut out.

Thanks, hj. Your comments lend additional weight to my not attempting to remove the basket.

The "remote overflow drain" to which you refer -- Is that the section of vertical drain piping that rises above the normal water line and stops there?

Also, what about my original idea of simply covering the existing basket with some sort of chrome flange - something like this: http://tinyurl.com/473aplq

Would I just be asking for trouble by adding this (e.g., water pooling around the flange and not fully draining)?

[hj]

When the tub was originally installed, the faucet had a center "knob" which was attached to a tube inside the "overflow" riser. When it was lowered, it closed the drain so the tub would fill with water, but when it reached a certain level, it would "overflow" into the top of the movable tube to maintain the water level in the tub. When the handle was rotated, it raised the tube, and then the water drained out of the tub. One feature of that type of tub was that the water spout was either where an overflow opening would normally be, or near the bottom of the tub. Either way, it was a potential source of contamination since the tub water could be "sucked" through the spout and into the water system. That potential for contamination still exists because you still use the "illegal" spout.

[marcwd]

When the tub was originally installed, the faucet had a center "knob" which was attached to a tube inside the "overflow" riser. When it was lowered, it closed the drain so the tub would fill with water, but when it reached a certain level, it would "overflow" into the top of the movable tube to maintain the water level in the tub. When the handle was rotated, it raised the tube, and then the water drained out of the tub. One feature of that type of tub was that the water spout was either where an overflow opening would normally be, or near the bottom of the tub. Either way, it was a potential source of contamination since the tub water could be "sucked" through the spout and into the water system. That potential for contamination still exists because you still use the "illegal" spout.

Yes, I see the tube that sits on the overflow riser. It has a tab with a hole which, no doubt, was the former connection point for raising and lowering it. (The actual drain closing mechanism must have been removed at some point because the tube is in the lowered position and yet the drain, of course, is open.)

What is curious is that there is no evidence of a "center knob" for controlling the drain closure. The original knob set is there on the tiled wall (though no longer operational, having been replaced by a new valve set beneath), but the tile shows nothing that would indicate the former existence of a center knob. Follow-up: Perhaps the diverter knob of the new valve set is in the place of the original drain closure control. But then, how was the diverter function provided for originally, or was there no shower then?

Also, it's interesting to note that the potential for contamination exists despite the fact the water lines are above the tub spout. There must be a condition where a vacuum is created in the water lines which would then suck the tub water up into the lines.