can't get old drain out of tub...

[coach606]

Hi all,

I have a really slow drain in the tub and I went to snake it out via the overflow, but the overflow bolts were rusted tight and both broke off. I had a new drain assembly laying around because the overflow had been leaking so I decided to replace the drain and overflow, then try the snake again or try the cleanout downstairs.

I'm having a really hard time getting the tub drain out. I understand there is a top piece screwed in the bottome piece. But the whole thing is just rusted together. I sprayed some wd-40 on it (and disconnected the pipes, of course) but the little drain just won't budge.

Any idea how to get this thing out?

Many thanks. I'm sure I can put the new drain assembly in and snake out the cleanout, but I'll have to do it tomorrow after work, which means 1 day at least for the wife without the upstairs bathroom. No biggie, but she's due to have a baby in about a week and I've also got a two year old. If I can't get it tomorrow I'll be paying a pro on Saturday!! Yikes!

[master plumber mark]

either you got to take a sawzall with a metal cutting blade
in it and saw through the inside of the drain in the tub....

or you can take a very sharp small cold chisel and start beating on
on that lip inside the tub..... eventually you will cut through this
and the thing will fall apart or unscrew for you....


be careful not to mess up the enamal on the tub......


HAVE FUN!!!!

[hj]

A hacksaw blade will be easier to control than a SawZall, and less likely to cut into the tub surface. "Beating" on it with a cold chisel is guaranteed to damage the tub surface. Calling a plumber on Friday would get the job done without overtime rates.

[coach606]

Yeah, I'm probably going to call a pro today. My wife is dealing with enough being a week from delivering a baby. But just for future reference.

Would I take a hack saw to the drain from the top or from below. I have accees to the bottom portion of the drain in my basement. If I sawed it off there it's less likely to damage the tub. It's cast iron and so there's not must to damage down there. If I sawed off the bottom of the drain at the gasket, would I be able to remove it from the top?

Thanks.

[plumber1]

Yes you would.

[coach606]

I just didn't have the time or will to deal with this one so I called a pro. He replaced the overflow and tub drain, sawed off the old drain, routed the pipes, then removed an 80 year old stack and replaced it with a neater looking array of pvc pipes.

Total cost $480.

Did this guy go overboard? I was at work so the wife was here. The work looks good so I'm happy. But I think he might've done more than was needed.

What do you think?

[Cass]

Maybe not, hard to say but if he replaced part of the stack and ran new lines for that price you got a good deal I would say.

[hj]

No way to tell without seeing before and after pictures, and even then we might have had to be there to see the condition of the pipes when he worked on them.

[coach606]

I think it was money well spent. No way I wanted to be up their sawing cast iron pipe apart with gunk spurting out. I had a stoppage there about a year ago. Hopefully this will really help the situation.