Bathtub won't drain

[udsibe]

Our house is 1920's, but problem is with our relatively new bathtub, installed in 2002. The drain opens & closes with a little lever & the lever is loose like it's not connected to anything. The flap it's supposed to be attached to, that closes the drain, is stuck almost in a closed position so that it takes hours for the water to drain after a shower. What I need to know is how to remove, to either repair or replace, the mechanism that controls the opening & shutting of the drain. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[brian89gp]

The plunger you are thinking of is attached by a rod or chain to that lever. If you remove the lever/vent piece (usually only 2 screws) you should be able to fish out the rod and either remove it or re-attach it to the lever.

[udsibe]

Thanks, but it's attached to the lever at the top. It's not attached or very loose from the flapper at the bottom that shuts the drain. I need to get down there somehow & re attach it or replace the whole thing.

[cs]

The plan that Brian suggests should still work. If the rod is attached to the lever, there should be a hook on the other end designed to snag the corresponding hook on the top of the plunger. In my experience it takes some fishing around - during which time, one is convinced that it is a totally hopeless task - and then suddenly it's snagged, and all is well.

Chris
http://www.saracenihouse.com

[jeepnstein]

In a former life, as an auto mechanic, I had the good fortune to buy a tool that will solve the old lost drain stopper problem in nothing flat. It's a piece of cable with a claw at one end and a push button on the other used for grabbing stuff that has dropped into the deepest reaches of whatever you have the misfortune of working on.

Harbor Freight to the Rescue! http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94162



Get thee one of these little wonders and go fishing through the overflow pipe. Many of these stoppers are fastened to the actuator rod with a worthless little clip that either falls off or rusts through, leaving you with a full tub.