Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Replacing Lever Tub Drain

In the one and only bathroom in my house I have a cast iron tub with an old lever drain. The drain itself is missing the cover which is not much more than cosmetic. The problem is the lever on the plate(???). When it started to malfunction, it was stuck in the closed position. You had to hold the lever down in order to drain the tub. The lever would pull out a bit and juggle. Eventually it became stuck in the open position. In order to take a bath, you have to cover it with a plastic drain cover.

It is past time to replace this and I am interested in changing to one of those drains that screw or plunge down and getting rid of the lever on the plate and associated parts altogether. I just can't figure out how to do this without hiring a plumber and taking out the tub.

Any ideas?:thinker: :thinker:

The lever drain that you have is very popular. What you can try first to save yourself the money and headache is just buy a new lever drain and use the lever setup part in your tub. Other than that, you will either have to find a rubber plug that happens to fit your drain size or make a hole to install a new drain. You will be better off trying to replace the lever first though.

Will that require special tools?

Most tub lever assemblies are accessible from the inside of the tub. The mounting plate is usually held on with screws. Remove this and see if you can determine what may be binding up top. If not, you may have to remove the drain pop-up [there are probably 2 metal rods that link together below the upper lever mounting plate that you need to twist around to unconnect]. You could then pull everything out of both openings and repair, or take these parts to a good plumbing store and get a match.

And I wouldn't have to pull out the tub, right?

Note that old bathtubs often use 1-3/8 inch drains, rather than the now standard 1-1/2 inch. If you try to replace just the drain mechanism, you will need a 1-1/2 to 1-3/8 adapter washer, which are rare as hen's teeth. (Do not confuse this with the widely available 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 inch adapter washer, which won't fit.) Otherwise, you may have to replace all the pipe back to the soil stack. Not really practical if your plumbing is in a mortar bed and/or on the second floor. If I were you, I'd get a rubber plug on a nice chrome chain you can lift up with your toes to drain the tub.