Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - slow tub drain...confused.

Plunged my slowly draining tub, worked well for a few days and now is slowing up again. Plunging not doing much, and when I opened up drain-stop area (first time, bought the house recently) there's nothing there. How can I be sure whether the old barrel is out or if it's dropped inside there from previous owner? Also, does it matter when I purchase new one whether I get the barrel type or the spring-loaded kind? Are tubs built to handle either?

The main culprit of a slow tub drain is often the drain plug (trip lever) adjustment. To test, flip up the lever to drop the plug. Run a small bit of water, should not go down. Drop the plug lever, it should go down quickly. If not, remove the plate and adjust the threaded adjustment up, try again. It may take several tries.

If this does not work....For slow drains, also try one of those enzyme drain openers on a regular basis(1-2 times a month), not Draino or caustic chemicals. Big box has them, one manufacturer is ZEP.
Hope this helps.

I had a similar problem. I removed the drain strainer and fished a small hook on the end of a stiff wire down into the drain only a few inches. Out came all kinds of hairy gook which was apparently lodged in the drain plug apparatus. It was a messy ordeal, but it solved my problem. You may want to give it a try. Good luck with your project.