All posts by roderick

Remove and Clean Push On / Push Off Type Bathtub Drain

Mechanical, repair and reuse, , , , ,

Our bathtub drain was getting very slow. Here is how to remove and clean it.

Delta push on / push off bathtub drain
This is the kind of drain that you push once to seal, and push again to open. The entire assembly spins freely when turned.
cap removal
The trick to removing the drain is to hold the bottom section, and unscrew the little cap in the middle. I was able to do this by hand, but if it was tight, I might have used rubber gloves for grip on the bottom section, and maybe a pliers to undo the cap.
Under the cap is a stud with flattened sides.
loosen stud
There is just enough stud sticking up to grasp with a pliers or wrench. Alternatively, a large screwdriver could be inserted into the slot cut into the top of the stud. Once the stud is loosened, fingers alone can unscrew the rest.
remove plug after loosening captured stud
The plug portion of the drain lifts out.
There is some hair in the drain, as expected.
A piece of stiff wire with the end bent into a hook works well for cleaning.
Keep fishing and pulling until no more hair comes out.

After all the hair is removed, flush the drain with water to make sure the clog is gone. Then reverse the procedure to re-install the drain.