 
Over 698,000 strictly plumbing related posts
Plumbing education, information, advice, help and suggestions are provided by some of the most experienced plumbers who wish to "give back" to society. Since 1996 we have been the best online (strictly) PLUMBING advice site. If you have questions about plumbing, toilets, sinks, faucets, drains, sewers, water filters, venting, water heating, showers, pumps, and other strictly PLUMBING related issues then you've come to the right place. Please refrain from asking or discussing legal questions, or pricing, or where to purchase products, or any business issues, or for contractor referrals, or any other questions or issues not specifically related to plumbing. Keep all posts positive and absolutely no advertising. Our site is completely free, without ads or pop-ups and we don't tract you. We absolutely do not sell your personal information. We are made possible by: 
|
|
Author:
primags (FL)
Tub is draining slow, everything else in house is draining fine.
Have had drain snaked 3 times but problem always returns soon. I had another plumber come out for a different opinion and he removed the overflow plate to snake the drain and noticed that the brass plunger was missing from the trip lever assembly and thinks it is in the pipes.
I have the following symptoms:
- Tub drain is slow to drain, but still drains fairly well, maybe at 50 percent of what it should.
- If you snake it, plumber said he feels an object there, but I guess is able to snake past it but not pull it out.
- As time passes, tub drain will get increasingly lower flow until snaked again and hair is removed. The tub will then be fairly OK for a week or two and go back to having issues.
Since he could not get it out with the snake, we are going to have to go through the access panel on the wall behind the tub and jack hammer into the foundation to get to the pipes to remove the plunger.
Before I have him do all of that, are there any good alternatives? Do my symptoms match up with the issue being the plunger being down there?
Thanks
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
|
Author:
RRWA (WA)
I would put a small camera down the drain and try to locate the brass stopper.
You may be able to retrieve it with a mechanical grabber
Edited 1 times.
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
|
Author:
packy (MA)
it is pretty much impossible for the barrel shape stopper to fall thru the tee of the waste and overflow of the tub. it is even more impossible for a snake to get thru the overflow with the barrel in there.
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
|
Author:
m & m (MD)
I agree. On tub drains, if the cross bars are missing on the drain, the likely culprit is often a bottle cap of one variety or another. Very difficult to remove.
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
|
Author:
hj (AZ)
The brass stopper is NOT "in the pipes" and the plumber should have known that if he is a competent service person. It is in the tee where the overflow and tub drain come together, and whether you can get it out without opening the wall depends on HOW it come loose.
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
|
Author:
primags (FL)
Would it being in the "tee" match the symptoms I described?
Thanks!
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
|
Author:
packy (MA)
if it is part way stuck into the tee it would do what you describe. if it has settled all the way into the tee it will not drain at all.
|
|
Post Reply
|
Please note:
- Inappropriate messages or blatant advertising will be deleted. We cannot be held responsible for bad or inadequate advice.
- Plbg.com has no control over external content that may be linked to from messages posted here. Please follow external links with caution.
- Plbg.com is strictly for the exchange of plumbing related advice and NOT to ask about pricing/costs, nor where to find a product (try Google), nor how to operate or promote a business, nor for ethics (law) and the like questions.
- Plbg.com is also not a place to ask radiant heating (try HeatingHelp.com), electrical or even general construction type questions. We are exclusively for plumbing questions.
Search for plumbing parts on our sponsor's site:
Special thanks to our sponsor:
|