Bath tub drain replacement?

[shan2themax]

I need to replace my bathtub drain, I have replaced it before like 15 years ago. This time though the inside cross members are gone and the actual drain part isn't lining up well with the hole so I am having trouble getting it to unthread.
I saw a tool at Lowes yesterday that grips the inside of the drain it was like $40. Is it worth it? Or should I just call a plumber? I am getting ready to start my 7 day 12 hours each day stretch, so I can't be without a shower.

Maybe I should consider paying someone to just install a new tub/shower combo lol,

The fiberglass is cracking around the drain


Anyways, any tips or tricks? I feel like if I could pry the rest of the lip off, I would either be my own hero and be able to install the new one........ or be a detriment to myself and my work week. Also, ignore the ick

 

[bud16415]

From the little I can see it looks like it might be time to replace the shower as well. Kind of sounds like that is the way you would like to go as well.

 

[Snoonyb]

HMMM, from a different perspective, you may be familiar with, salve only makes it feel better, until.......

 

[shan2themax]

Well.... to be honest, my son and I are both fat..... so time is against me. However I also don't have 6-10k for a remodel :-(.
I'd like to replace the drain so that at least water isn't going under the house when we shower. I mean I paid for mold spray under the house like a couple years ago. I don't want to have to do that again. It was like $2500.

Sometimes, renting sounds better......

I am whiny again now lol

 

[Snoonyb]

I was just poking the bear.

Hire someone that has that tool, but make sure upon reassembly, they use a thread lube, for future replacement.

 

[shan2themax]

So basically what you are saying is that my urge to walk around kicking and screaming and throwing fits WILL NOT serve me well or change anything?. Doggone it.

I don't want to adult for a bit.

Ok, back to thinking about what to do with this current dilemma. I did find a tool at my local Ace Hardware for $23. So I might run up there and get it so that I have it next week when my days off come rolling around.
If it were just me, I would rip into it. I can shower at the hospital, however... my son would lose his mind to not be able to shower every day.

 

[bud16415]

Well.... to be honest, my son and I are both fat..... so time is against me. However I also don't have 6-10k for a remodel :-(.
I'd like to replace the drain so that at least water isn't going under the house when we shower. I mean I paid for mold spray under the house like a couple years ago. I don't want to have to do that again. It was like $2500.

Sometimes, renting sounds better......

I am whiny again now lol

I do understand ¾ of my life maybe longer I patched up what I had as best as I could and when it came time to upgrade I looked around for something used or discounted.



With something like your drain I’m not sure what it runs into below the floor. Sometimes if it is PVC you will be better off chopping it off and splicing new in all the way back.



When I did our old bathroom upstairs there was no where to make a good drain connection and it was all old cast iron stuff. I found a good place to start with new and chopped the cast iron off and used a Fernco coupling and built new PVC back from there.

 

[Snoonyb]

Neighborly introduction, shower with a friend?

 

[shan2themax]

@bud16415 it's pvc. House was built in 1979. I'm not sure why the alignment is off with the drain and tub. Probably where I had the Jack's installed this time last year. Idk.
What I DO know, my fat bat isn't going under the house since I know for sure a rat visits under there.... nope, no way, no how. Maybe in the future. Lol
I do have access to the piece that goes from the over to the drain (from inside laundry room) too bad I can't be in bother places at the same time lol. I may get some quotes to just replace the tub. The room is only 59 1/4 inches wide (drywall included). I should have replaced the tub/shower combo years ago when I had enough gumption to do it myself.

@Snoonyb hilarious idea.

 

[Ron Van]

I also don't have 6-10k for a remodel :-(.

That $6 to $10k figure is the reason I build my own showers. There are some pretty fool proof systems out there that are easy to install. A tile shower pan is not fool proof at all.

I spent $993.00 on my shower plus misc plumbing fittings which are hard to calculate because some things I already had and others things were purchased and shared with the rest of the bathroom build.

The shower pan, tile, thinset and grout was $514. at Lowes. The tile was porcelain and on sale.

The valve, trim, slide bar and shower head was $428.00. There was a lot of misc plumbing which may have brought the cost up another couple hundred. The rest was labor.


The pan (as you are finding) is the key. I don't trust a hundred (or so) little pieces of tile in a shower pan to hold water. Tile shower pans look nice but they fail. Fiberglass fails too. New ones are fiberglass with acrylic coating to make them easier to clean but they have to be supported to prevent flexing. The instructions call for a bed of mortar under the pan which makes the pan very solid.

I think if I wanted an inexpensive DIY shower that was easy to install, I'd do something like what Z did and get a fiberglass enclosure. They are not much more expensive than my tile but much less labor.

I'd like to replace the drain so that at least water isn't going under the house when we shower. I mean I paid for mold spray under the house like a couple years ago. I don't want to have to do that again. It was like $2500.

It's hard to say for sure but if you can use your tool to unscrew the old drain, the drain pipe should move enough to screw a new drain in. Be sure to use the proper sealer or included gasket (if it comes with one) for the new drain though because plumbers putty is not good for fiberglass or acrylic.

Those hairline cracks in the tub are definitely a sign of age and stress but they don't look bad enough to leak yet. You should be able to get more time out of this tub if you can get the old drain out.

Sometimes, renting sounds better......

I am whiny again now lol

A quick check on rental costs should bring you back to reality!