| Modern bathtub drains, controlled by a lever on the | | | | linkage; improper adjustment--perhaps caused by |
| overflow plate, operate in large part from a position | | | | faulty installation, perhaps by wear and tear--can |
| of concealment. Hidden in the bathtub overflow tube | | | | result in a leaky drain or one that fails to open fully. |
| is a so-called lift linkage that, rising or falling in | | | | The various conduits of the drain--the overflow tube, |
| response to the control lever, opens or closes the | | | | outlet pipe and trap--are less likely to suffer problems |
| drain in one of two ways. A pop-up drain utilizes a | | | | than those of lavatories or sinks. They are usually |
| metal stopper at the tub outlet, while a trip-level drain | | | | made of heavier pipe with sturdy cast-brass fittings |
| regulates the outflow of water with a plunger at the | | | | that strongly resist corrosion. And their hidden |
| intersection of the overflow tube at the drain. | | | | position protects them from accidental knocks. |
| A common problem of bathtub drains is clogging | | | | If your pop-up drain leaks, the O-ring below the |
| caused by the accumulation of hair on the trip-lever | | | | metal stopper may be worn. Open the drain and pull |
| drain plunger or on the spring at the end of a pop-up | | | | out the stopper and the rocker linkage. Clean these |
| drain lift linkage. To remove the hair, the lift linkage | | | | parts of accumulated hair. Slip on a new O-ring, then |
| must be removed from the overflow tube. | | | | replace the stopper, working it sideways or back and |
| This is done by unscrewing the overflow plate and | | | | forth until it clears the bend in the pipe. Make sure |
| pulling on it. The same procedure is sometimes | | | | that the bottom of the curve in the linkage faces |
| necessary in order to adjust the length of the lift | | | | down. It's that simple! |