I had a clogged toilet. When I plunged it-sewage backed up into my bath tub. I ended up taking the toilet up, running a snake through the dain pipe... and fixed it. The toilet works fine. All other drains in the house are fine-the septic was pumped a few years ago. THE TUB... is still clogged. I bought a dumbbell, took the drain out, (we have a shower in another bathroom so this tub is never used-twice in the last 8 years) there was nothing in the drain. I ran a snake through the drain hole and also took the faceplate off the over flow and ran a different snake about 8 to 10 feet down. It still won't drain. I poured liquid gel plummer down the drain 5 days later it still hasn't gone down. I used a cup to drain all the water from the tub. I can't seem to get the over flow assembly out of the hole. After I took the face plate off, there's a hard plastic piece with a hole where the screw goes in to hold the face plate on. So I have been snaking around the screw hole which sticks out and is about the diameter of a pencil. Should I try to take the assembly out? It seems stuck. Is there a special tool (like there was for the drain) to pull the linkage? I can't even get my finger through the hole because of the plastic piece where the screw goes in to hold the face plate on. This tub's plumbing is all inside the walls-cant see anything. Do you think I broke something off in the linkage/trip lever while I snaked it? I don't want to give up yet-I want to fix it-But The plastic piece which is exposed when you take the face plate off that slides (from what I've read) down into the pipe seems stuck. I'm afraid if I break it, then the sheet rock will need to be cut to get to the pipes? Wrong?
I appreciate your help! Thanks Janna
I posted a question about my tub not draining-I guess I left out a few things and I did not use the correct words. I will try this again. I have been calling the face plate the round silver plate that has a large screw in it above the drain. (Near the top of the tub in the center) I read what is on the plate and it says Price Pfeister under the hole which the screw goes in it says Bath Clean Out. When I took that plate off, I ran my snake about 8 ft to 10 ft down to try and get the water to pass through. I thought that was the place to run a snake to clear a clog-not "through the drain hole at the bottom of the tub. I also bought a tub drain wrench to unscrew and take the piece that comes out of the "drain hole" at the bottom of the tub. There was no hair or anything there (this tub is a extra tub in the house-used 4 times or so in the last 8 years) The drain stopper in my tub is a screw in type that you push down on But it stays in the tub on the bottom of the tub-(You can completely unscrew it all the way out and what shows after that is the cross with the hole for the screw-which you just unscrewed all the way out.) There is no lever in the center of the tub under the water spicket to keep the water in the tub. Its just on the bottom of the tub Whatever that style is called. I may have misrepresented that in my last question. I may have called the face plate and linkage and assembly the wrong thing. So I will try to clarify what I can not pull out. The plastic piece that becomes exposed after took the silver plate that says bath clean out. Once it is out...it appears to be a plastic black pipe that runs down but in the center of it is a hole for the screw that held the silver plate on that says bath clean out-Pfister. I don't know if I need to pull that out or not. I hope I am more clear about what I am doing and what I need help with. Thanks so much Janna
Sorry! I tried to "edit" my question
I am brand new to this and did not see anywhere to "edit" my question
That is why I tried to keep the title and my name very visible so they would see its the same person-I tried calling the help desk to ask them and keep getting disconnected
Tom and Mark thank you for your response. I am sorry that I started a new post. This is the first time I've used Ask Me Help Desk I was informed by another person NOT to start a new post. I did not know how else to respond-Anyway, I started a new post and maybe that will clarify what I am talkin about and what type of drain I have.
Again, Thank you
Sincerely,
Janna
Hi Mark,
First, thank you for your concern and help!
The drain I have is similar to the picture on the far right which you attached in your first response. After I unscrewed the top part and took it out, I used the TubDrain Wrench to uncrew the part that was screwed into the drain hole. Again, there was no hair, lint etc...there was nothing there. As far as the snaking goes, I bought a 1/4 x 25' cable Power Snake and attached it to my power drill. (It has a plastic black "hose?" around the snake) When the snake was 7 ft or so down in the over flow it got stuck, so I gave the drill a bit more throttle and it got so tight (I realized this when I broke it) and the snake was not moving down and turning to release the energy from my drill but it was just getting tighter and tighter until the energy released up by the drill bit and "exploded the plastic piece the snake is attached to-that has the drill bit on on itl" So I went back to the store and got a Drum Auger same size 1/4x 25 ft cable. I was able to get that about 10 ft down or so but I can't seem to get it to go any further. Then, I tried to use a bigger diameter snake (The big guy I used after I pulled my toliet out and stuck down that drain pipe) but it won't make that first turn in the pipe in the tub. Its too stiff. With the Drum Auger snake, I have pushed and pulled and done that over and over by force of my hand but it still seems to be at a stop. (I quit using my drill with it because the snake won't move and it starts to coil up right away in the first 2 inches of the overflow.-I kinked a different snake, and then it seemed worthless because it just wants to coil where the kink is)SO by hand only now.......
All of the plumbing is in the walls so not able to get to-or see the plumbing (no crawl space etc)-The tub is on the 2nd level of the house. The only thing in the basement- (garage) is a clean out trap (if that's the correct word) which I think connects to ALL of the drain pipes. That is the only clean out trap (?) visible. (It looks like a round pipe poking out of the wall with a square in the middle of it to put your wrench on to unscrew?)
I didn't know if there are any parts down in the overflow that I need to take out. When I first put the snake in ..about 14 inches (or so) down, it seems like I am hitting a spring loaded latch or something because it sounds like when I back off of it, it closes or something?? Which made me wonder if my clog is somewhere in that area not in the main pipe?-except when I push and release, the water doesnt move down the drain. But the black plastic piece that the bath clean out plate screws on to doesn't seem like it comes out unless I need a special tool. Or maybe I don't need to mess with that part at all??
I hope I make sense.
Again, thank you! I greatly appreciate it!
Janna
PATTHEPLUMBER
I think I have been using some wrong words-I dont think I have a lever assembly if I have the type of drain that you plug at the bottom of the tub right? Or do all tubs have that regardless of what type of "drain plug you have?" Its actually a bath clean out (thats what the silver cap says) that I unscrewed and ran my snake down. But I wasn't sure if I needed to pull something else out of that overflow area after taking the "bath clean out plate off" I did try plunging the drain hole on the tub floor several times already with the wet rag stuffed in the over flow hole. It just swooshes the water but it still doesn't drain. I don't know what the shoe of the tub is that you mentioned... what is that? But when my toilet was clogged a bunch of sewage did get in my tub- I pulled my toilet, snaked it, its back in business... and All other drains in the house work fine So I am still dealing with this clogged tub! The liquid gel plummer that the hardware store employee told me to use only got rid of the sewage smell and I scooped the rest of the sewage water out of my tub by cup-the only water left is what is barely visible in the drain hole. Maybe the problem is right there around the tub not 14 feet down in the drain pipe? I just don't know how they connect to the MAIN pipe --how far I would need to snake before it reached the big MAIN pipe.Thank you ! Janna