Do I need a new tub, or is this fixable?

Hello all,

I am new to the forums and have no real plumbers experience. My wife and I just recently purchased our first house and a few months ago I came home from a work trip to find my wife had used drain-o on our tub that seemed to be clogged. I didn't think much of it until what looked like rust or broken down caulk showed up. I'm worried that if I don't do something with it soon it may leak under the tub causing real damage. Can anyone look at the pictures I have attached and let me know if I should be concerned? I was assuming I could just caulk it and that be that, but I wanted to be sure. Thanks for any help you can provide. I appreciate it folks!

First things first. Throw that bottle of draino away. You will never, ever do anything with it except harm your plumbing system and destroy fixtures. Your tub was plugged with hair and soap scum. The only way to go about it is to manually remove it. Yes, it's yucky. Deal with it.

Second. Is that a steel tub? Or Fibreglass? From the pictures it kind of looks like steel enamel.

Do not caulk it. Unthread the drain and use "plumbers putty" to make your seal. If you are uncomfortable doing that, hire a professional.

Looks like steel tub
Looks like it was refinished.
When they re-spray a tub like that, the just tape off the trim.
After awhile moistuire gets under the edge of the new coating and starts to peel off.

if the fitting is loose you can use a open box end wrench on the cross bar and unscrew it. put a bead of putty on the flange and screw it back in. They make a special tool for this but I have never owned of used on.

Mr_David said:

Looks like steel tub Looks like it was refinished. When they re-spray a tub like that, the just tape off the trim.

After awhile moistuire gets under the edge of the new coating and starts to peel off.

Click to expand...

...hmmpf...

Newly learned factoid of the day...

lil advice, get a strainer for the tub drain.

it will help keep the hair out. most people remove the strainer because the hair clogs it up.

DUH!!!!! thats what its for.

reach down, scoop the hair up and throw in the trash

OR>>>> remove the strainer, so you do not have to deal with it

but get your check book out to pay the plumber