Shower drain cover
- Thread starter Pensioner75
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pasadena_commut
Well-Known Member
I'm not familiar with that particular drain. It looks like the outer ring is plastic with some sort of metallic paint peeling off of it. I've seen that before on car inside door handles, when the manufacturer was too cheap to use an actual piece of metal, just not on plumbing.
Do you have access to the space beneath the tub? If you want to replace the whole drain you will need that.
There appears to be some writing in metallic paint on the inner plastic ring of the drain at 4:00 and 10:00, but I can't read it. Maybe the name of the manufacturer or model? If you can look up the part and find a diagram it will help you proceed.
If I had to guess the inner ring with spokes screws out of the outer ring. However it could be something completely different, like the spokes used to come together on a hub where a metal plate would screw on, and that hub and the cover plate are gone now. If that is the case, the inner ring might be permanently glued to the outer one.
Also, what's going on with the tub around the drain? Are those cracks in the porcelain radiating out? Or is there a plastic coating coming off?
Do you have access to the space beneath the tub? If you want to replace the whole drain you will need that.
There appears to be some writing in metallic paint on the inner plastic ring of the drain at 4:00 and 10:00, but I can't read it. Maybe the name of the manufacturer or model? If you can look up the part and find a diagram it will help you proceed.
If I had to guess the inner ring with spokes screws out of the outer ring. However it could be something completely different, like the spokes used to come together on a hub where a metal plate would screw on, and that hub and the cover plate are gone now. If that is the case, the inner ring might be permanently glued to the outer one.
Also, what's going on with the tub around the drain? Are those cracks in the porcelain radiating out? Or is there a plastic coating coming off?
Pensioner75
Member
pasadena_commut
Well-Known Member
I can't help you, I have not encountered a tub or shower drain that looks quite like that.
That said, I did just change the drain on a sink and the piece you screwed out looks an awful lot like the chunk of metal that sits in the bottom of the sink. If I had to guess, and this is strictly a guess, the piece you took out is analogous to the one in the sink, and the part of the drain underneath is something like an elbow with matching threads that screws onto that piece. It looks like there is a rubber seal on the bottom of the tub, above the elbow (or whatever shape it is), which seals the whole thing, when the two pieces are screwed together.
Try looking carefully all over the piece you screwed out for some sort of identifying markings. If that doesn't work, take it to a plumbing supply store that has been around a long time and see if they can identify it.
If you can obtain a replacement piece you might be able to just screw it in.
But...
I have doubts that the existing rubber gasket will seal again. It has been compressed for who knows how many years, and is now released. It may be too rigid and hard to seal properly again. To replace it you probably have to get under the tub.
That said, I did just change the drain on a sink and the piece you screwed out looks an awful lot like the chunk of metal that sits in the bottom of the sink. If I had to guess, and this is strictly a guess, the piece you took out is analogous to the one in the sink, and the part of the drain underneath is something like an elbow with matching threads that screws onto that piece. It looks like there is a rubber seal on the bottom of the tub, above the elbow (or whatever shape it is), which seals the whole thing, when the two pieces are screwed together.
Try looking carefully all over the piece you screwed out for some sort of identifying markings. If that doesn't work, take it to a plumbing supply store that has been around a long time and see if they can identify it.
If you can obtain a replacement piece you might be able to just screw it in.
But...
I have doubts that the existing rubber gasket will seal again. It has been compressed for who knows how many years, and is now released. It may be too rigid and hard to seal properly again. To replace it you probably have to get under the tub.
Most of us are in the US. That being said even though it's plastic it looks like a standard tub drain strainer should fit. Since you have it out you could take it to a hardware store or plumbing supply house and find a replacement that matches the thread pattern. Usually the rubber gasket can be replaced from above as well. My shop uses a kit like This when we replace tub drain trim.
