Shower/Drain Issue

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JBull1011

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Jan 29, 2019
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Hi All,

I recently moved into a new condo and am having an issue with the shower.

The shower head puts out so much water and I absolutely love the amount of water and pressure that comes out, however its seems the amount of water coming out fills up the tub faster than it can drain, (its seems that it is just the amount of water causing the problem).

Is there a way to increase the size of the drainage hole in the tub with a minimal amount of work? I know changing the shower head to a more efficient model would do the trick, but I really enjoy showering the way it is now.

Any suggestions would be certainly welcome.

Thanks,

John
 
I am not a plumber, but I do plumbing in my rentals. I am not aware of any way to increase the size of the drain hole in a tub, since the fitting on that drain hole connects to a pipe below, so, even if you you coukd enlarge the hole, you would also have to increase the size of the pipe.

You may be able to get faster drainage by removing the linkage from the overflow, and/or removing the stopper on the drain. If you do that, however, you will not be able to fill the tub for a bath. To remove the linkage, unscrew the two screws holding your overflow cover (the 4 inch round metal piece with a handle sticking out of it) to the wall of the tub. When you remove it, a linkage will come out with it. Get a blank cover (no handle) from one of the big box stores to replace the cover you removed. Then try the shower to see if you have quicker drainage.

Hope that helps.
 
If it does work, it may mean that you linkage simply needs to be adjusted. It is supposed to work by moving a small brass cylinder down to block the drain when you want to fill the tub, and when the handle is in the other position, the linkage lifts that cylinder clear of the drain. Yours may simply be partially blocking the drain. The adjustment is trial and error. Basically, you would make the linkage as short as possible, such that it stops the water when the handle is in the stop position. That way, when the handle is in the open position, the cylinder will be clear of the drain. If the linkage is too long, it will still stop the water in the stop position, but the cylinder will not be lifted fully clear of the drain when in the open position.
 
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