Tired of standing in dirty, soapy, ankle-deep water when you shower? Drains are so small, yet so irritating when they aren’t working right. Some drains can be fixed with a simple repair. Others need to be replaced. Either way, Sun Plumbing is here to handle your drain problems!
Drains that don’t actually drain, drain stoppers that won’t stay open or only stay closed, unresponsive drains that seem to do whatever they want – these are all common drain issues that occur with sinks and tubs or tub/ shower combos. Depending on the cause of the issue, your drain may be fixed with a simple repair, or it may require replacement. A trained plumber can tell you what it will take to get your drain doing its job again!
Drains are such a small item, considering all your household appliances and gadgets, that they can easily be overlooked…until you are standing in a tub full of gray, gross water after a long day at work. All of a sudden, the drain seems like a pretty important part of your bathroom and household, in general. In this article, we will look at different drain issues and how to fix them.
Drain Stoppers That Are Stuck in an Open Position
If a sink drain stopper is stuck in an open position, that may go unnoticed for a while if you don’t try to clog your drain frequently. But, if a bathtub drain is stuck in the open position, then no more bubble baths for you! While adults may be willing to let this slide for a while and stick to showers, if you have little ones at home, you likely use your bathtub frequently.
An Indialantic couple had a bathtub/shower combo in which the drain never fully closed from the time they bought the house. They would wrap a washcloth around the drain to help seal it off. This worked well enough that they did it when someone really needed to use the tub since it wasn’t often. However, when their son and daughter-in-law came for Christmas with their 2-year-old, the couple knew it was time to fix the bathtub drain once and for all. They couldn’t take the fun of bathtime away from their grandson during their Christmas visit!
So, how do you fix a drain that is stuck in an open position? Sometimes something has made its way down the drain that doesn’t belong there. That object could be blocking the drain stopper, keeping it in the open position. Sometimes the mechanism has worn out or somehow broken and needs to be replaced. In the case of the Indialantic couple, their drain was truly stuck and the plumber had to basically break it out of the tub! He replaced it with a simple metal stopper that you pull up or push down, eliminating any need for twisting or suction. Sometimes simple is truly better.
Drain Stoppers That Are Stuck in a Closed Position
Drains that are stuck in a closed position are always a problem because they render the sink or tub completely useless. Standing water can attract bugs, get stinky, and grow bacteria. Yuck! A drain that is stuck in a closed position may be an easy fix. Sometimes they simply have sealed so tight that you need to manually break that seal (suction). One way to do this is by grabbing your trusty plunger and seeing if you can pop the seal. If so, your stopper may be in working order again. Super easy! Your drain may need to be cleaned. Sometimes an excess of hair can wrap around the stopper causing it to become stuck. If you can get the stopper unstuck even a fraction to fit the tool in to pull out the hair, you may be able to clear your drain and unstick your stopper! It’s not a pleasant task, but it may be necessary. If those attempts don’t work, you can call one of our experienced plumbers to take a look.
Drain Stoppers That Are Unresponsive
Maybe your drain is somewhere in between. Maybe it stays half open/ closed, and you can’t get it to budge one way or the other. Or maybe it will let you manually adjust it, but the drain controller no longer controls the stopper. Why is your drain stopper being so darn stubborn? It could be that the piece (lift rod) that connects the controller to the stopper is disconnected. If it is stuck in between, it could be the case of a broken part. As simple as a drain stopper seems, it does consist of multiple parts to make it work. If you can’t figure out why it won’t cooperate and do its job properly, then you should give us a call.
Summary
Drain stoppers are a small, but necessary part of your sinks and bathtubs. When they aren’t working right it can be frustrating and a major bummer for a 2-year-old who loves bathtime! A drain stopper that is stuck in an open position may be caused by a simple blockage, but it could also be a broken stopper that needs replacing. A stopper stuck in a closed position may need suction released or may need to be unclogged. An unresponsive stopper may have become disconnected from the controller. While some of these are easy, do-it-yourself fixes, you may find yourself in need of a professional plumber. If that is the case, Sun Plumbing, located in Melbourne, FL, for over 45 years, is ready with a fleet of trained professional plumbers. Your stoppers can’t stop us!
