Bathtub Drain Replacement Services: You Should Seriously Consider The Benefits Of Replacing Your Bathtub Drain When Refinishing Your Bathtub… Here’s Why.

*Note: We offer bathtub drain overflow replacement services whether you need bathtub refinishing or not.

I’ll also cover removal below for those that would like to do this themselves.

Would you have your car painted with a big old dent in the hood? A new tub drain/overflow completes the job and it just makes sense.

We Provide Bathtub Drain Replacement Services For Clients Who Have A Worn-Out Tub Drain Or Overflow.

How Can Bathtub Drain Replacement Extend The Service Life Of Your Refinished Bathtub?

Mechanics of coatings states: when a coating is applied, its weakest point is an edge. An edge is a point that can be pushed against; in this case when you refinish your bathtub and you do not pull the drain, there is an edge around the drain vs. having the material under your drain with no edge.

The force of water flowing over that edge, plus the contraction and expansion of the drain itself, going through hot and cold cycles, are two forces pushing against the edge and can cause premature failure of the coating.

Once a coating starts to lift from these forces it can continue to lift and we call this peeling. A coating that could have gone 15 years can fail short of this life span.

When there is rust, soap, bathing oils or moisture trapped under the drain, no amount of preparations is going to remove it unless the drain is pulled. This can prevent any coating from sealing properly around the drain. I have seen coatings go a long time without removing the drains, but it’s a gamble.

If rust is under the drain it will eventually come back if not completely removed and treated before bathtub refinishing, causing the material around the drain to blister and peel.

I recommend when practical to remove the drain and overflow during the prep stage, then having your bathtub refinished. A return trip is required to re-install your drain after 24 hours.

Should your old drain be in great shape it can be re-used. When replacing we carry and full assortment of Watco chrome drains, adapter bushings and overflows. You’d be amazed at how many different thread and barrel sizes there are. We can retro-fit 99% of these.

*NOTE: We require an access to your bathtubs plumbing, either from below or thru an access panel. If you don’t have access we may be able to install an access panel… for more information on this service go here.

Access is needed to check for leaks after the drain is installed, as well, occasionally the tub drain shoe assembly under the tub is weakened over the years and is just waiting to break. With access a new shoe can be installed with out too much fuss.

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*Important: Should You Or Your Plumber Decide To Do The Bathtub Drain Replacement, Rather Than Having Us Do It. PLEASE Leave The Plumbing Intact Or Have The New Drain Shoe Installed Under The Tub. Only Remove The Drain/Overflow On The Inside Of The Bathtub.

If you don’t have access we may be able to install one, should your homes framing allow it. Go here for more information on this service or to see how to do it yourself.

Bathtubs With Rust Around/Under The Drain Cannot Be Guaranteed, Unless The Rust Is Completely Extradited And Treated, Before Refinishing.

We See A Lot Of Cheap Scam Refinishing Contractors Spray Over The Tubs Drain/Overflow.

Should Bathtub Drain Replacement Not Be Practical A Glue-On Solution May Be In Order.

These do make a bad looking drain look great but do not address the MECHANICS OF COATINGS as discussed above. So I still recommend drain removal when having your bathtub refinished if possible.

*NOTE: These will not work on over-sized tub drain flanges. Only on drains with a flange diameter of 2 3/4 inch.

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Removal Of A Tub Drain Is Usually Not Too Difficult. We Do Find Some That Are Seized And Sometimes The Tub’s Drain Shoe Breaks, So Be Advised.

Some tub shoes are not fitted well and can drop away from the tub making it difficult to re-install. Also always check the condition of the drain gasket under the tub. Dry or cracked gaskets must be replaced. Don’t forget plumbers putty either to seal the drain.

We carry a full assortment of these parts on our trucks, drains, adapters, bushing, one-two hole overflow, trip lever overflow and drain/overflow gaskets.

When the drain is seized or we want to limit the stress on the plumbing, we cut the drain out and collapse it. This is not practical for me to explain or show you how in this post.

Always leave the overflow plate in when removing the tub drain. This provides additional support for the plumbing and limits the stress to the plumbing system.

Be mindful finding the right sized drain to go back in can be daunting. Don’t even think the home centers will have the right one. You’ll need to take the drain to a plumbing supply house and have it matched up.

Even then you may have problems finding the right bathtub drain replacement piece, in that case a new standard sized tub shoe would need to be installed under the tub. Or just let us take care of this for you…

Here Is An E-mail Exchange With A Homeowner/Contractor That Had Quite The Time Of It.

Hi Paul,
Thanks for following up. The adapter I purchased for the bathtub drain replacement was indeed the correct thread count @ 16tpi, however I couldn’t get it threaded into the drain. It would start and then jump out, even when I applied considerable force. As much as I measured, rechecked, measured again, I would swear everything is correct, and I didn’t notice any stripped threads, etc. I then saw that Watco makes a 1 13/16 x 16tpi (red) adapter, and realized that was probably what I needed, instead of the 1 7/8″ (light green) that I ordered. But I was done guessing at this and needed the bathroom functional again. I ended up replacing the entire waste and overflow with a new kit, and in the end I am happy. It gave me a chance to really ensure no leaking will occur and all gaskets changed etc.

Everything looks great and I’ll be glad to contact you again for the next one. My thanks to your entire team and your quality customer service!!

–Ed Parker

Hi Paul,
I’ll be sure to let you know how it works out, once I get this other bushing in the mail. I never had a clue there were so many different sizes.

–Ed

Hi Paul,
Thanks for the info. I’ve ordered what I think is the correct one (Watco #38108, Lt. Green) and will see when it gets here Wednesday. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll be back in touch. I still think it’s a 16 TPI thread, based on the old drain I have here. I’ll let you know how it works out, especially since my neighbor is interested after seeing my tub, and we would have the same plumbing.

Thanks again !! Check’s in the mail.

–Ed

Hi Ramona,
My wife’s cutting a check for you on Monday and it will be coming in the mail.

Thanks for helping me last Friday and putting me in touch with Paul. You guys really do bend over backwards to help out your customers!

Also, my neighbor, Rita Seppy, was very impressed with the job and should be calling you to do her tub as well. If she does call, make sure the tech has a Watco #38108 Light Green fine thread adapter, as all the neighborhood houses were built at the same time in the 1950’s and will have the same plumbing. I finally found a company in Minneapolis that had one in stock and it is coming by mail, but not until Wednesday. The company Paul referred me to does not stock them and they need to be ordered from the factory, the same story I got from every local supply house I called in the area.

Thanks again!
–Ed Parker

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Areas We Serve For Bathtub Drain Replacement Near Me: Aberdeen MD | Accokeek MD | Annapolis MD | Arnold MD | Baltimore MD | Bel Air MD | Beltsville MD | Bethesda MD | Bladensburg MD | Bowie MD | Burtonsville MD | Catonsville MD | Clinton MD | Cockeysville MD | College Park MD | Columbia MD | Crofton MD | Dundalk MD | Edgewood MD | Elkridge MD | Ellicott City MD | Elkton MD | Essex MD | Fort Washington MD | Gaithersburg MD | Germantown MD | Glen Burnie MD | Glenn Dale MD | Greenbelt MD | Hyattsville MD | Lanham MD | La Plata MD | Laurel MD | Maryland | Middle River MD | Montgomery Village MD | Odenton MD | Olney MD | Owings Mills MD | Pasadena MD | Perry Hall MD | Pikesville MD | Poolesville MD | Potomac MD | Rockville MD | Randallstown MD | Reisterstown MD | Severn MD | Severna Park MD | Shady Side MD | Silver Springs MD | Stevensville MD | Takoma Park MD | Temple Hills MD | Towson MD | Waldorf MD | Wheaton MD | Westminster MD | White Marsh MD | NOVA | Northern Virginia | Arlington VA | Alexandria VA | Annadale VA | Chantilly VA | Fairfax VA | Falls Church VA | Great Falls VA | Herndon VA | Leesburg VA | Manassas VA | Springfield VA | Washington DC | Prince Georges County | Montgomery County | Anne Arundel County| Howard County |

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