We're shopping around for bathtub drains and I'd like to hear what the pro's and con's of each type are.

The "pop-up" type with the lever inside the drain pipe seems very prone to clogging to me. I'm also not crazy about the lever sticking into the tub space.

The "plunger" type that has the plug that slides down inside the drain pipe also seems prone to clogging, and from first appearances doesn't look like it would provide a very good seal. Same deal with the protruding lever on this type.

The "tip toe" type is what we have now, and is our current preference. It too clogs, and we've had one plug stop ratcheting, but as my wife says "even I can fix that". Just unscrew the plug, and screw a new one in. Fast, easy, and cheap.

The "twist and close" type that have the little knob seems like a nuisance item again. That little knob sticking up from the tub bottom would be irritating.

The fancy "Cable operated" types might be nice, but they're way out of our price range.

Of course, the old "rubber stopper on a chain" is a little TOO rustic, even for us. Ha. Ha.

So, which types do you find most reliable and easiest to fix when problems do occur?

Thanks,

Anthony

Since you have pretty much exhaused all of the options, the only thing left to do is to shave your head.


LOL, no really, they all give trouble eventually. My personal preference is the "solvent weld" AB&A style tub waste and overflow. Lift and turn is probably the most trouble free if you get a quality product. The cheap versions are more trouble than they are worth.

I have the trip lever type in our home. (Gerber brand) Every evening, I pick up the hairball sitting on the strainer that my wife left behind. It still clogs anyway. I just go out to the van and give it a shot of drain cleaner every now and then.

Good luck,
Dave

I have the twist and turn in my house.
Which I leave out and when my three year old want a bath I just drop it in.
The best one that I have seen is made by kohler It is a stopper with a series of short rods in the drain portion and the lever in the overflo twist ( low profile ) and pushes a rod with a spring on the end.
I don't know the model but maybee someone else might reconize what I am talking about and can help.
I have only seen it in older houses (50's).
If all else fails then a rubber stopper on a chain works.
Good luck
Southern Plumber

I like to avoid a waste & overflow that has internal mechanisms. That leaves the cable type, toe switch, and lift & turn. I recently had to snake a tub with the cable type drain, and the opening in the overflow is very small, it was hard to get the hairball out through it.

So, lift & turn, or the toe switch. I'd lean towards the toe myself, which was your preference in the first place.

-Steve G

I like and have the twist/turn ones in my house. I also leave them out when not in use, and due to their location, even when in have not been irritated by the knob.

It's not in a place you butt goes when you are sitting in it and out of the way of your feet. Also, they seem less prone to failure than the tip toe and let more water out in the up position.

Hi All,
I have an AB&A toe pop in my tub and the nylon threads on the pop-up have stripped. I haven't been able to find out where I can get ahold of them or locate some type of replacement. The standard replacements from places like Home Depot and Lowe's have to narrow a bolt end to thread in. Any suggestions?

How can the old twist and close drain be removed when the rods at the bottom are corroded and may break off? Usually the drain will unscrew using the handle end of pliers.

Thanks, Tom

I just replaced a tub and had this problem with the drain. The plier handle snapped off the rods without budging the drain. I took a screw driver and placed the blade on the top inside edge of the drain and started tapping the handle with a hammer. Let the blade of the screwdriver dig into the metal of the drain but make sure you are tapping it in a counter clockwise direction to get the drain moving. Start tapping lightly until the crewdriver has a good dig into the metal and then give it a few good whacks to break the puddy and corrosion seal. Be careful not to let the screwdriver slip off the drain if you don't want to damage the tub. I didn't care about my tub, it came out courtesy of a rip-saw...