How to Remove a Bathtub Drain Stopper

If you’ve ever tried to run a drain snake down your tub without luck or you want to replace the drain to complete a bathroom remodel, you’ve probably wondered how to unscrew a bathtub drain. Learning how to remove a bathtub drain is simple as long as you know what kind of drain you have and how the drain type affects the removal process.

Let’s take a look at why removing a tub drain might be necessary and how to remove tub drains of several styles, including toe-touch, push-pull, lift and turn, Flip-It^®, trip lever, and pop-up drain types.

Common Reasons To Remove a Bathtub Drain

Whether you need to fix a clogged drain, perform routine drain cleaning, or stop your toilet from bubbling when you drain your tub, there are plenty of reasons to remove a tub drain.

Here’s a closer look at why you’d need to remove your bathtub drain stopper:

• Clogged drain: Trying to unclog a drain while your drain stopper is in place makes this frustrating task more difficult. Removing the drain stopper allows you full access to the drain pipe and may even clear out the drain in some cases. To clear a sewer line clog, the drain might have to be removed.
• Drain cleaning: Drain cleaning is a great way to keep clogs from forming. But to access the drain and properly clean it, you need to remove the stopper. It’s well worth the effort, as it can prevent sewage from backing up into your tub and keep your tub drain running smoothly.
• Stopper replacement: Bathtub stoppers don’t last forever. They can get caked with calcium buildup, degrade, and stop working due to age. Some chemical drain cleaners can even damage your stoppers.

There’s a good chance you can remove and even replace your stopper on your own. To help, we’ve created several step-by-step guides on how to remove a tub drain stopper that covers some of the most common types.

How To Remove a Toe-Touch Tub Stopper

A toe-touch tub stopper opens and closes with the touch of your toe. It’s usually circular and flat at the top, with no tabs or knobs. Here’s how to replace a toe-touch tub stopper:

1. Place the stopper in the “open” position as if you’re draining the tub.
2. Hold the base of the cylinder while turning the top cap counterclockwise. If the entire unit moves as you turn, let go of the cylinder base and continue to unscrew until you can remove the unit completely. Some toe-touch stoppers have a top cap that unscrews from a base cylinder that is threaded into a crossbar in the strainer, while others are a single unit threaded into the crossbar.
3. If your stopper has a top cap, twist it counterclockwise to remove it.
4. Once the top cap is removed, turn the cylinder base clockwise and pull it free. In some cases, you may need to use a standard flathead screwdriver to unscrew the cylinder from the strainer crossbar.

How To Remove a Push-Pull Tub Drain

A push-pull tub drain stopper has a knob at the top. Pushing the knob down closes the drain, and pulling up opens it. Here’s how to remove a push-pull tub stopper:

1. Remove the knob on top of the stopper. Use one hand to hold the base of the stopper in place and turn the knob counterclockwise until it's completely off. If the knob is too tight to unscrew by hand, wrap a washcloth or rag around the knob and use standard pliers to loosen it.
2. Once the knob is removed, look for a post that connects the stopper to the crossbar of the strainer.
3. Unscrew the post using a standard flathead screwdriver and lift the post off the strainer.

How To Remove a Lift and Turn Tub Stopper

Similar in appearance to the push-pull style, a lift and turn stopper is operated by lifting and turning the knob in opposite directions to open and close the drain. Here’s how to remove a lift and turn stopper:

1. With the stopper in the open position, use one hand to hold the body of the stopper in place.
2. Slowly turn the knob counterclockwise and look for a screw set on the knob. If there isn’t one, turn the stopper counterclockwise to unthread it from the strainer until it can be removed. Sometimes, the post threads may be stripped, making it difficult to unscrew the stopper. If this happens, try gently pulling upward while turning the stopper.
3. If your stopper has no visible screw set on the knob and won’t unscrew, lift the stopper and turn to look for a small screw.
4. Use a standard flathead screwdriver or an Allen wrench (hex key) to loosen the set screw. You shouldn’t have to completely remove the screw to remove the stopper. Be very careful during this part of the process; if the screw is removed entirely, it can fall down the drain. If there is no set screw on either the knob or the stopper, it likely uses a channel/pin mechanism.
5. Lift the stopper and slowly rotate it counterclockwise to align the slot at the bottom of the channel with the pin on the strainer.
6. Pull upward to release the stopper.

How To Remove a Flip-It^® Drain Stopper

Instead of a knob on the top, the Flip-It tub stopper has a flip tab or toggle that opens or closes the drain when it’s flipped back and forth. This style makes tub drain removal much easier than with other kinds of stoppers.

To remove it, grasp the body of the stopper and use a gentle twisting motion (in either direction) or wiggle it back and forth while pulling upward until the stopper pops free.

How To Remove a Trip Lever Bathtub Drain

A trip lever (or lift bucket) stopper is equipped with a built-in internal plunger. It moves up and down inside the overflow pipe to close and open the stopper. Here’s how to remove a trip lever stopper.

1. Open the drain. Usually, this means pushing the trip lever into the down position.
2. Remove the overflow grate using a screwdriver.
3. Remove the stopper assembly from the overflow pipe. The assembly includes the lever, rods, and a plunger. If the assembly is stuck, spray lubricant into the overflow pipe or you could break the assembly, which may require professional help to fix.

How To Remove a Pop-Up Bathtub Drain

A pop-up drain uses a mechanism similar to a trip lever bathtub drain, but instead of directly opening and closing the plunger, it has a rocker arm that opens and closes a pop-up stopper. Below are the directions for removing a pop-up drain stopper.

1. Open the drain. If the drain is closed, it will be harder to remove the attached assembly.
2. Grip the drain stopper with your hands or a pair of pliers and pull the stopper directly upward. Be careful about how hard you pull — if you pull too hard, it may disconnect the rocker arm or stopper. It can be difficult to remove those pieces if they’re disconnected.
3. Take off the overflow grate with a screwdriver.
4. Pull the rod assembly, lever, and spring out of the overflow pipe. Use spray lubricant if the assembly is stuck.

Contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing^® for Bathtub Repair Services

Now that you know how to remove bathtub drain stoppers of all kinds, you can get to the root of the issue: the clog in your drain. However, if the bathtub drain won’t unscrew or you can’t unclog a bathtub drain yourself, call Mr. Rooter Plumbing. Our friendly service professionals can tackle the problem with our drain jetting and bathtub repair services. Don’t wait for plumbing problems to get worse; schedule an appointment today.