Does this tub drain look right to you?

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Novice71

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Let me start by saying I understand little about plumbing. When deciding which drain to order with a Randolph Morris clawfoot tub and deck-mount faucet, Vintage Tub (the vendor, who also owns the brand, I believe) recommended the Randolph Morris pop-up drain (with its assembly) because it won't stick up beneath the bather when closed (vs the twist-and-lift type or plug on a chain). Never having bought a bathtub before, I might not have thought of this and appreciated the advice.

Now that it has been installed (by a plumber), the drain sticks up about 1/2 inch when closed and almost a full inch when open. That didn't comport with what I expected based on VT's description. I sent them photos, and they say they've never seen this situation before, and something is wrong. They're sending a new stopper, in case we just got a bad part, but if that doesn't solve the problem, they think the tub plumbing was installed incorrectly, more specifically, that a pipe perhaps wasn't cut as it should have been for all the parts to fit together properly, without pushing up the drain. The installation instructions are 8 pages long and over my head, but mention cutting pipes in 2 different steps.

Has anyone ever seen or fixed something like this?
 

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hj

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There is NO WAY that drain could have been "installed incorrectly", because the portion inside the tub can ONLY be assembled the way the manufacturer designed it.
 

Novice71

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There is NO WAY that drain could have been "installed incorrectly", because the portion inside the tub can ONLY be assembled the way the manufacturer designed it.
They (VT) weren't suggesting it was assembled wrong; they were saying pipes that should have been cut, per the installation directions, may not have been cut or not cut to the appropriate length.
 

Jadnashua

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TO make a seal, that should retract and be about flush with the tub's surface. On some, that stopper is not physically connected to the mechanism...it just rests there. On mine, it has a shaft that locates it and that has an adjustable screw and stop nut on the shaft that you may need to play with to get it to retract far enough to seal properly. SOme, the stopper is hard connected, and doesn't easily come out. If you have that type, and you can pull it out, that's why it is sitting too high (at least, that's what I think is happening) - it isn't attached to the raise/lower mechanism properly (this is similar to many vanity sink stoppers). Mine just relies on gravity to make it drop...the mechanism just pushes it up, and when that goes back down, the stopper falls - it isn't pulled. Without knowing what brand and model, it's hard to say what's going on.
 

Fiddler

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Jad - It looks like a spring loaded push down drain not a lever actuated drain. It will sit up a bit.
 

Novice71

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Thanks all. Yes, it is operated by pushing, not a lever. Vintage says only the metal should show when closed. I uploaded the parts schematic; the installation instructions are too long to upload, but if anyone is interested, they can be accessed via a link on the specs tab at http://www.vintagetub.com/randolph-morris-toe-tapper-pop-up-clawfoot-tub-drain-rm1900popab-s.html

Although it says "lift and turn" at the top of the page, everything is the same for the toe-tap model except that top little button
 

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hj

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The "cut pipes" are ALL under the tub and have absolutely nothing to do with how high the plunger is. IF you have to "push it down" to operate it, that means it MUST be above the tub at least the amount it takes to actuate it. Whoever sold you it was using hyperbole to get you to buy it.
 

Novice71

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The "cut pipes" are ALL under the tub and have absolutely nothing to do with how high the plunger is. IF you have to "push it down" to operate it, that means it MUST be above the tub at least the amount it takes to actuate it. Whoever sold you it was using hyperbole to get you to buy it.
I get what you're saying. Maybe I'm not explaining myself well. As I understand it, the knee bone's connected to the thigh bone, i.e., let's say the pipe (shoe assembly) under the tub is a little too long, so when it connects to the strainer, it ends up pushing it up. Is that possible?
 

Jadnashua

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The real question is, does it seal the tub or not; not what it looks like. Is this an aftermarket, retrofit thing, or did it come with the tub drain kit?
 

Novice71

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The real question is, does it seal the tub or not; not what it looks like. Is this an aftermarket, retrofit thing, or did it come with the tub drain kit?
In my brief test, it did keep water in the tub. It came with the tub/drain kit. So I'm more concerned about the look and the comfort of the bather, and I would prefer that the threaded part of the rubber not bet all gunky and be in the tub itself. When I unscrew the stopper and look down, the strainer seems to be in the right place--I can't see how it can get any lower. I'm hoping the replacement stopper will address the problem.
 

Fiddler

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We had one similar to this, you had to tap and push it to the left. That was supposed to make it harder to inadvertently open. All it really did, was make it harder to close once you inadvertently opened it. She would then have to sit up and close it again with her fingers. When she asked me to fix it I did...by breaking it. While I was waiting on the replacement we went to target to get one of those wide white rubber stoppers. They sell one that is magnetic and so it works great. We use that now. She will not let me put the other thing on. She just throws it in some bleach every week to keep it clean. Sometimes the simplest solutions really are the best.
 

Jadnashua

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My guess, if it seals, it's positioned as it was designed to be and there's nothing you can do about it.
 

hj

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quote; let's say the pipe (shoe assembly) under the tub is a little too long, so when it connects to the strainer, it ends up pushing it up. Is that possible?

1. NO!!!!
2. If it were too long, it would NOT have been able to be connected.
3. What you have is what was designed, regardless of what some one said when they sold it to you.
4. If it "pushed it up, the ring that seals to the tub would have been pushed up so it would not seal, but would have had NO EFFECT on the stopper itself.
 
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