Leaking bath tub plumbing - no access

[Pmayer]

Home built in 1986, bath tub is on second story. I had a clogged drain and was trying to clear it with a plunger when the snake wasn't solving the problem. The pressure from the plunger caused a leak to appear in the system which is now causing water to leak through the ceiling on the first floor. I have now been able to clear the drain, and water still leaking even without the pressure of a plunger forcing it.

There is no access panel behind the tub, so I 'll either need to cut a panel through cabinet or try to remove the cabinet without destroying it.

My questions:

- What do you think the most likely scenerio is; where is the leak?
- Will I be able to get enough access to make this repair by going through the cabinet on the end of the tub, or will I need to remove the tub (ugh) or go up through the ceiling on the first floor (ugh)?
- Is there any value in removing the tub drain, inspecting and replacing as a first step? I've never done this before but it looks straightforward (famous last words).

Thanks for your help!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[FullySprinklered]

Rework the tub drain before you get all radical. Replace the rubber washer if necessary, clean up the threads with a wire brush, and use new dope and putty. There's a tool for removing the drain, but two screwdrivers or needle-nose pliers will probably do it.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Pmayer]

Thanks, FS. That's great advice and I'm going to proceed as you suggest. Do you have any suggestions on how to replace the rubber gasket? I figure that I might as well plan on it while I've got it opened up. I've watched a few youtube videos and they all put it on top of the tub, whereas I've got to believe that it goes underneath. It's hard to picture how one might replace it underneath the tub, however, but I suspect that you or other pros probably have a trick or two for this.

 

[Pmayer]

OK, I took the drain out and realized that the everything dropped down a bit after the drain was removed, so it looks like an easy deal to replace the gasket. I also found that the old gasket was split completely through, so perhaps that is the smoking gun I was hoping for. Fingers crossed.

 

[Pmayer]

Replaced the gasket, reinstalled drain and no more leak. Thanks again for the suggestion, fullysprinkled.