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Help! I'm trying to replace a brass tub drain but it will not turn. I have removed it before to clean the drain with no problems but this time it will not budge. The thin cross members with the screw hole in the center have broken off from my repeated attempts at removing it. Are there any tools I can use or other suggestions for removing it ? It is on a second floor and I do not want to damage the ceiling from below. Besides, even then I don't think it would help with the problem of removing the drain.
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They make a tool for removing inside fittings. One looks like four hefty pins coming out from the end, another has three ribbed wheels the center wheel mounted off center so it wedges itself inside the fitting as you turn it. -
The two tools that Hazee has described are called an "Expanding Basket Wrench" or a "Nipple Wrench" (Used primarily to remove short pipe nipples).
Both of those tools in an 1-1/2" size are relatively pricey but you should be able to rent them at a local tool rental company. (I think you would have the best success with a nipple wrench and it is probably the one most commonly available.)
The alternative is to cut the basket out using a mini-hacksaw but I would only recommend that as a last resort and it is best done by someone familiar with the technique because you need to cut the basket out without damaging the mating threads in the waste shoe under the tub.
Contact your tool local tool rental company and see if you can get the tools, if not, post again and i will provide a detailed method of cutting the basket out.
FYI- It is an extremely rare situation where one would need to remove the tub basket to clean the lines. The tub Trap cannot be accessed through the tub drain. To clean the trap and waste line you need to remove the overflow cover. If you have a lever type stopper on the overflow cover you would need to pull the stopper up and out, then you can run a snake down the overflow line, through the trap.
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