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DRAIN MECHANISM, TUB PARTS

Description: There are two basic types. The weight type has a weight/stopper connected to a linkage of rods that are raised and lowered by a lever that juts through the middle of an escutcheon on the tub. The spring type has the same kind of lever, but it is connected to a vertical linkage that pushes a rocker arm up or down on a chrome stopper.

Buying information: Either type can be removed and replaced (and so can the escutcheon), but it is also possible to get around replacing the weight-type mechanism, as indicated below.

How-to hints: To remove either linkage, first unscrew the escutcheon plate, then grasp the lever and pull the mechanism up and out. To avoid having to replace either mechanism, you can remove the drain and replace it with a plug. In some cases removal means inserting a screwdriver into the cross-hatching of the drain and turning it counterclockwise until it comes out. On others a spud wrench -- a forklike tool -- is required to mate with projections on the inside of the drain. Blank escutcheons are available for covering the hole where the drain mechanism lever was located.

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