How to Install a Bathtub Drain 

Hey Dustin, Great job - congrats! And thx for watching!

Hey Dhofar, Thanks. And thx for watching!

Hey Cuda, Thx for the tip. Sounds good.

As he did in the video......LOL

H Jerri, glad it was helpful! Let us know how your install goes, good luck!

Where did you end up finding a better kit?

Lowes

Hey PC..... That’s the way to go. Great tip! Thx for watching and sharing

@@Housebarons, I agree 100%! Thats happened to EVERYDAY PLOMBERS, BECAUSE, THEY SO MUCH USE TO IT, THEY CAN DO IT "w/clothed eyes"! But NO PEOPLE, to whom "YOU" TRY to DELIVER PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION!

Hi I Ismail, thanks for your comment and good luck if you install a bathtub drain!

Hi Louie, if you take on this project we hope your bathtub drain install goes well! Thanks for the comment!

Hey Dimwitts, Glad to hear it! Thanks for letting us know. And thanks for watching!

Hi Me24U Jones, glad this video helped. Hope all went well with your bathtub drain install. Thanks for your comment!

Hey Rogabc, That’s awesome! Thx for subscribing and welcome! We hope our videos serve as a helpful source of info on your projects. We certainly appreciate your willing “can do” attitude. It will serve you well. Regarding the drain kit you purchased, Im not sure exactly what’s provided. But I’ve noticed in our video that we did not address well the drain fitment. Here is a copy of a reply I sent to someone earlier regarding using plumbers putty. It’s important for a leakfree drain. Before screwing the drain pieces together ( comprised of a chrome top piece in the tub and PVC bottom piece underneath the tub with the tub sandwiched in between) : “With the plumbers putty, take about a ping pong ball size of the putty from the container, roll it out like you are making a snake till the roll is about as long as a pencil and a little fatter than a pencil. Then that “snake” of putty gets wrapped around the silver / chrome drain under the lip of that chrome drain piece . That way, when you screw the silver drain piece in to the pvc bottom piece, the extra plumbers putty will squish out. What remains squished/trapped between the drain and the tub forms a water tight seal.” Hope that helps. Thx for viewing!

@@Housebarons oh thanks!! I read that comment already & check for that "plumbers putty" stuff. Thank you 👍👍

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Hey Jonny, You are absolutely correct! Thx for watching.

Hi Terrell, glad you liked it! Hope your drain install went well!

Hey RD, Glad you liked it & thx for watching!

Hey Carlphilly, Thx for watching!

Hi Lance, awesome! Hope all goes well with your install, let us know how it works out!

Hey Don, Thank you for watching! Hope it goes well!

I don't know what were you watching. All what was there is how to glue the pipe -without even showing alignment marks! At 2:10 the overflow gasket he puts up side down. The thinner side goes UP! Where is the plumbers putty??? Did you see how to connect it to the drain pipe? I didn't...

Hi Matthew, awesome, good luck with your bathtub drain install!

Hey Ricardo, Thx for the kind words!!

Hey joe joe, Glad to hear it! Thx for watching.

Hey Oscar, Thx for the kind words. Hope your project goes well. Thx for watching & God bless you too!

Hey vintage…, Thx much !

Most welcome 😊

Hey Mary, Thx for watching!

Hi FerrisBueller 2000, awesome, it is pretty interesting to see how things actually work. By the way, my wife has put Ferris Bueller's Day Off on at our house at least 15 times or more! Thanks for your comment!

Hey Daniel, Awesome! Glad to hear you guys had some success. Thx for watching!

Best to not use a leak prone slip joint especially when this is hidden plumbing. It will leak eventually.

@@neoconfirst7694 always load slip joint with plumbers putty. No way its leaking or working loose.

Hey Joshua, Thx so much!

Hey Jesse, Thx for watching!

Hey Michael, Thx for the kind words! And thx for viewing too. 😃

I'll be back to watch more

Awesome Michael, Great to hear that. We’ll keep building up the content!

Hey A M, We only used plumbers putty on the bottom drain. The top drain has a ruberish gasket on the backside to make good seal. The front is fine as is ... so water can flow into the overflow as it reaches the bottom of that opening. As for scuffing the pipe - we don’t. The chemical bond made by the glue essentially welds the two pieces together. I’ve seen a bunch of plumbers over the years and never seen them scuff the pipes ( for what it’s worth). Thx again for the comment and question!

I make index marks on the pvc during the dry fit with a sharpie. That way after the gluing is done your pieces remain in the exact alignment.

Hey Lucero & Grant, Good to hear. Thx for the comment!

Exactly why I'm here

Thought the same thing....the instructions were rolled up in the long pipe...👍

Hey Keeping, Thx for watching!

Hey Vic, The floor has a plywood sub floor and cement board base for the tile. As such the floor is quite inflexible. The tub itself spanned two floor joists in between which was the floor drain and p- trap. The fiberglass tub has adjustable feet to support it well. There really was not much risk of the floor or tub cracking in any way. Hope that helps. Thx for the question and the views.

A friend of mine actually poured a thin layer of self leveling concrete on top of the sub floor when he installed his cheap fiberglass tub and then seated the tub in that to prevent flexing. He said that worked great and that the bottom of his tub has zero flex and feels solid as the old cast tub that he replaced.

@@MsCFournier do you lay tile under the tub first or do you put the tub down on plywood directly? im trying to prevent moisture from rotting out the joists beneath over time.

Hey Anony, Thx for the compliment! And thx for watching!

I know that there is a video out there ...

Hi Sea69Man, good luck if you install a bathtub drain. Thanks for your comment!

Hey LRJ, I don’t think we have one yet. The fiberglass tubs are generally supported on one side by a horizontal 2x4 under the tub side lip. The bottom of the tub is also supported from underneath by a ‘mud bed ‘ - which is basically laying down a pile of 4-1 mortar mix and then setting the tub on it and pushing the tub down and level. Once the mud bed tries, the bottom of the tub will be well supported. Good luck.

Great question - Is the tiny house on wheels? Never had to deal with a tub moving. Typically a fiberglass or steel tub has an edge on long side. That is usually fastened in first, then Durarock/ cement board for the wall resting on top of that long tub upper edge. Thats for a house- Not sure if on wheels- thats more RV design. Never done that. Thx again for watching

@@Housebarons not on wheels, it's a lofted barn turned into a tiny house

Hey Diana, Fun! If it’s a steel tub you have much more strength. Plastic or fiberglass- ???. Support on ends is partial solution. How about support long side from underneath - maybe a 2x4 post support from floor up under lip at middle of long edge? Before any wall finishes make sure everything is solid. It will ultimately be a judgement call…

Oh - ouch! Thx for watching!

😂

Hey Mio, PVC is fine. Not expecting it to fail. So far so good. Thx for watching!

Thank you so much!

Hey Lorenzo, That’s sounds good! I hope your project goes smoothly!! Thx for watching and commenting.

You must always vent every drain in the house. Yes, it is certainly necessary.

Hey John, If I’m understanding you correctly, the drain tube from the overflow to the bottom drain is too long leaving you with a gap under your main tub drain. So if you cut the overflow drain tube by a half inch, that should bring your bottom drain up and touching it as it should be. That make sense?

He said plumber's putty early on in the video

Hey Osama..., I guess it all depends on your particular problems. But tub p-traps work like all p-traps - a trap for water to stop sewer gasses from getting past. If you have room and the skills, go for it. Just make sure you have room to work. Thx fir watching!

I'm doing the same trying to find the right p trap

Replace it while you can. It's a lot tougher to fix after installing a tub and finishing the rest of the bathroom around the tub

He George, that beautiful creature is Avi, the pit bull mix. Caleb, who is Dave's son, rescued her from a scary pound. She will be appearing a lot in our new project, 115 year old house renovation. Thanks for your comment!

Thx for watching!

Hey Street…, We had drain pipes on the tub and then connected at floor joint. Multiple ways to approach depending on you access to them. Thx for watching!

Hey GT.... Ouch. I’d try and correct that. Not sure how long that will last OR if it will work. The gasket we used has a bevel to it as well which may also cause a weak seal on the wrong side. Thx for watching.

@@Housebarons I ended up not using the seal at all and just put a whole bunch of caulking (Dap 3.0 kitchen, bath and plumbing).

Not sure I’m following??

Hey ard…, Just set it in on top - No putty underneath as it has its own gasket underneath. Thx for watching!

Hey Justin, That’s a puzzle - sometimes tubs have built in plugs/ stopper… is that open? Thx for watching!

I kept waiting for the plumb bob for drain alignment but guess not

Hey Diana, As for inside the room, Maybe use linoleum or LVL plank flooring which is not affected by water. Plus water should not go through it. From the underside??? I would hope the tiny house (on wheels) has a water proof undercarriage. But using LVL plank / or linoleum is a good floor to not allow water seepage through it. Thx again!

@@Housebarons thanks

Hey Andrea, Did you also use thread tape around the threads of the male end of the pipe? Thx for the question.

@@Housebarons You mean teflon tape? If so no. Should I? Sounds like a good idea.

Yes Andrei, The Teflon tape fills the super small gaps. Wrap around the male threads 4-5 times. As you tighten the pieces together, you should feel it get harder to turn as you progress. Hope this helps. Btw - use the white Teflon tape.

@@Housebarons Sure does, from what I read I also see that silicone is stronly needed (plumber's putty seems to be a classic option but it has less hold from what I read).

@Masterg Samuraixmen I was missing plumber's putty (or silicone, but putty is easier to open, clean and whatnot).

Hey Rickey, No video. Maybe try a rubberized / fernco fitting if it’s just slightly misaligned. If it’s a lot out of alignment, you made need to cut out some of the old cast iron branch and replumb with a fernco and new pvc. No small job I’m sure! Thx for watching!

Hey Robert, Check the instructions with the drain. It should tell you with what it is compatible. If no luck there, contact the drain manufacturer. It’s a pretty important connection which you want to get right.

Z33! Exactly! Every one explains, what you know, like 1,2,3! And NO ONE gives you detail explanation, how to screw it TOGETHER TOP w/BOTTOM, SO WOULD BE NO LEAK!?

@@valentinasoubbotina2936 In my case the pipe going into the slab is a clean pipe with no threads, so nothing can be screwed together....

@@Z33Garage, i,m talking about the top metal part inside of the tub, which has to be connected /screwd w/bottom metal part...

Gluing...

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Hey John, It seems like you found the problem. May see if you can find a drain sized so you don’t need that adapter - just screw drain right into the pvc. Or if you want to avoid buying a whole new tub, then replace drain pipes with a new kit. Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

@@HousebaronsThanks Do u have a link for your tub ?? Is it easy to replace the pipe and install the new tub i did install a shower pan before and did the plumbing under it but never installed a bath tub do u have a you tub to show a complete installation thx

Hey John, Here is the link for the tub install. It’s pretty straight forward. The biggest part is aligning the existing drain pipe with the new tub drain. I believe they make an offset pipe or somewhat flexible tube to help align them if they are a little off. But really - they will likely line up since tubs are pretty standard. Just “measure twice” as the saying goes and you’ll be good. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gG8u487Y8r8.html Thx again!

Hey Robert, Plumbers get pretty expensive. Maybe a handyman ? Honestly don’t know price. We are prone to DIY. Thx for watching!

Hey mount…, Id guess down. Not sure ours is identical. Thx for watching!

Hey Michael, Yes. Between bottom of drain and the top of the drain hole in the tub. There is probably a rubber gasket under the tub which needs nothing. Thx for watching!

Hey Jorge, Yes. Standard 1.5 inch pipes except for the pieces that connect to the drain and overflow - those are specially designed to connect there ( specific for bathtubs) . Thx for watching.

You mean the plumbers putty? It provides an extra seal to prevent any water from leaking through. If the threads aren't tight and sealed, water can slowly leak through over time, and cause unseen water damage over time. Edit: which can weaken the floor below it and making it an expensive repair.

Not allowed by code and some insurance companies won't insure.

Yeah thats what im wondering! Guess he just used one of the flat washer things like he put on the bottom end of drain cap

Nope he forgot

Sure! ROBERT! EVERYONE ASCKING, HOW TO SEAL? (WOULD BE NO LEAK)!

@@troop210, Actually! He doing THIS DELIBERATLY, TO GET YOUR DETAILD ATTANTION, WHERE TO PUT RUBER GUSKET!? BECAUSE LOTS OF DIYselfers ALWAYS MEXTUP! AND HAVE A PROBLEM LATER!

No worries ..I like diyers.. they call a real plumber lik me when they diy..

Hey Michael, The old plumbing adage “ tight but not too tight” applies. As you screw in the drain, the excess plumber putty will ooze out. The metal drain typically screws in to a plastic elbow under the tub so be mindful of risks of stripping the plastic fitting. So tight enough with out doing damage. Remember, the drain isn’t under pressure. Once you get it put together you can fill the tub and look for leaks. But my guess is you won’t have any.

Thanks @@Housebarons

Hey Blue.., Almost anything is possible. Considerations. 1) Removing a sink will leave a hole in counter top. Probably need a new countertop. 2) height of bathroom cabinets is? A free standing sink can be 6 or so inches above countertop so if you base cabinets are 30 inches tall - problem not to tall. If your base cabinets are 36 tall already, you may need a shorter cabinet. The plumbing is simple - no problem there. End of the story… if you like how it looks, it’s perfect! Thx for watching.

@@Housebarons thank you very much great information 🤗👍👍

Hey Janice.., Yeah. That sound wrong. Not sure why it won’t be all piped? Very odd. Thx for watching!

Hey rav…, Some say use silicone. Dealers choice I guess. Thx for watching.

Avi the dog was previously with a meth head, so that is not surprising. We will have to get her into rehab.

Hey Jim, Top drain piece?? The top ( overflow ) is attached with screws into the pvc on other side of tub. The chrome piece - the top portion of the bottom drain is screwed into a threaded pvc piece that is underneath / bottom side of tub. The drain kit should have all the appropriate parts. Hope that helps. Thx for watching.

@@Housebarons ok thank you. Doesn't turning the bottom piece into the PVC cause strain on the PVC that could make the glued fittings come loose and leak? I see plumbers turning them really tightly.

Hey Jim, We made out connection and then hooked up the tub drain plumbing lines to the main drain lines. But if you are just replacing the top portion, the drain lines should be ok. Because it’s typically metal drain basket going into plastic, you want to be careful not to overdue it. Whether you have a drain gasket or using plumbers putty, that should be plenty to seal it well with it being “tight but not too tight”. Hope that helps.

Hey Diana, No glue! Watch a bunch of videos to get the best perspective. But glue could cause problems down the road. Most kits come with washers or are designed to self-seal ( like a compression fitting). Ask at the big box home store - often times employees there have a good amount of real world experience. If you find someone going into great detail in explaining, then its likely they know their stuff. Also buy a DIY renovation / plumbing / handyman kinds of book - very helpful! BTW - way to go and take on the tiny home! Impressive! you will learn TONS of stuff over the build. Thx for watching!

@@Housebarons I got the pipes done yay! Thanks

Hey Diana, Great to hear! Go job! Hope all goes well on your build!!

Hey Ryan, If I’m catching your question correctly, yes, it follows the contour/ slope of tub. Thx for watching!

Hey d b , The contour of our tub was the clue for its placement. Thx for watching!

Hey Spawny..., Does the saying go “ necessity is the mother of invention” ? Maybe someone should invent that! Thanks for the input and thx for watching.

@@Housebarons hey mine has sliding connectors that has a pvc nut to tighten, do I need to glue those?

Hey Victor, All pvc and it all fit. Thx for watching!

Hey Alien…, The house is 40 yrs old … maybe part of the reason. But all outlets in bath are on GFCI for safety s against water hazards. Thx for watching.

Thx for the help!

Hey Ayan, The drain pipe attaches to the overflow ( top tub drain) and the bottom drain. Where did it detach? The top drain is often held by 2 screws or so. The bottom drain is 2 parts - inside the tub screw drain that goes through the hole in tub and screws into the bottom of the drain pipe from outside/ underneath the tub. It makes like a screw sandwich with the tub skin in the middle.

@@Housebarons it detatched straight from the actual bath wher the tub basket was. From what I am seeing there are no screws or anything from what I can see. The pipe is just dangling below the pipe. My guess here is sinse the tub basket broke that the pipe dropped and started dangling. I have also found out that the rubber gasket is not there either. I dont really want to call a plumber since this seems to simpe for it.

Hey Ayan, If you can get to it all, go ahead and try to replace it. It should have a rubber gasket anyway. If you can get your hands on everything, you are right - it’s pretty straightforward.

Hey Ayan, They sell tub drain kits to replace everything. You’ll probably need to cut / repair where the drain pipe connects to the p-trap. Check out this video for PVC pipe repair if you are not familiar... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2pIOo58BmJo.html Hope that helps!

Thanks. I'll buy the kit and replace that whole pipe and hopefully thats fixes it