Does anyone have any tips for cleaning out a bathtub drain that has a drum trap? My house is 95 years old and still has lead drum traps in two of the bathrooms. The drum trap has a screwed on top but it will take a lot of force to break the seal and I believe that it may have become brittle with age. I do not want to replace the trap because it is on the second floor of my home with a coffered ceiling below and a mosaic tile floor on top.
Thanks,
Stan
Replies
You might as well ask to win the PowerBall lottery while you are at it!
I hope the access hole is large enough to allow for a 72" pipe wrench!
I feel a Sawzall and some extra blades will be the answer. A new trap and fernco connectors will start the process of repair.
Good Luck....but don't expect the drum trap to open up.
.................Iron Helix
I'm with IronHelix on this one. Clogged drum traps are a pain in the #ss. Even if you get it open you may or may not solve the clog problem and it'll be the same pain EVERY TIME it clogs. It's time to bite the bullet and replace it with a heavy duty P-trap. Then you'll be able to clear future clogs with a snake through the waste & overflow on the tub.
As a last ditch effort (before he breaks out the Sawzall), could he try some of that heavy duty drain cleaner from a plumbing supply house -- the stuff with some sort of acid in it?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I agree with the other posts. The amount of force required to open a lead drum trap will probably destory it. Where I live {N.E.] they have been banned for years, more that likely because they are prone to clogs. Bite the bullet and get it out of there, the lead is probably tissue paper thin. Sorry.