Plumbing question

[fivemack]

I am particularly fond of long deep bubble-baths with an undemanding book.

Sadly, for the last few weeks I have been thwarted because my bath-plug has developed a hole. I bought a replacement thing purporting to be a bath plug from John Lewis, but it is of not quite the right shape and hence readily dislodged by currents of water, a defect essentially fatal to a bath plug.

What I can't see is how you replace a bath-plug-on-a-chain: the chain seems attached irrevocably to a triangular thing which is attached very firmly to the side of the bath. I guess the triangular thing would come apart if attacked vigorously with pliers of sufficient force, but am not confident enough that this is reversible to try it.

I suppose I pay the price of a return flight to Peru monthly so that I can ring the landlord and cause Tucker Gardner's pet plumber to be scheduled to solve the problem.

Comments

[numberland.livejournal.com]

Without seeing it I can't be sure but in general there is a (often triangular) loop with a break in it, you just plier it open and the attach new chain and squeeze it closed again. This may be what you are dealing with in which case it is easy to reverse but I can't be sure.

[brrm.livejournal.com]

Best with two pairs of pliers, and bend either side of the break in the triangle in directions perpendicular to the plane of the triangle - if that makes sense. So you have to deform the triangle less to produce a gap big enough to get the old chain off and the new one on - and then it is easier to bend it closed again.


==== ^ v==== not ==== < > ====

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is what I was going to say.

Failing everything, if your plughole is a totally non-standard size, you can always buy a block of cork and whittle it to the right shape.

[ellarien]

What brrm said. It's the same principle recommended for jump rings in beading; grip one side with each hand and twist gently. Though if the break is inside the tunnel through the anchor point that may not be possible and you'd have to pull the sides apart.

[crazyscot.livejournal.com]

I got a couple of bog-standard inexpensive replacement plugs from Ridgeons a couple of years ago. Mackays probably have them too.

What the others said about pliers.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Solve the plug-removing problem first, then take the detached plug to a hardware shop to buy a close match.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Also, you could always just chop through the triangle bit and fit on a new plug with some other linkage.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid we used a lacrosse ball. It was quite watertight once the bath was full.

[janetmk.livejournal.com]

Not much new to add--but if the plug is just slightly too loose, a temporary fix is to put a small piece of kitchen plastic wrap over the drain before inserting the plug.

A good hardware shop should have plugs in a variety of sizes, so I agree that taking the old plug along to pick out a new one is the best way.

[(Anonymous)]

I used pliers. It works and requires less force than you'd expect, closing again without problem.

It certainly didn't drain me of energy.