Tag Archives: fyi

What Kind of Tub Drain Do You Have?

11 Replies

Most of us can easily identify a trip lever style tub drain; the name itself tells it like it is. But what about all those other ones that don’t have a trip lever? If you’ve ever wondered what your tub drain is, read on!

There are five basic types of bath tub drain stoppers:

  • Toe Touch (Foot Actuated, Foot Lock or Toe Tap)
  • Push-Pull or Lift and Turn
  • Flip-It
  • Pop-Up: Activated by Trip Lever, Cable, Turn Style, or other
  • Trip Lever or Turn Style (internal plunger/stopper)
toe touch style drain
Toe Touch		 push pull style drain
Push Pull		 Flip it style drain
Flip It		 pop up drain
Pop Up		 strainer cover plate
Trip Lever

Identify which stopper you have:

If your tub does not have a trip lever, it is either a Toe Touch, Push Pull, Flip-It, or a Lift-and-Turn style stopper. The Flip, Toe Touch, Lift and Turn and Push-Pull stoppers work without a trip lever mechanism. These are generally the easiest kind to remove or replace since they do not need the removal of the trip lever.

Toe Touch: The stopper opens and closes with the push of your toe.

Push-Pull: The stopper has a knob in the center and you must push it down to close and pull it up to open.

Lift and Turn: This looks very similar to the Push-Pull style, but you will need to lift and turn the stopper (in opposite directions) to open and close.

Flip-It: This stopper uses a toggle that when flipped from side to side, will open or close.

Pop-Up: This style can have a Trip Lever or Turn Style mechanism on the overflow that moves an internal push rod against a rocker arm attached to the stopper to raise or lower the stopper. Pop-Ups have a visible stopper in the tub drain, and cannot be covered by a strainer.

Trip Lever or Turn Style: These two styles use an internal plunger to stop water flow. When the overflow plate is activated by tripping a lever or turning the plate it causes the plunger to raise or lower. Trip Lever and Turn Style assemblies normally do not have a visible stopper in the tub drain. The drains simply have a strainer of some sort covering the drain.

Your turn: What’s your favorite style of tub drain?

Read more about this subject here.