Bathtub has a leaky drain :(

After my mildew incident a week ago, I haven't been able to get the tub in my spare (fermenting) bathroom to hold water. Seems the drain plug just doesn't want to form a tight seal anymore.

This sucks because it means I can't control brew temperatures, and I have a beer in primary that's fermenting at 82F right now, and I'd really like to get that down before the krausen drops.

Short of calling apartment maintenance and having them fix it (which I don't really want to do because I'd rather just avoid questions) is there anything in the household-item category that I can use to plug a leaky drain?

Do you remember the plastic round tubs that you would see at a party that the keg was sitting in? Those work great!!! I think I got mine at wal-mart or target. They weren't very expensive at all.

Ummmm one of those grippy things to take stuck on lids might work if you have one. Plastic grocery bags or even better garbage bags.

Sorry, retarded am I. I didn't bother to finish reading enough to realize you were looking for a way to seal as opposed to using different vessel. What I suggested would be great though if you ever find that you need to free up the spare bathroom.

I googled your problem and the best answer I got was making sure the rubber gasket on your drain stop isn't corroded. If that's not the kind of drain stop you have I would suggest going to walmart or the hardware store and getting a tub drain cork made of rubber. They are really inexpensive.

Problem with the jar opener is my drain stop has a handle on it that you can twist and pull to open and shut it, so it won't lay flat and form a tight seal.

The keg buckets are an interesting idea, but I really don't have a place to put them other than the bathroom. I suppose I should just inspect the gasket and go get a replacement if it's messed up.

Did you try the garbage bag thing? You could cut them so its not a giant bag on a little drain.

I put down a ziploc bag, under an overturned plastic cup, with a 22-oz bottle filled with water on top to weigh it all down. We'll see how that holds.

Is it a leaky drain or is the drain collar actually leaking into the floorspace? If its just a leaky drain, take a picture of the drain so I can see what style it is. I may be able to walk you through fixing it.

It's not leaking into the floorspace. It's just draining when it should be plugged.



That pic is from the master bath but it's the same type. Sorry, it's kinda cruddy.

Ahh, yes, then I bet the gasket is the culprit.

could you buy a solid rubber stopper from your brew shop to plug it?

k1v1116 said:

could you buy a solid rubber stopper from your brew shop to plug it?

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The drain plug is not immediately removable, so most likely no...

bernerbits said:

is there anything in the household-item category that I can use to plug a leaky drain?

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Short term? Duct tape!

That's the type of drain I have. You have to unscrew the knob while holding the larger part still and then the plug will come out.

Thats the same type i have, slightly different. Mine like said above you have to unscrew the "handle" part while holding the disk/sealing part and once separated there is a large flat head screw type thing under that handle. Unscrew it and you'll be able to very easily examine/replace/repair your seal and that should fix your problems pretty quickly. Im sure its the little rubber seal under it, mine was looking pretty rough when i had mine apart too.

Just grab the knob with a pair of pliers and twist it counter clockwise until it comes loose so you can twist it the rest of the way out. Then go to your local hardware store and buy a new one for five bucks and screw it back in.

Apartment maintenance came and fixed the drain. Back up and running, although I'm not getting below 72F in my carboys without towels and fans.