I just want to take a bath!

March 3, 2021 8:41 PM

Can I make my toe-touch bathtub drain stopper stop leaking without involving my landlord?

My tub is brand new and has a toe-touch drain stopper. It doesn’t fully stop the tub from draining when I try to take a bath. This is interfering with my ability to stare off into the middle distance for 30-45 minutes while slowly cooking myself.

I tried underwater suctioning a disc-shaped Tupperware lid over it and that helps a bit, but it’s still leaky. I think the lid isn’t creating a good seal because it’s plastic, not rubber.

My landlord would happily fix this but has had to come over a lot to fix stuff lately, and I want the house to myself for a bit. Also, if they couldn’t fix it, they’d send their plumber who is absolutely wacky and has to be reminded a bunch to wear a mask, which is not consistent with the chill bath time vibes that I need in my life right now.

Is there anything I can buy to put over it? Or can I fix it myself?

posted by quiet coyote to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Best answer: How about something like the Stopshroom?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 8:47 PM on March 3, 2021 [3 favorites]

I had a similar problem and bought a rubbery "tub drain stopper" from Amazon that works great. They aren't expensive, so might be worth a try!
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:10 PM on March 3, 2021

Best answer: So I have one of these and once I took the whole thing apart – it simply unscrews from the drain for cleaning. The rubber gasket is kind of cupped shaped, and after cleaning I reinstalled it upside down and it did not work as well. So I would see which way the rubber gasket is installed and see if it should be flipped. Here is an example of one type of similar stopper to see the gasket shape for reference.
posted by blacktshirtandjeans at 9:44 PM on March 3, 2021 [3 favorites]

You might consider removing the stopper (here is a YouTube video showing how) and then replacing it with a traditional stopper.

Or, maybe remove the stopper and then bring it to your neighborhood hardware store to show them and ask them for advice (they might advise you to just buy a replacement toe-touch stopper, which is fine). I've done this on all sorts of relatively minor plumbing and home repair issues, and the people at the hardware store were extremely helpful. Make sure it isn't one of those big box hardware stores, though, as I've never had anyone successfully help me there.

Also, I second blackshirtandjeans's advice. When I replaced the leaking hose to my washing machine, I didn't seat the gasket correctly and it leaked. Once it was seated correctly, no more leak.
posted by SageTrail at 10:28 PM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

We use sort of a flat rubber stopper thing sold for exactly this purpose that goes over the drain. Solves the problem quite well. Only time you really have to be careful is when you first put water in the tub, it might slip a little.
posted by stormyteal at 11:12 PM on March 3, 2021 [4 favorites]

Seconding the StopShroom. I had an apartment tub where the original stopper only slightly slowed drainage. The StopShroom (basically a giant rubber suction cup) completely sealed the drain. I could leave the tub filled for days if I wanted (useful in case of water service interruption).

Also works beautifully for hotel bathtubs that have no stoppers at all. I know because I’ve tried (pre-COVID).

Pro tip: It ships with a rigid plastic cup placed inside to keep its shape in the packaging. Remove that rigid cup before use, or the flexible rubber cup won’t be able to suction to the tub. Lots of negative reviews are from people who did not take out the rigid cup.

Also, it may not suction properly until the tub is filled enough to cover it (a few inches). This just means you have to nudge it back into place a few times during the early phase of filling the tub.
posted by snowmentality at 2:00 AM on March 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Target sells an OXO stopper that sits flat over the drain and has a tiny suction cup that’s supposed to hold it in place while the tub fills. The tiny suction cup was useless against the force of our filler spout, but if you hold it in place until the water is about an inch deep it won’t move after that. NB when we bought ours the blue one in the baby aisle was cheaper than the grey one in the bath aisle (Target prices are a mystery), but they are functionally identical.
posted by fedward at 7:21 AM on March 4, 2021

Response by poster: I bought the StopShroom and will try to take it apart if that doesn’t work! Thank you!
posted by quiet coyote at 8:42 AM on March 4, 2021

I have one of those. I put a bowl over it and that seems to help. my tub tends to cool off, so I keep the hot water on at a very steady drip to keep it warm, and this evens out.
posted by theora55 at 9:29 AM on March 4, 2021

Another vote for "sometimes taking it apart and putting it back together will work" I had a tub with one of those and I don't even know what I did but taking it apart and putting it back together fixed it.
posted by jessamyn at 2:46 PM on March 4, 2021