Different Types of Bathtub Stoppers
| 26, Oct, 21
The six most common types of bathtub drain stoppers are push-and-pull, pop-up, lift-and-turn, flip-it, toe-touch, and trip lever. It does not matter what type you have unless it must be fixed or replaced. The sole purpose of a bathtub stopper is to keep the water in the tub while you soak.
Function of a Bathtub Drain Stopper
A bathtub drain stopper is a simple device that plugs the drain of your bathtub so that the bath can hold water and that it does not drain away. The simplest bathtub stopper is probably one that most of us grew up with, a simple, inexpensive rubber stopper. Today most modern bathtubs come with stoppers that either have trip levers or come without trip levers, and are quite like the traditional plain rubber plug.
Choosing a Bathtub Stopper
Drains have different sizes and the bathroom drain stopper that you use must fit the bathtub drain exactly. It may be harder to clean some of the stoppers, hence the importance of purchasing a plug that will fit beneath the bathtub tray. Some drain stoppers are harder to clean and unclog. There are various bathtub stoppers available on the market in various sizes, so you will be sure to find one that meets your exact needs.
Different Styles of Bathtub Drain Stoppers
1. Lift-and-Turn Bathtub Drain Stopper
This stopper has a tiny knob on the product’s cap. This allows you to easily open and close the stopper with a twisting motion. It requires little maintenance as it has a simple, yet practical design. All that is needed is to pull out the plug now and again and remove debris from the drain. This is an easy to install bathtub stopper. Just be careful not to make the stopper too tight otherwise it can get stuck.
2. Push-and-Pull Drain Stopper
This bathtub stopper also has a lift-and-turn motion and has the same installation that is required for the traditional lift-and-turn bathtub stopper. It has a simple mechanical design that needs little maintenance. It opens and closes through a pushing and pulling motion.
3. Toe-Touch Bathtub Drain Stopper
This style works the same as the push-and-pull model and is installed in the same way. It is opened and closed by pushing down on the stopper with your toe as it has a spring motion. It has easy maintenance, but the spring may need to be replaced with wear and tear. The stopper is kept in its place to the crossbar on the drain fitting with a screw that is located underneath the cap of the stopper.
4. Flip-It-Bathtub Drain Stopper
This is an easy to install bathtub stopper that needs no tools. It must be pushed into the drain and the built-in O-rings holds it steady in its place with a watertight seal. There is a toggle lever attached on the top of the stopper that is moved from one side to another to allow the stopper to open and close.
5. Trip Lever Drain Stopper
This stopper works by using a plunger in the tub overflow pipe. It uses an up and down motion to open and close the tub’s drain pipe. The plunger connects to the trip lever utilizing a connecting rod that is inside the overflow tube. When the trip lever is pushed down, the plunger lifts and the drain will open and when the lever is pulled up, the plunger is forced down closing the drain. In this type of bathtub stopper there is no visible pop-up stopper in the drain, only a strainer is visible. The more complicated mechanism may cause it to be more difficult to take out the stopper to clean it as the overflow tube and plate must therefore be removed. An alternative to this type of stopper is a twist cover on the overflow plate that causes it to rotate sideways and to raise or lower the plunger.
6. Pop-Up Drain Stopper
This stopper has a similar design to the traditional bathroom sink pop-up, and it operates in the same way as it has an overflow plate and lever. When you lift the lever, it moves the rod in the overflow drain pipe which then rotates a rocker arm that links to the pop-up drain stopper. The design easily traps dirt, and it is quite a complicated process to extract all the components allowing you to clean the debris.
