How can I remove this old tub drain stopper?

Question

My girlfriend recently moved into a house that was built in the early 1940s. Most of the house is in great condition, but, of course, there are a few items here and there that need fixing. The tub is slow in draining and we suspect part of that is from hair in the drain. (It got worse with her daughter there, so that's part of the reason we think it's hair.)

The problem is we don't know how to remove the drain stopper so we can clean it out and see if it's just hair. I have a picture of the stopper below. I haven't tried forcing anything, but we've tried pulling it up and out, unscrewing it (clockwise and counterclockwise, just in case), and even combinations (like holding it up in a higher position and trying to unscrew it).

My guess is that I need to use some leverage (like channel locks with a towel to protect the stopper) to unscrew the top ball and then remove the rest of the stopper.

Is that right? Or is there something else I should do to remove this so we can clean the hair out of the drain?

Answer 1

There might be a set screw that holds the top part on. You'll have to pull the stopper up as far as you can, and look under it with a flashlight to find it.

This YouTube Video might help.

Answer 2

If you just wish to confirm the issue is with hair in the drain, you can try something like Zip-It Drain Declogger ("Hair Snare"). They're inexpensive (The Home Depot sells them for $2.48) and you may also solve the problem without having to disassemble your drain.

Answer 3

Not a plumber, but we had this same problem. Sometimes the part underneath that sticks way down into the drain hole is what you need to hold while unscrewing the WHOLE upper part. (not just the very top little nub, but the big flared out metal part as well) It might be a white plastic shaft. It would be UNDER/below The metal that you can see in that picture.

Answer 4

this is funny, I have this very one on my tub. Spin the stopper around and locate the flathead screw on the side. And as some else said hair might be the cause of a slow drain.