Are you planning to replace the faucets in your bathrooms? Consider installing new drains as well. Matching the style and material of the drain to the faucet is a design detail that is often overlooked. Sometimes replacing a drain seems to be more trouble than it’s worth. That may be the case when the old drain flange or cover is corroded or damaged – making it difficult to remove with a wrench.

In such cases, you may be tempted to simply buy a plug or stopper to fit over the drain instead of replacing it altogether. This cheap fix costs only a couple of dollars and is a viable short term solution. However, with an “inside out” wrench you can usually remove any stuck parts easily making this home improvement project simpler than it first appeared. Then, a new flange and drain cover can be installed without much risk of damaging the threads on the existing drainage pipes.

If you are installing a basin or a tub, a new drain is a must. It is just a whole lot easier to work with all new parts including drain pipes, traps, and tail piece rather than trying to make the old components fit together with the new. If the drain in question is in the bath or shower, you must find a way to gain access to the pipes behind the tub. Most homes built in the last 30 years have an access panel hidden in a closet, hallway, or garage (some place that is not noticed very often). If your home doesn’t have one, it best to find a way to build an access panel so that maintenance in the future will be a whole lot easier.

Related posts:

1. Replacing a Worn Valve Seat
2. Installing a Drop-In Kitchen Sink
3. Unclog Drains
4. Upgrading Bathroom Electrical Outlets
5. Bathroom Remodeling: Choosing a Commode

Tags: Add new tag, Bathrooms

This entry was posted on Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 6:12 am and is filed under Bathrooms. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.