I've been trying to remove one out of one of my bathtubs for several years now and nothing ever seemed to work. I came across your video and thought I might as well try it. I used a hair dryer on it for about 2 1/2 minutes and then a tub drain wrench. That thing came out like a bad tooth: Glad to be rid of it! Thanks for the info.

Thank you so much for your video. The drain was in there forever and would not budge. I bought the barbell drain wrench and still had no luck removing it. After watching your video, it took me less than 10 minutes to remove the old drain and install the new one. Thanks again.

Awesome idea! My drain had been there for 40 years and your idea with the heat gun worked GREAT! Mine was stuck , so I had to use a hammer on the wrench ,but all it took was one blow and it started turning! Thanks for sharing!

3 days of lubing the drain with Blaster and nothing.Got to where I feared I would bend of break the inner "bar" that I was wedging the pliers into.Applied heat from hair-dryer,gave a few good whacks with a hammer,and amazingly the drain flange began to move.Kept going left to right and kept putting Blaster in but finally got it out.Thank you for the video.

The hair dryer tip just saved me a lot of money, thank you!

Thank you, didn't use any heater short of things, I just use two screwdrivers and put both on opposite side of each other and turn it and it works like a charm. Your a life saver

Just as you instructed, this worked perfectly. Don't think I've ever done this before, so you saved a lot of anguish.

Thanks dude, mine was ridiculously tight. Nice idea with the needle nose and after 2 mins with the hair dryer she came unstuck!

Just wanted to thank you for this video!! After two days of trying to get my tub drain out, and the purchase of 4 different tools, I was finally able to get that thing out this afternoon. I had tried the blow dryer, but I guess not for long enough - and I was just about to give up! Then I googled one more time and found your video. Screw all those fancy tools - a blow dryer, needle nose pliers and a wrench is all I needed!! THANK YOU!!

the hair dryer tip saved my ass. This is the best part about the internet right here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

A word of warning. This method definitely works for turning and removing a stuck drain flange. In my case, it also torqued the PVC pipe underneath the tub and ripped it, causing a leak, which was a bear to fix! So if your drain flange is stuck, ask yourself if you *really* need to get it out, and if it's worth the risk of messing up the plumbing under the tub. (I had to cut a hole in my kitchen ceiling to get to the pipes to repair the damage!)

Awesome idea. I watched the video, 30 seconds after got the hair dryer, a similar tool and after waiting for about 4 minutes with the heat the thing got out. Thanks a lot!

Thanks for the suggestion about heating; that plus PB Blaster softened/dissolved the putty directly under the flange. That was the issue. The little bit of putty on the threads wasn't. The globs of putty that fell into the drain took longer to clean than replacing the drain. BUT -Plumbers putty is NEVER used on threads because it doesn't seal fine spaces, it's water-based and it will dry out. Don't copy what the previous dufuss did. Pipe threads, especially fine threads like you see on that brass collar, should be wrapped with teflon tape which lubricates as it goes together, lubricates and forms a seal that will never dry out, and will lubricate if you must later disassemble the joined parts. There IS pipe dope that plumbers sometimes use on coarse steel and black iron gas pipe threads. It isn't plumbers putty, it's oil based and doesn't dry out. Plumber's putty is ONLY used to make a seal between a flange and a stationary fixture when a rubber gasket can't match the contour. Most replacement bathtub drain sets include a synthetic rubber gasket because a steel or plastic tub flexes in use, unlike an old cast claw foot tub. Today entire plumbing stacks made of plastic flex lose the putty. I made the mistake of hiring the plumbers from hell to make connections to my remodeled bathroom and kitchen thinking that a professional plumber would do a better job than an amateur diyer. I was wrong - dishwasher air gap installed upside down, hot cold pipes reversed and installed without dilelectric unions where copper met iron pipe. I had to finish the job myself and am still finding things they screwed up. They installed my bath drain with NO dope or tape which is why I was looking for tips and found this video.

This was so helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video.

Thanks! I had purchased a special removal tool but I couldn't get the broken drain to budge. Heated up the drain just like you mention and the drain came right out nice and easy on the next try. Much appreciated.

Thanks so much! Hair dryer worked in a pinch!

it keeps spinning but wont come out, what to do?

This was exactly what I needed. Thanks.

Worked like a charm, thanks!

you was the best i have saw no one els used heat

I was Stuck & found this vid. I sprayed w. Blaster wait 15mn. Use Heat Gun for 1min....exactly. it smoked cause of the blaster, but it worked 🎉🎉🎉🎉 You Saved my sanity

I struggle for a couple hours bc the T was broken. The blow dryer and muscle helped. Thank you!

This worked well for me. thanks.

Wow, single senior woman...kinda handy...this is a great trick! Now if I could get the spigot off my garden tub, I would be in seventh heaven. Thank you for your video!!!!

This worked! Thanks so much!

Great help , thank you

Man! That made it so easy, after struggling with it. Much love. Thanks 🙏 great knowledge ☺️

Help mine keeps spinning and spinning and it won't come out I got it to the point where i can spin it with my hand but keeps spinning and won't come out

Thanks for the note about the heat gun! I was having a hell of a time and once I heated it up, it moved like butter. Thanks!

I had no trouble turning the flange, but for some reason it doesn't back out of the drain as it turns. I've heated it and tried prying it up as I can get a screwdriver under the flange edge, but no luck. Are there other drain designs that do not use threads? Drain is in my mother in laws manufactured home dating back to the 2001 timeframe. It does show a little rust on the top of the flange.

Thank you so much! Older and I have such a hard time turning things and that helped me a bunch.

Awesome Pliers!

Thanks that was perfect!

Awesome tip. Thank you for sharing this with us.

I used 12' channel locks, I put each handle in a hole, then I put my flat bar aka pry bar between the handles, with a little elbow grease the drain came out in no time. The drain was installed 18 years ago.

Man. 3 mins with the blow dryer did the trick. Took that $24 extractor back to Lowes

Fantanstic... I user hair dryer and works fine...Thanks a lot...

The reason you use heat, is to make the metal ring (the threads) expand. The outer ring, being slightly bigger diameter will expand more than the stuck inside ring. Yes, give it about a minute of heat. Try it. If it's still stuck, give it another minute of heat. Be careful not to burn the tub. Not sure what porcelain will do under heat. You can also get a more secure grip on the inner cross bar down inside by buying a $5 tool at the hardware store made for this job. It's $5 and won't rip out the cross bar, especially if you only have one inside, not two as this example shows.

Gracias, me ayudo mucho tu video, estaba que no podía quitarla

are all tubs like this with that screw on

What if the X part is corroded and fell apart?

Is it true that some of these can't not be replace ? And instead would have to replace the whole bathtub?

Thank-you! Tried everything then heated drains of two tubs (a Dyson hairdryer , fit perfectly in the drain) and was able to replace both with no problem!!!

Which way do you turn?

I keep turning with the wrench and pliers but all it does is turn. It does not screw out. What is the problem? Please advise.

I found this video very useful, why would 21 people feel they had to give it a thumbs down. It takes all kinds to make the world go around.

At least he mentioned hairdryer, and a few pluses for using that over heat gun. You don't have the worry of BUYING a heat gun. Or getting too heavy handed and damaging with one. I will add...lay heavy old towels to pad your tub and tub ledge from tool bang chips. Otherwise... you'll have created a whole new job for yourself 😉

This worked for me, thank you

Thank you

Great video. Where do you purchase a new flange...I checked both Home Depot and Lowes and they don't carry them

Worked perfectly! Thank you!!

Thank you very much you saved me

The trick with the 2 pliers was good, mine still broke though. Twice. Now it's just a smooth hole that s been rusting together for 20 years. what do I do??

Great video dude.

Yep heatgun easy peasy 44yr old drain came out

I used a heat gun, wd-40 and my removal tool and the damn thing still broke in pieces. I had to use my multi tool to get it out. So I hope the next one will be this easy.

Thank you so much! This worked perfectly for me. So glad I invested in a heat gun.

Heat gun for the win! Omg. Thank you!

Mine wont budge, after using a small torch on it held it for 2 1/2 minutes and put needle noise pliers in place and used adjustable wrench on needle nose pliers to turn the needle nose just got all bent up and no luck with the drain turning at all

Aren’t you supposed to install a new gasket underneath the tub between tub and the flange

My heat gun and I thank you, kind sir!

Like a charm

Hahaha. You gotta be kidding me. My wife and I have been flabbergasted for the two years we've owned our townhouse about what kind of foolish tub designer put a permanent stopper in a tub, haha. We'd been dumping Thrift down the drain and I was about to do it again just now but figured, with KZfaq being the end-all for DIY, why not check... Sheesh. Still a super annoying tub drain design but at least now I can get the cap off and work a stronger snake down there. Thanks!

The spokes on the inside of mine were very thin and all sheared off. and it's recessed a bit so I can't get anything onto the lip. 😅 I'm gonna cut the lip with a dremel and pry it up on opposite sides.

You succeeded with pliers, but drain removal wrench might be needed.

WHAT IF IT IS STUCK SHUT???? I JUST WANT TO DRAIN THE WATER.

It always works like this in the movies... lol I'm still waiting for a real life experience of mine to match. lol

i moved in my grandpa room for he move out and i clean the bathroom and the bathtub is stick and it soo dirty i can’t clean it

Now tell then how to do it when the tabs inside the drain are rusted off and there is nothing for the needle nose to grab onto.

My drain just turns and turns like it is stripped or something.

There's no way they thing was stuck. I have one that is wanting to b break the pliers or the cross piece inside the drain. But I didn't try the heating it up. And idt mines pvci think mine is is brass or metal. It's the original drain from prob when the house was made in the 60s.

The inside of mine is all broken so there is nothing to hold on to to turn it. :(

That’s not even stuck. The splines on mine sheared so maybe I should have searched ‘extra stuck’

Tub Drain Wrench ???

Just fyi he said place putty along threads, actually dont do that? In my experience thats exactly one reason why these get stuck. Place plumbers putty along the flat lip above threads. Not on threads directly. Its not to be used like plumbers tape as is dries and hardens making the threads grip eachother much more over the years. Just sayibg.

Dang, my flange doesn't have anything to grab on to...thanks for the video though!

I just took mine out with a pair of pliers and a screw driver

Thanks for the tips. video is cut off on the top of my You Tube screen. Maybe get a camera person next time.

Will this also work on a tub drain that is almost 70 years old? My house was built in 1952 and it is the original drain to the tub. It is in there good. I just answered my own question and for anyone else who may also have a tub as old as mine. Yes it does. I used a hair dryer and heated the drain for about 3-4 mins tried the needle nose and my channel locks at first it didn't work. I then heated the drain again with my hairdryer for another 3-4 mins and the drain was extremely hot. This time I used a pair of pliers and my channel locks. To my surprise it started turning. My drain only has 1 bar and it is located up near the tub not down further in the drain so the tub drain removal tool didn't work because I could not get down far enough in the drain to get it to work. The bar going across the drain is really thick so I wasn't concerned about it breaking off like so many newer drains have done. Just needed the right tool to get it to turn and the hair dryer.

Mine is so corroded I no longer have the "cross" pieces to use! This ought to be interesting....

Ur tools look like u never use them :P

Here's a tip..if you don't have a Heat Gun or your Hair Drier isn't hot enough...slowly pour boiling water all around on the drain flange ! This will heat the drain up nicely and assist in it's easy removal!

That washer goes on the buttom of the tub. You need plumbers putty on the new peice.

Yeah right no strength made,that drain was already loose

BS video 90% of the time x piece rots away So you use easy out or expander tool and if your lucky that works

Rong tool

I swear you people putting tutorials out like this are faking this. You already removed the drain flange and then put it back to show us how easy it is to remove using your technique. Haha, it is NOT that easy!

Why do all of this ? Buy a DRAIN WRENCH REMOVER.

Fake fake fake