Plumbing Tips
Replace your bathtub drain? What Capitol Heights homeowners should know
By All Purpose Anytime Services LLC
A slow tub is usually hair. A leaking tub is something else. In Capitol Heights, where a lot of the housing dates to the 1930s, what's behind the tub changes the answer.
1. Pull the stopper and clean it
Most slow tubs are hair wrapped around the stopper.
2. Use a drain snake
A cheap plastic one reaches what the stopper doesn't.
3. Check for a leak below
A stain on the ceiling under the tub means the drain seal or overflow has failed.
4. Know your pipe
Older homes here often still have cast iron waste lines, which scale and crack at the joints. Replacing just the drain fitting may not end it.
Who can do the work
In Prince George's County, most plumbing runs under WSSC Water regulations and has to be done by a WSSC Water licensee. The building permit comes from DPIE.