Thinking about how to remove shower drain cover? Well, as you’re probably aware that, a shower drain is an excellent way of preventing small things like hair clips, razor blades, hair, and jewelry from going down the drain and clogging up the sewage system.
However, sometimes hair gets accumulated on the shower drain’s cover and it prevents the water from draining properly. And you don’t want to have a pool of water in the bathroom while you’re showering, right?
And that’s why we are here to discuss how you can remove the shower drain cover in order to get it clean or to replace it. Let’s begin!
How to Remove Shower Drain Cover?
The first and foremost step of replacing or repairing a shower drain is removing its cover. And there is no need to worry if you’ve never removed a shower drain cover in your life. It’s not that tough and you don’t have to call a plumber for that.
The method of removing a shower drain cover depends on the type of shower drain you have installed in your bathroom. We will discuss the various types of shower drain covers in the latter part of our article.
Now, before you start with the procedure, you’ll first need to get the right tools for the job. Let’s take a look at the tools that you’ll need:
(1) Philips Screwdriver
(2) Pliers (Needle Nose)
(3) Knife
(4) Silicone Lubricant
If you have these things by your side, it’s time to get started. Here are the steps that you have to follow in order to remove the shower drain cover:
(1) Use a Drain Lubricant
If your shower drain has gotten old, it won’t come off that easily even after you’ve unscrewed it. And that’s where the lubricant comes in. You should spray a silicone lubricant or WD-40 cleaning solution over the shower drain. We prefer WD-40 to other lubricants.
(2) Check to See If the Drain Has Any Clogs
Most shower drain covers, regardless of brand, model, or color, have a tendency to get clogged in one way or another. If the drain cover is clogged up, removing it will be really difficult.
And so, you should check to see if the cover is too clogged or not. If it’s clogged, you have to unclog it as much as possible before removing the shower drain cover.
You can check if the shower is clogged or not by turning the shower on and looking at how much water is being drained through the shower drain.
You can unclog the drain by sprinkling some baking soda on it and then running hot water down the shower drain. You can also use vinegar and hot water to get similar results.
(3) Let the Shower Drain Dry
Before you apply the lubricant on the shower drain’s cover it has to be completely dried up. You should use an old towel to get all the water out of the shower drain. And wait for a few hours so that it gets enough time to dry.
(4) Unscrew the Drain Cover
Next, you need to use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws of the shower drain cover. But this is the case only for the shower drains that are tightened using screws.
You must be careful while performing this step. Make sure you don’t drop any of the screws straight down the drain while removing them. And store them somewhere safe so that you don’t lose any of them.
(5) Insert the Nose Pliers
Now take two nose pliers and insert them at two openings of the drain cover located on two opposite sides of it. Hold a plier in each of your hands and keep the pliers straight.
(6) Twist the Cover and Remove it
Keep twisting the shower drain cover using the pliers until it gets loosened and it comes out. If it feels too stiff, you should apply more lubricant.
Alternative Methods of Removing Shower Drain Cover
We’ve mentioned this before, there are many types of shower drain covers out there and not all of them can be removed using the same approach. And so, we will discuss some other methods of removing the shower drain cover depending on their type:
Push/Pull Drain Covers
At first, unscrew the top knob of the shower drain using pliers while holding the stopper in place. After that loosen the brass insert and lift the stopper.
Pop-Up Drain Covers
There are some pop-up type drain covers that can easily be pulled straight off the drain. And then there are others that require you to wiggle it back and forth for a little while in order to remove it.
Lift-And-Turn Drain Covers
At first, lift it from an open position and find its set screw. If there isn’t any set screw, you can just remove it by turning it in the counterclockwise direction.
Toe-Touch Drain Covers
As the name suggests, you can easily remove these types of covers by pushing them with your toes. You can also remove these drain covers by turning them counterclockwise.
Cleaning the Shower Drain
After you’ve removed the cover of your shower drain, it’s time to get the shower drain all cleaned up. Check to see if anything is stuck inside the drain using a flashlight. If you find that the drain is clogged with hair buildup, you have to reach down and get it out.
Use an untwisted wire hanger if you cannot reach it by using your bare hands.
Shower Drain Replacement
If you feel that the shower drain is too damaged to be reused again, you should definitely purchase a replacement for it. Rub some silicone caulk around the edges of your new shower drain cover and put it into place.
After that screw, it tight using a screwdriver. And if it’s a Snap-On shower drain cover, then you have to snap it in and then twist it right.
Final Thoughts
There are various reasons as to why you might want to remove the shower drain cover. And one of the biggest reasons is because your shower drain is clogged and you want to clean it.
Hopefully, our detailed discussion regarding how to remove shower drain cover has been helpful to you. Just follow the steps we have mentioned above and you’ll be able to perform that task effortlessly.
