Will's Conundrum

Our bathtub is clogged. And not in an easy pour-Draino-down-the drain-and-you're-good clog. It is a a convoluted mess of pipes and in the hardest to reach pipe is where we think the clog is.

Will spent hours staring at the pipes, laying on his belly with the flashlight trying to figure out where the pipes were clogged and once that was discovered (by running hot water through and feeling where the pipes then went cold), he spent even more hours on the internet looking at bathtub drains.

In his internet search, he discovered that the company who made the drain, the Speakman Company, was still in business! Will emails their customer service to see if they can after an unusual discovery.

In order to really appreciate this entry, you first must click on the two photos and read all the stuff. I'll wait........







Okay, you got that conundrum? A pipe-within-a-pipe! Because how typical is that? We don't have regular plumbing, we have crazy secret plumbing. As Will put in his email, he was flummoxed at this situation and could Speakman offer any advice?

And, to their credit, THEY RESPONDED!!!

"Dear Will,

Thank you for the pictures. I am not sure how much help we can be. Speakman has not manufactured a tub drain in over 30 years and it may take a plumber to repair the one you are working on. I am attaching a diagram form our 1927 catalog that shows how the drain parts went together and the parts inside of the pipes. I am not sure what the extra pipe is for although it does look like parts of a “P” trap.

Sincerely,
Frank, Plumbing Technical Specialist. "

And Frank attached the 1927 (!) catalog page pertaining to the tub drain. (I am so impressed that they have PDF'ed those old catalogs! So organized!)


We were shocked! As my mother says, "You are dealing with a company that started in 1869, is still in business, and responds with directions from the 1927 catalog! I would have expected that in England but not in the U.S." It makes her likely purchase of a brass-coated hand held shower nozzle for her tub a good investment, as she knows that the product will last!

Now, Will has studied the catalog drawing and found it somewhat useful. The next step will be to cut the actual pipes and so perhaps Will's conundrum will be solved shortly (though I think that he will have to call a plumber any moment now....please.... I want to take a bath....).

When relying the situation to his parents, Will's mother responded that they aren't surprised; that they always thought that the plumbing in this house, and specifically *that* bathroom was a bit iffy and they had loads of issues with that tub when they lived in the house. Um, yeah. Thanks for sharing that information with us *beforehand*.

(Side note: I am thinking that we need to have Will's parents sign a disclosure statement about all the stuff that they think is "iffy" in the house. So far every time we call them and say, well this is happening to the house, they respond with: well we aren't surprised....)