ELIF: Why do bathtubs start draining even though they are plugged?

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I got into the bathtub today and noticed that the water level was slowing decreasing around me, why does it start to drain after I get into it?

In: Engineering

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The short answer: because it’s a pretty crap plug.

If you had a plug that was more of a hassle to get out of the drain, it would probably hold water in a lot better too.

But, well. Those are often made in rubber-ey materials with some plastic mixed in. Those can dry out (yep, even if they are often submerged in water) and stop being good at their job. It sounds like it’s time to consider replacing yours.

Anonymous 0 Comments

I know that growing up I had a bath with one of those flix switches that plug the drain. It was going bad and so had to take out all of the workings and replace them which solved our drain issue

Anonymous 0 Comments

Maybe your bath plug doesn’t fit very well. After all, assuming it’s not cracked and leaking onto the floor, there is only two ways for the water to leave, overflow or plughole.

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s usually an overflow hole to prevent water from spilling out. Maybe when you sat in, water displacement caused the water to drain down that hole.