Community Forums

JasonDean · 09-02-2015, 01:57 PM

I have been having a devil of a time trying to remove my shower drain cover.

I'm in a 2007 MADP, and I've attached a pic of the drain cover.

I have tried prying it out. Screwing it out (looks like a slotted screwdriver hole in the center).

I've gone around the outer edge with a utility knife to break loose any silicone/sealant. And as you can see the knife slipped and marred my shower floor badly.

But the stupid thing simply won't budge!

Am I missing something? Is there a special trick to it?

GaryKD · 09-02-2015, 02:23 PM

Hi JasonDean,
You are missing nothing and there is no special trick. Resign yourself to destroying the drain cover. Once you get it off there are two choices:
1. Another cover like what you took off.
2. A strainer type cover that blocks all debris going into the drain. It just sits on the top of the drain. A pair of needle nose pliers will clean out the hair an debris. Go to 3-Piece Sink Strainer Set - Direcsource Ltd YX2012-0123 - Sink Accessories and Dish Soap - Camping World for an example of the drain strainer. Of the 3 pictured the shower will take the largest strainer. I have these on all my drains.

JasonDean · 09-02-2015, 05:13 PM

Thank you GaryKD!

I managed to pull out the drain cover using some needle nose pliers. Simply spread out the nose of the pliers -- poked them down into the cover -- and twisted and pulled until it popped out. No significant damage to the cover. But I learned that it is NOT threaded. It simply snaps in. But mine was stuck... hard.

Removed hair and debris from the drain and all is working well now.

I am going to get some of those drain strainers though. Looks like that could save me some headaches in the future.

Thanks again.

DAJO · 09-02-2015, 05:29 PM

You can use some of the drain cleaners that look like ty raps with barbs and not have to remove the cover at all. They are available at big box stores and hardwares.

slowspokes1 · 09-07-2015, 07:43 AM

I struggled with it, trying not to cause damage that would force me to find a replacement. Years of soap and minerals seemed to lock it in place. I used some CLR and a little WD40. Finally got it out and cleaned all the residue off before reinstalling. I now have a tickler in my calendar to pop it out every 6 months so that I don't get a lot of mineral buildup.

Charlie and Martha · 06-16-2017, 10:34 AM

Once again iRV2 answered a question for me. My shower was draining but barely. I couldn't get the cover off of the drain. Reading here, I found that it's a force fit and began working on the cover from opposite sides with small standard screw drivers trying to pry it from the death grip of calcium, dirt and soap.

After a half an hour of slowly trying to pry the cover out it suddenly just popped out of the drain. Thanks for the insight, the drain is cleaned and working properly now.