A trip-lever drain stopper is more tricky than most to fix, due to its somewhat complicated mechanism.

This throw in of drain stopper is sometimes known as alift bucket.

The fixes for both types of drain stoppers are slightly different.

trip-lever bathtub drain stopper

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Carefully remove the cover plate and extract the connecting rod and plunger through the overflow opening.

If the plunger is badly corroded or damaged, the entire assembly should be replaced.

Adjust the Linkage

If necessary, adjust the linkage to lengthen the connecting rod.

Stuck trip lever drain stopper diagram

The Spruce

It may take a bit of tinkering to get the connecting rod length exactly right.

Reassemble the Stopper

Insert the stopper and drain linkage back down through the overflow opening.

Reattach the cover plate to the overflow tube.

Materials and tools to fix a sticky bathtub drain stopper

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Turn on the water, and operate the stopper several times to verify it is working properly.

This is usually because the connecting rod attached to the trip lever has become shortened from use.

Carefully remove the cover plate, and extract the connecting rod and spring up through the overflow opening.

Bathtub overflow cover plate removed with screwdriver

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Clean the Spring

Clean away any debris on the spring at the end of the stopper linkage.

In many cases, a build-up of hair andsoap scumcan cause problems with the stopper.

Adjust the Connecting Rod

If necessary, adjust the connecting rod to lengthen it.

Lift-bucket drain stopper plunger cleaned with stiff bristled brush

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

This will increase the downward force of the spring against the rocker arm when the trip-lever is operated.

Insert the stopper linkage back down through the overflow opening and attach the cover plate to the overflow tube.

Turn on the water, and operate the stopper to double-check it is working correctly.

Connecting rod linkage length adjusted on lift-bucket drain stopper

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Lift-bucket drain stopper linkage inserted into overflow pipe

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Pop-up drain stopper connecting rod pulled out from overflow pipe

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Pop-up drain stopper linkage cleaned with stiff bristled brush

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Connecting rod length adjusted on pop-up drain stopper

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Pop-up drain stopper linkage inserted into overflow pipe

The Spruce / Kevin Norris