I really cannot believe my life sometimes. Here I am: Writing about the how to get a deeper soak in your classic-sized bath tub. If you goofed like me, and bought a tub that only fills 8.5 inches up to the overflow drain, looks like you can get you one of these and let your tub fill up high enough for a real soaker. And, if you buy from Amazon by clicking on this little widget, *disclosure* I make a teensy commission, which helps keep the blog boat afloat 🙂
A reader also recommended this style drain: American Standard Deep Soak Tub Drain. Another interesting option to check out!
Heidi E. says
I used to just use a flat screwdriver to shove a pair of rubber gloves into the overflow slot. And the same to remove and swap it out when it started to get smelly after a month or so. This does look like a more elegant solution, but mine worked pretty well in a pinch. Or you could plug it permanently with silicone caulk.
la573 says
Quite often you can get about 2″ extra water depth simply by removing the one or two screws from the overflow plate, rotating the overflow plate (and the rubber gasket beneath it) 180 degrees, and refastening the screws with the drain now facing upward instead of downward. That’s what I did on my bathtubs, and it works almost as well as the expensive American Standard drain that’s designed to be installed that way and costs alot less.
This probably won’t work if your tub drain is controlled by a lever on the overflow plate though; in that case you’d need both a new overflow plate and a new drain with a built-in open/close valve (a small number of these also have a built-in strainer to catch hairs, something you probably have now if you have an overflow plate with a lever controlled drain). You could also change only the overflow to one without a lever and use one of these – http://watcomfg.com/universal – to cover your old drain (note link to installation video; remove the existing strainer if you have one first). Or you could just do the easy thing and use a deep water bath overflow cover.
Dee says
if only this was the situation in my rv bathtub, it’s about a foot too short for a soak, imagine taking a bath in a storage tote… that’s four inches high
arthur says
The suction cups on this do NOT stick to fiberglass tub.
Janne says
Oh you lucky ones!
Our overflow is much bigger than these and also has a handle for the bottom drain installed in the middle of it…no way to cover it. Have been looking for a way to fix it since I moved in 2 1/2 years ago so I could finally take advantage of having a bathtub 🙁
la573 says
These can be changed without too much expense or difficulty – see my post below
Vanessa Bugge says
Hey Pam, I have the one pictured in your post. It’s GREAT!!! I was pleasantly surprised that it really works well and keeps the water from sneaking through and escaping through the overflow drain. The hole on the top is also good to keep from causing a flood in the bathroom. 🙂
Happy Soaking!!
bepsf says
Those deep water bath thingies are great!
I received one as a gift and use it all the time – both at home and while bathing aboard ship!