Plumbing Picks is reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Quick answer from a licensed plumber: Work the stopper, look at the overflow plate, then measure the drain thread. A stopper you press or lift and turn means a stopper or trim kit. A lever on the overflow plate means a trip-lever drain, so check the linkage first. Watco and Westbrass list two threads: coarse at 1-7/8 in. with 11.5 threads per inch and fine at 1-5/8 in. with 16. Not sure which you have? Danco’s trim kits come with a bushing designed for both.
Our pick when you cannot tell your thread: the Danco 88981 Touch-Toe trim kit, with a bushing for both thread sizes. Check the Danco 88981 on Amazon
A bathtub drain is really three things: the visible drain plug or strainer, the overflow plate on the wall of the tub, and the waste and overflow pipes under it. Kits are sold for each, and they do not swap between styles or threads. The order that works is to identify the style, measure the thread, then choose the smallest kit that fixes the problem. Our bathtub drain stopper roundup covers replacement stoppers. If the tub drains slowly rather than leaking, see why a bathtub will not drain first.
Which Bathtub Drain Do You Have?
Do these three checks in order. Each one narrows the list.
- Work the stopper. Press it, lift it, turn it, pull it. What it does is in the first column below. The wording of each action comes from Watco’s and Danco’s specification pages.
- Look at the overflow plate. Is there a lever or a knob? Count the screws: one or two. Kits from Danco and Watco include an adapter bar to change between one and two holes.
- Pull the stopper and look down the drain. A crossbar means a stopper can screw onto a pin (our reading). Watco lists foot-actuated replacement stoppers with a 3/8-16 pin or a 5/16-18 pin, and an older Watco NuFit sheet (2009) says its push-pull cover-over kits need a crossbar in the old strainer body.
| What you do or see | Style | Where to shop |
|---|---|---|
| Press the stopper with your foot; press again to open. Nothing on the overflow plate moves. | Toe-touch (foot actuated). Watco also makes a PRESFLO stopper that opens and closes when you press any edge. | Trim kit, or a thread-matched tip-toe plug, or a stopper alone if it screws onto a crossbar pin |
| Lift the stopper and turn it to open. Turn and push down to close. | Lift and turn | Trim kit or a twist and close plug |
| Push down to close, pull up to open. No turning. | Push-pull | Pull and drain plug or a trim kit |
| A lever on the overflow plate: up closes, down opens. The drain opening has a fixed grid. | Trip lever, drop cylinder in the overflow tube | Adjust the linkage first, then a grid and faceplate kit or a lever plate |
| A lever on the overflow plate makes a stopper in the drain rise and drop. | Lever-operated pop-up, not the grid trip lever above (our reading) | Check the linkage before buying; no kit linked here |
| Turn the overflow plate or a knob on it; a flexible stopper rises in the drain. | Cable-drive pop-up | A kit matched to the maker of the assembly; no universal kit linked here |
| Turn a handle on the overflow plate. The drain opening holds a strainer cover that catches hair, with no stopper in the drain. | Watco Turnstyle, described by Watco as the look of a cable drive | Parts from the tub or waste maker; no universal kit linked here |
| A rubber or silicone plug you drop in by hand. | Loose plug | A plug sized to the drain opening |
Three rows are the odd ones: the lever-operated pop-up, the cable drive and the Turnstyle. For the lever-operated pop-up we found no maker document, so that row is our reading. Watco describes its Turnstyle as having the look of a cable drive, with no stopper in the drain elbow and a strainer cover that catches hair. On cable drives, Watco says to turn the overflow plate clockwise to close, and Westbrass describes a rotary knob that pulls a cable to a pop-up stopper. Westbrass says its cable-drive trim fits all Westbrass cable drives, and we found no maker document for a universal cable kit, so we do not link one.
Coarse or Fine Thread? Measure Before You Order
Nearly every trim kit question comes down to thread. Watco, Westbrass and Danco list two sizes, and they name them differently. Watco prints them as an outside diameter and threads per inch. Westbrass prints them both as a nominal size and as a diameter with threads per inch. Danco uses a different fraction for the fine size. Go by the last two columns.
| Thread | Outside diameter | Threads per inch | Names you will see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coarse | 1.865 in. (1-7/8 in.) | 11.5 | 1-1/2 in. NPSM (Watco, Westbrass); 1-7/8 in. at 11.5 TPI (Danco’s bushing) |
| Fine | 1.625 in. (1-5/8 in.) | 16 | 1-3/8 in. NPSM (Watco 940/941 sheet, Westbrass); also 1-1/4 in. NPSM (Westbrass, some pages); 1-1/2 in. shoe at 16 TPI (Danco) |
To measure, unscrew the old strainer or plug and check it (our method, not a maker procedure): about 1-7/8 in. across the outside of the threads with 11 to 12 threads in an inch is coarse, and about 1-5/8 in. with 16 threads in an inch is fine. If you want to order before you pull the old body, a kit with a bushing covers both threads. Either way, the old strainer body has to come out before any trim kit goes in. Danco describes a 16 TPI shoe with a bushing to 11.5 TPI, and Westbrass includes a 1-1/2 in. x 1-3/8 in. adapter bushing with some of its trim kits. Do not trust the fraction on a listing alone: on Amazon, Danco’s 88966 listing says its bushing fits 1-1/2 in. and 1-3/8 in. shoes, while Danco’s own page says 1-1/2 in. and 1-7/8 in.
Bathtub Drain Kits by Type
| Kit | Style | Thread or fit | In the box | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danco 88966 | Lift and turn | 16 TPI shoe + bushing to 11.5 TPI (Danco) | Strainer, stopper, plate, bushing | Trim |
| Danco 88981 | Toe-touch | 16 TPI shoe + bushing to 11.5 TPI (Danco) | Strainer, stopper, plate, washer, bushing | Trim |
| Westbrass A79438CP-Z | Twist and close | Coarse: 1-7/8 in. – 11-1/2 UNC | Drain plug | Plug only |
| Westbrass 79438CP-F | Twist and close | Fine: 1-5/8 in. – 16 UNC | Drain plug | Plug only |
| Westbrass D3324-26 | Pull and drain | Coarse: 1-7/8 in. – 11-1/2 UNC | Drain plug | Plug only |
| Westbrass D93K-01 (polished brass) | Toe-touch | Fine 1-5/8 in. – 16 UNC + bushing (listing) | Plug, bushing, 2-hole faceplate | Trim |
| Westbrass D92K-26 | Trip lever, grid drain | Fine 1-5/8 in. – 16 UNC + 1-1/2 in. x 1-3/8 in. bushing | Grid strainer, bushing, 2-hole trip lever faceplate, screws | Trim |
| Danco 80991 | Trip lever plate | n/a (plate only) | 2-hole plate with lever, screws | Plate only |
| Danco 80811 | Toe-touch stopper | 2 in. cross-arm drains; 5/16 and 3/8 pin sizes (listing) | Stopper | Stopper only |
| Danco 80783 | Rubber plug | 1-1/2 to 2 in. drains (Danco) | Stopper with chain | Plug |
| Danco 51930 | Touch-toe, complete waste | 1-1/2 in. plastic tubing (Danco) | Tubes, washers, faceplate, stopper | Full drain |
Specs come from the Danco, Westbrass and Watco documents listed below; where a spec comes only from the Amazon listing, the table says so. Each linked item was listed in stock and sold by Amazon when we checked on September 29, 2026.
Danco Universal Trim Kits: 88966 Lift and Turn and 88981 Touch-Toe
Brass strainer and stopper · 16 TPI shoe thread with a bushing to 11.5 TPI · 1-hole overflow plate with an adapter bar for 2-hole plates · trim only, no pipes or tee · Danco model 88966 (lift and turn) or 88981 (touch-toe)
These are Danco’s trim kits for a tub that already has a drain shoe and overflow under it. Each kit swaps the visible parts: a strainer with a stopper, an overflow plate and a threaded bushing (Danco also lists a washer with the 88981). Danco’s pages describe the shoe thread as 16 TPI and the bushing as 11.5 TPI, and say the kit is designed to fit 1-1/2 in. and 1-7/8 in. drain shoe sizes. In plain terms, one box covers both the fine and the coarse thread, so you do not have to measure first.
The plate is a 1-hole design with an adapter bar to convert from a 2-hole plate, so it can replace either kind of old plate. Danco lists the 88966 as a kit that can convert a trip-lever drain to a twist-open stopper. Danco does not say what to do with the old linkage inside the overflow tube. Watco’s instructions show that linkage drops a cylinder into the drain tee to stop water (our reading: if the old cylinder stays in, it can still block the drain even with the new stopper open), so pull it out if you convert. Danco lists plumber’s putty among the tools; see the note on putty below.
- Bushing covers both the 16 TPI and 11.5 TPI drain threads, per Danco
- Adapter bar converts a 2-hole overflow plate to 1-hole
- Includes the strainer and stopper, overflow plate and bushing
- Two styles to match the feel you want: lift and turn, or touch-toe
- Trim only: it does not fix a leaking tee, pipe or linkage under the tub
- Danco’s Amazon listing and Danco’s own page name the bushing sizes differently (see the thread section)
- The threads under the touch-toe stopper are plastic, per Danco
Verdict: The pick when you cannot tell your thread, or you want to change the stopper style and replace a tired overflow plate at once.
Westbrass Thread-Matched Drain Plugs
Coarse: 1-1/2 in. NPSM (1-7/8 in. – 11-1/2 UNC) · Fine: 1-3/8 in. NPSM (1-5/8 in. – 16 UNC) · twist and close, or pull and drain · brass and heavy-duty metal · Westbrass A79438CP-Z, 79438CP-F and D3324-26
Westbrass sells the same drain plug in the two thread sizes, and prints the exact thread on the product page. The A79438CP-Z is the coarse-thread twist and close plug. The 79438CP-F is the fine-thread version. The Amazon listing for the fine plug says it can take an adapter bushing (Westbrass 792BB) to fit a coarse shoe, and that the bushing is not included. The D3324-26 is a coarse-thread pull and drain plug: push down to close, pull to open.
Use these when you have measured and want a like-for-like swap of the part you can see. They replace the plug and strainer, not the overflow plate, so keep your plate. Westbrass’s tip-toe kit with an adapter bushing and a 2-hole faceplate, the D93K-01 (polished brass finish), is a close relative that adds the faceplate; the Amazon listing says it includes the 1-1/2 in. x 1-3/8 in. bushing.
- Thread printed on the maker page and in the listing title
- Same plug in coarse and fine, so it matches your old one
- Pull and drain and twist and close styles
- Plug only, so you can keep your existing overflow plate
- Wrong thread means it will not screw in at all
- Westbrass’s own pages name the fine thread both 1-3/8 in. and 1-1/4 in. NPSM
- Does not include an overflow plate
Verdict: Buy the one that matches your measured thread when you want to keep your overflow plate and only swap the drain plug.
Westbrass D92K-26 Trip Lever Trim Kit
Beehive grid strainer with 1-3/8 in. NPSM (1-5/8 in. – 16 UNC) fine thread and a 1-1/2 in. NPSM x 1-3/8 in. NPSM adapter bushing · 2-hole trip lever faceplate with two 1/4 in.-20 x 1-1/2 in. screws · Westbrass D92K-26 (chrome)
On a trip-lever tub the stopper is inside the overflow tube, where Watco calls it a drop cylinder, and the drain opening holds a strainer. The lever on the overflow plate works the linkage. Watco’s trip lever sheet says to move the lever up to close the drain and down to open it. This Westbrass kit replaces the two parts you can see: the grid strainer and the 2-hole trip lever faceplate. Westbrass calls it a universal trim kit that fits almost any tub, lists a fine-thread strainer with a coarse-thread converter bushing, and says it fits two-hole elbows.
It does not include the linkage or the cylinder that does the closing. If the tub will not hold water, check the mechanism first. Watco says the drop cylinder should bottom out inside the tee slightly before the fully closed position, that a slow drip from inside the tee is normal, and that the brass linkage must not be kinked. If you only need a new 2-hole plate with a lever, Danco’s 80991 is listed as a replacement; its Amazon listing gives the screw holes as 2 in. center to center.
- Replaces both the grid and the faceplate
- Adapter bushing included, per Westbrass and the listing
- Beehive grid strainer, per Westbrass
- Faceplate screws included
- Does not include the linkage, drop cylinder or tee
- For 2-hole overflow elbows only; a 1-hole elbow needs a different plate
- Westbrass says to use silicone seal, not plumber’s putty
Verdict: The kit for a trip-lever tub with a worn grid and plate, once you have checked that the linkage itself is adjusted and unbent.
Danco 51930 Complete Tub Drain Kit
1-1/2 in. white polypropylene tubes with slip joint washers · 2-hole faceplate · touch-toe stopper, chrome · per the listing, for tubs up to 15 in. deep · Danco model 51930
The 51930 is not a stopper kit. Danco calls it a complete bath drain kit that includes all the parts to replace an existing drain or add a new tub: plastic tubing, slip joint washers, a two-hole faceplate and a touch-toe stopper. That makes it the right box when the pipes under the tub are the problem, or when the old waste and overflow is cracked or missing pieces.
It is more work than a trim kit because you are working under the tub, and Danco’s page does not describe the thread of its shoe. The Amazon listing says it fits most tub depths up to 15 in. and that the tubes are adjustable. If all you want is a new stopper and you can reach the drain from the top, choose one of the trim kits above.
- Replaces the tubing as well as the visible parts
- Slip joint washers included
- Adjustable tubes, per the listing
- Two-hole faceplate and touch-toe stopper in one box
- Danco does not print the drain shoe thread size on its page
- Fits tub depths up to 15 in. per the listing, so a deeper tub needs a longer waste
- Under-tub work, usually needing access from below
Verdict: Buy it when the waste and overflow itself needs replacing, not when you only need a new stopper.
I send an occasional note when a new guide goes up — repairs worth doing yourself, and the parts that actually last. No spam, no course funnel; written by a licensed Georgia plumber.
Just Need a Stopper?
If your drain has a crossbar and the stopper broke, you may not need a kit. Danco’s Touch-Toe Tub Stopper, 80811 is listed on Amazon for 2 in. cross-arm drains with adapters for 5/16 and 3/8 in. pin threads. Match the pin thread to yours; Watco lists 3/8-16 and 5/16-18 pins. If you only need to stop the water for a bath, Danco’s rubber tub stopper, 80783 is a plug with a chain that Danco says fits 1-1/2 in. to 2 in. drains. It sits in the opening and does not repair a broken drain mechanism.
Before You Buy
- Do not replace a part that only needs adjusting. On a trip-lever tub, the linkage can be adjusted (see the trip-lever pick above). A tub that will not hold water can be a linkage problem, not a stopper problem. See why a bathtub will not drain for the other cause.
- Match the style you are replacing, or plan the conversion. A trip-lever tub works from the overflow, not the drain opening. Danco says its 88966 can convert a trip-lever drain, but the linkage has to be dealt with too.
- Measure the thread. Use the table above, or buy a kit with a bushing.
- Check the overflow plate. One hole or two, and the screw spacing. Danco’s Amazon listing for its 80991 plate gives 2 in. center to center.
- Read the kit’s sheet for sealant. The makers differ; see the note below.
Install Notes
A tub drain is not under pressure, so no shutoff is needed. Unscrew the old strainer or plug, clean the shoe threads, and fit the new body. On sealant, Danco lists plumber’s putty as a tool for its trim kits, Westbrass says on several of its trim kit pages not to use putty and to use silicone seal, and Watco warns about putty on ABS parts. Both are covered on our site: plumber’s putty for brass and metal, plumbing silicone where the kit calls for it. Give sealant time to cure and follow the time on the sealant or kit sheet. For its NuFit cover-over kits, Watco gives at least three hours on the Universal NuFit sheet and 24 hours on the older NuFit sheet. Keep hair out of the drain afterward with a hair catcher, and if it drains slowly with the new stopper open, see how to unclog a drain.
FAQ
How do I tell which bathtub drain stopper I have?
Work it. If you press the stopper with a foot and press again to open, it is a toe-touch. If you lift and turn it to open, it is a lift-and-turn. If you push down to close and pull to open with no turning, it is a push-pull. If the drain opening only has a fixed grid and a lever on the overflow plate works it, it is a trip lever. If you rotate the overflow plate or a knob on it and a stopper rises in the drain, it is a cable-drive pop-up. If instead a lever on the overflow plate makes a stopper in the drain rise and drop, it is a lever-operated pop-up, not the grid trip lever; check the linkage before buying (our reading).
What is the difference between coarse and fine thread tub drains?
Watco lists the coarse thread as 1.865 in. outside diameter at 11.5 threads per inch, which it calls 1-1/2 in. NPSM. It lists its fine thread as 1.625 in. at 16 threads per inch, and calls it 1-3/8 in. NPSM on its 940/941 sheet. Westbrass gives the same two sizes as 1-7/8 in. – 11-1/2 UNC and 1-5/8 in. – 16 UNC, and calls the fine one 1-3/8 in. NPSM in its titles and 1-1/4 in. NPSM in some descriptions. Danco calls the 16 TPI shoe 1-1/2 in. Go by the outside diameter and threads per inch, not by the fraction in the name.
Do I have to replace the overflow plate with the stopper?
Not always. A plug from a maker like Westbrass replaces only the visible drain part. Danco and Watco trim kits come with a new overflow plate, and Danco says the kit includes an adapter bar so a 1-hole plate can replace a 2-hole plate. If you keep your old plate, you keep its screw spacing. Danco’s Amazon listing for its 80991 plate gives the holes as 2 in. center to center; we found no maker document that gives a standard spacing for every plate.
Will a universal tub drain kit fit my tub?
A trim kit fits tubs that already have a threaded drain shoe and an overflow elbow. Danco says its kits are designed for 1-1/2 in. and 1-7/8 in. shoe sizes with the included bushing. A cable-drive tub is different: Westbrass says its cable-drive trim fits all Westbrass cable drives, and cable kits look matched to the assembly, not the tub (our reading). Danco’s 51930 is a complete kit that replaces the tubing as well.
Should I use plumber’s putty or silicone under the drain?
Follow your kit’s sheet, because the makers differ. Danco lists plumber’s putty among the tools for its trim kits. Westbrass says on several of its trim kit pages not to use plumber’s putty and to use silicone seal, and Watco warns to avoid contact between plumber’s putty and ABS plastic parts. If your drain is plastic, silicone is the safer choice (our advice).
Why Trust Plumbing Picks
Plumbing Picks is written by a licensed Georgia journeyman plumber. Every size, thread and spec on this page comes from the manufacturer pages and documents listed below, which we opened and read, or from the Amazon listing we link; nothing here comes from hands-on testing. Each linked product was sold by Amazon, listed as in stock, when we checked on September 29, 2026. Where a link goes to Amazon we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nobody pays to be included here. More on who writes this and how we pick.
Sources
- Danco: Touch-Toe Tub Drain Kit with Chrome Trim, model 51930 (product page)
- Danco: Touch-Toe Tub Drain Trim Kit, model 88981 (product page)
- Danco: Universal Lift and Turn Tub Drain Trim Kit, model 88966 (product page)
- Danco: 1-3/8 in. Universal Tub Stopper, model 80783 (product page)
- Westbrass: Twist & Close 1-1/2 in. NPSM coarse thread bath drain (product page)
- Westbrass: Twist & Close 1-3/8 in. NPSM fine thread bath drain (product page)
- Westbrass: Tip Toe 1-3/8 in. NPSM fine thread bath drain (product page)
- Westbrass: fine or coarse thread replacement tip-toe drain with 2-hole faceplate (product page)
- Westbrass: 1-3/8 in. fine thread grid strainer drain cover with trip lever faceplate and conversion adaptor bushing (product page)
- Westbrass: Pull & Drain bath waste kit with 2-hole faceplate (product page)
- Westbrass: cable drive bath drain trim kit with rotary overflow cover knob (product page)
- Watco: Foot Actuated tub closure specification sheet
- Watco: Push Pull and Lift and Turn tub closure specification sheet
- Watco: PRESFLO tub closure specification sheet
- Watco: trip lever bath waste 501/502/551/552 specification sheet
- Watco: trip lever installation instructions
- Watco: 528-CA / 538-CA cable bath waste specification sheet
- Watco: Turnstyle 501/502/551/552 bath waste specification sheet
- Watco: Innovator Plus 940/941 bath waste specification sheet (thread size)
- Watco: NuFit trim kits specification sheet
- Watco: Universal NuFit trim kits specification sheet
- Amazon listings for the Danco, Westbrass items linked above (feature bullets read through the Amazon Creators API on September 29, 2026)
Bottom Line
Identify the style, measure the thread, and buy the smallest kit that fixes the problem. A Danco trim kit with a bushing is the safe pick when you are unsure of the thread. Match a Westbrass plug when you have measured, adjust a trip lever before replacing anything, and choose the Danco 51930 only when the pipes under the tub need replacing.