Bathroom Sink Plug Broken

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When you pull up on that rod sticking up behind your bathroom faucet, the drain stopper is supposed to pull down and plug the sink. But what if the stopper doesn't pull down, and you can't plug your sink? Or, even worse, what if the stopper is stuck down and you can't drain your sink? Your first instinct may be to call a plumber, but you can save some money and earn some satisfaction by replacing the sink stopper yourself. Whether you want to replace just the stopper mechanism or the entire drain and stopper system, you should feel confident that it is a job most DIYers can handle without much fuss.

1

Undo the clamp that connects the pivot rod and extension bar. Beneath the sink, you'll find a vertical metal bar with a series of holes in it (the extension bar) connected to an angled (but nearly horizontal) rod that enters the sink's drainpipe (the pivot rod). To disconnect them, pinch the V-shaped spring clamp that holds them together. Keep the clamp and all other pieces you disconnect for future reference.^[1]
2

Unscrew the pivot nut and pull it out with the pivot rod. The pivot nut is threaded onto a short stub on the drainpipe, and is the entry point for the pivot rod into the drain. Turn the nut counterclockwise by hand — or use a wrench if necessary — to unthread it. Pull it straight off along with the inserted pivot rod. You should now see the pivot ball nestled inside the nut, along with the stub of the pivot rod that connects to the stopper inside the pipe.^[2]

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3
Undo the screw that connects the extension bar and lift rod. The vertical extension bar is connected by a clevis (a "U" shaped joint) with the lift rod that extends to the topside of the sink. Undo the screw to unfasten the lift rod, then pull the lift rod out from above the sink.^[3]
- Because the extension bar and lift rod are adjustable — that's what the clevis, the holes in the extension bar, and the spring clamp are for — you may be able to keep them in place and reuse them with other new or repaired components of the sink stopper. A sink stopper replacement kit will come with a new extension bar and lift rod, however, should you want or need to replace them as well.
4

Lift out the drain stopper. The stopper is no longer connected to anything and should be sitting freely in the drain opening. Use your fingernails or a thin tool if necessary to get a grip on it and pull it out of the drain. If you use a screwdriver or other tool and plan to reuse the drain itself, however, be careful not to scratch up the finish.^[4]
5
Find precise matches if you want to replace only the removed components. Take the pieces you've disconnected — the drain plug, lift handle, extension bar, pivot rod, etc. — with you to the home improvement store. If you have details on the brand and model, all the better. If you can find replacement parts that match up just right — ideally from the same brand and model — you can install them and fix the sink stopper without disconnecting the drain itself. If you can't, or you'd rather replace the whole mechanism, continue with disconnecting the drain.
- If you're only replacing the stopper mechanism components, move ahead to the relevant installation steps later in this article. Otherwise, continue to the section on removing the drain.
- Seek out a sales associate at the hardware store if you need assistance finding matching parts.
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1
Undo the connection between the P-trap and the tailpipe. Locate the junction of the vertical tailpipe (which housed the pivot rod and ball you just removed) and the curved P-trap. If your trap is PVC, the connector will be a PVC compression nut that you can loosen by hand. If the trap is metal, it will be a metal nut that requires a large wrench or channel locks to loosen. In either case, loosen the nut completely so that the two sections of pipe are disconnected.^[5]
- If you want to create more workspace under the sink, you can also disconnect the other end of the P-trap and temporarily remove it. If so, take the opportunity to check for (and remove) clogs inside the trap.
- Place a bucket or towels beneath the pipes to catch dripping water.
2
Unthread the sink stopper's tailpipe from the underside of the drain. Now that the bottom of the tailpipe if free from the P-trap, loosen the nut that connects it to the threaded bottom of the sink drain. Most sink stopper tailpipes are made of PVC, and will be connected to the drain with a PVC compression nut that you can loosen by hand. If your tailpipe is metal, you'll again need a large wrench or channel locks to undo the nut.^[6]
- If you can find a new sink stopper set that matches your old one (and thus fits into your existing drain), you may be able to keep the existing sink drain in place. If so, you can skip ahead to the steps detailing the installation of a new tailpipe, reconnection of the P-trap, and installation of the drain stopper mechanism.
3
Loosen the locknut that holds the drain in place. Most sink drains are held in place by compression between the drain's lip on the topside of the sink and a locknut on the underside. The locknut will be snug up against the underside of the sink. Use a large wrench or channel locks to loosen and remove it. If the whole sink drain spins when you try to turn the locknut, stick the tips of two flat-head screwdrivers into the drain opening from above — you should be able to find a couple of notches inside the drain opening that accept the screwdriver tips.^[7]
- Some sink drain locknuts have screws that need to be removed first. "Bell washer" sink drains have a bell-shaped housing that covers the drain's underside and holds it in place with a nut at the bottom. Remove this nut and pull off the bell housing to undo the compression fitting.
4

Push up on the sink drain and pull it out of the sink basin. The drain's lip will be connected to the sink bowl with plumber's putty, but this should give way easily when you push up from below. If not, give the drain a few wiggles and twists from below and push up again. If it still won't budge, a few taps from below with a rubber mallet should do the trick. Clear away any putty residue in the sink bowl with a plastic putty knife and wet rags.^[8]
5
Take the disassembled components to the hardware store to find a replacement. You don't have to replace the old sink stopper assembly with the exact same model, but installing the new equipment will be easier if it is the same size and shape as the old stuff. In particular, you may want to hand-tighten the drain and tailpipe back together and compare their combined length to your replacement options. If the replacement is more than a tiny bit (say, half a centimeter) shorter or longer than the old parts, you'll have to trim, add to, or reconfigure the P-trap to make everything fit together.^[9]
- PVC P-traps give you this small amount of wiggle room — if you have a metal P-trap, your replacement sink stopper assembly needs to be essentially the exact same length as the old one in order to avoid P-trap adjustments.
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1
Place a rolled out ring of plumber's putty around the sink opening. Take a small handful of plumber's putty from its container and work it around in your hands until it feels like children's clay (e.g., Play-Doh). Then, roll it into a "snake" about the thickness of a pencil, and form a ring by pressing the ends together. Press this ring onto the rim of the opening in your sink basin.^[10]
- Make sure you've removed any old putty from the sink with wet rags and a plastic putty knife first.
2

Push the new sink drain into the opening and onto the putty. Press firmly enough that plumber's putty squeezes out around the top lip of the drain. Clear this excess putty away with your fingers and wet rags.^[11]
3

Stack any included gaskets on top of the locknut or bell housing. Without these one or more gaskets that came with the kit, you'll have a metal-to-metal compression connection under the sink that won't be watertight. Follow the provided product instructions regarding the order and placement of the gasket(s), then put them on top of the locknut or bell housing before you slip it over the threads of the sink drain's bottom.^[12]
4
Tighten the locknut or bell housing nut to secure the drain in place. Use a large wrench or channel locks to tighten a traditional locknut strainer. Make the connection snug, but don't try to over-tighten it or you may crack the porcelain sink basin. If you have a locknut with screws, just hand-tigthen the locknut and use a screwdriver to secure the screws and make the compression connection snug.
- If you have a bell washer strainer, slide the bell housing over the sink drain and wrench-tighten the nut that fits onto the exposed sink drain threads at the bottom.
5
Smear pipe joint compound onto the threads at the bottom of the sink drain. Most sink stopper tailpipes only have a few rings of threads to attach them to the sink drain, which makes them prone to leaks. To prevent leaks, buy a tube of pipe joint compound at the hardware store and apply a small amount all around the bottom several threads of the sink drain. You can also wrap Teflon tape around the threads, but pipe joint compound provides superior leak protection for this application.^[13]
- If your sink drain kit has a metal tailpipe, the exposed threads may be on the tailpipe instead of the sink drain. If so, smear the pipe joint compound on the exposed tailpipe threads instead.
6
Screw on the tailpipe while also properly aligning the pipe stub. You want to hand-tighten the connection between the tailpipe and sink drain until they're snug, but there's a complicating factor — you need to make sure the pipe stub that will accept the pivot rod is pointing in the right direction. Typically, it needs to be pointing straight back towards the rear of the sink cabinet, since this is where the lift handle and extension bar will drop down from the back of the faucet fixture. Make the connection as tight as possible while achieving the proper alignment.^[14]
- If you need help visualizing the proper alignment, drop the lift handle down through the opening in the faucet fixture. If necessary, you can also temporarily attach the extension bar with the screw that connects them at the clevis.
7
Connect the P-trap to the tailpipe to complete the drain connection. If your new sink stopper drain is the same length as the old one, the existing P-trap should reattach without much trouble. Just tighten the PVC compression nut by hand (for PVC P-traps), or add a bit of pipe joint compound to the exposed threads and tighten the metal nut with a wrench (for metal P-traps).^[15]
- If the new sink stopper drain is too short to reach the P-trap, you'll have to cut and connect a short piece of pipe to fill in the gap. If it's too long, you'll need to use a hacksaw or pipe cutter to trim off some of the pipe at some point — either at the top or bottom of the P-trap, or perhaps even a bit off the bottom of the sink stopper tailpipe itself.^[16]
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1

Align and place the drain stopper into the sink's drain opening. The drain stopper will have a notch in the bottom with a hole (aligned with the stopper's stem) behind it. Line up the stopper so that the notch is facing directly toward the opening for the lift handle, which is usually directly behind the faucet spigot. Maintain this alignment as you insert the stopper into the drain opening.^[17]
2

Insert the tapered plastic washer into the horizontal stub on the tailpipe. Your kit will come with a small plastic ring that is slightly wider in diameter on one side than the other. Place the narrower side into the opening first. This washer will help hold the ball on the pivot rod in place and provide a watertight seal.^[18]
3

Feed the pivot rod into the stub and through the hole on the drain stopper. Insert the rod at a slightly downward angle. If your drain stopper is lined up properly, you should be able to feed the rod through the hole without much fuss. You'll know you've succeeded if the drain stopper bobs up and down in the sink. Pull up on the stopper to verify the attachment — if you can't pull it out of the drain opening, then it's attached.^[19]
4

Feed the pivot nut over the pivot rod and tighten it onto the pipe stub. Tighten the nut by hand onto the threads on the end of the tailpipe's horizontal stub. If you overtighten the nut, the pivot rod may not be able to move up and down freely — test the rod's movement, and loosen the nut slightly if necessary.^[20]
5

Install and connect the lift handle and extension bar. Drop the lift handle into the opening in the faucet fixture — it's almost always right behind the spigot. Under the sink, use the provided screw to connect the bottom of the lift handle to the top of the extension bar at the clevis joint. You'll end up with a single vertical shaft, the bottom of which should intersect with the roughly horizontal pivot rod. Make sure the series of holes in the extension bar are facing the pivot rod.
6

Connect the pivot rod to the extension bar. Angle the pivot rod downward until the drain stopper pops up to its highest position in the sink basin. Feed the pivot rod through the corresponding hole in the extension bar, so that you maintain this downward angle on the pivot rod as much as possible. Use the V-shaped spring clamp that comes with the kit to hold the pivot rod and extension bar together.^[21]
7

Test the stopper and check for leaks. Lift up on the lift handle and see if the drain stopper plugs the sink drain completely. Run water in the sink to ensure that there is a good seal. If the stopper isn't holding the water in the basin, try adjusting the connection between the pivot rod and extension bar — typically by moving the connection to the next highest hole in the extension bar.^[22]
8

Check for leaks under the sink. Open the drain and run water down the drain for a few minutes. Check for leaks around the pivot nut and any other pipe connections you've made. Run a clean, dry tissue around each connection to check for small leaks. Tighten any connections as needed. If the connection still leaks, you'll need to replace any washers at that connection, or possibly the section of pipe itself.^[23]

EXPERT TIP

James Schuelke, along with his twin brother David, is the co-owner of the Twin Home Experts, a licensed plumbing, leak detection, and mold inspection company based in Los Angeles, California. James has over 32 years of home service and business plumbing experience and has expanded the Twin Home Experts to Phoenix, Arizona and the Pacific Northwest.

James Schuelke
Professional Plumber

You can make use this same mechanism later if you need to adjust your sink stopper: Look under the sink for a U-shaped clip with a bar that goes inside of the tailpiece. Use one hand to hold the stopper at the height you want it. Once it's adjusted, use the other hand to set the clip, then screw the tailpiece nut back on to the pop-up assembly.

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Things You'll Need

sink stopper replacement kit
sink drain kit (optional)
pipe joint compound
plumber's putty (optional)
plastic putty knife (optional)
adjustable wrench or channel locks

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To replace a sink stopper, first, follow the vertical bar of the stopper beneath your sink. Then, undo the clamp that connects the bar to the angled rod that enters the drainpipe by pinching and separating it. After that, unscrew the nut holding the angled rod and pull it off. Undo the screw holding the extension bar and lift out the drain stopper. To install the new stopper, push the new sink drain into the opening and tighten the nut to secure it in place. Then, go beneath the sink to reconnect the angled pivot rod to the extension bar, and tighten all of the nuts. Test the stopper and check beneath the sink to make sure there aren't any leaks. For tips about how to undo the tailpipe, keep reading!

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Bathroom Sink Plug Broken

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Replace-a-Sink-Stopper

Bathroom Sink Plug Broken