Removing Clogs From a Bathroom Sink
Summary: Remove the sink stopper from your sink to get at tough clogs. If you remove the P trap under the sink and water is still sitting in the bowl, what do you do?
DEAR TIM: My drain in the bathroom is stopped up. My husband took the trap off under the sink, but the drain is clogged up above that. He cannot figure out how to get the stopper out of the sink, that metal button that you can push down and pull up. Can you tell us how to do this? Christie G., Canton, GA
DEAR CHRISTIE: You are suffering as many people do. What appears to be a somewhat large pipe, the 1 and 1/4 inch diameter tailpiece leaving the bottom of the sink, is actually clogged with parts the day it is installed. The sink stopper and the control rod that allows it to move up and down are all inside this pipe before the first drop of water and any debris starts its journey to your sewer or septic tank.
To remove the stopper and its control rod you must remove a round nut that is on the backside of the drain tailpiece pipe. If you get on your side or your back and look under and behind your sink, you will see this round nut. It is often shiny chrome and has small knurls in the nut instead of large hexagonal edges like a nut that goes on a bolt.
Once the nut is completely loose, pull the stopper control rod out of the back of the tailpiece drain pipe. There will be a round plastic ball attached to the end of this rod.
Once the control rod is out of the tailpiece, the stopper will pull up from the sink. It will probably have all sorts of bio-organic goo, hair and crud on it, so be prepared to get disgusted. I would wear rubber gloves if you have any open cuts on your hands. This organic mess is loaded with millions of bad bacteria that can cause serious infections.
Remove the biomass from the stopper and clean it. Do the same with the end of the control rod ball and the metal tip sticking out of the end of the plastic ball. All parts need to be clean before you reassemble them.
But before you put everything back together, you should clean the inner walls of the tailpiece that leads from the sink down to the P-trap piping. You can do this quickly with a 1 and 1/2 inch bottle brush and an empty bucket. Simply place an empty bucket under the tailpiece and turn on the water in the sink while you move the bottle brush up and down in the drain outlet hole. Be sure to push the bottle brush down as far as you can. You may have to insert the brush from below as well as the top to clean the entire length of the tailpiece.
Cleaning the inside of the tailpiece helps control odors in bathroom sinks. The biofilm buildup that grows on the pipe walls can release odors each time water is run in a sink.
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Comments:
Joe Wright 31 Dec 2008, 11:50
I also have this problem, but its past my traps. I used a wire coat hanger
and stuck down the last tube that leads somewhere...and it came out with a
bunch of rust on it...any comments?
Don 18 Jan 2009, 08:40
Hi there....I removed the trap under my bathroom sink to remove clogs and
this worked fine,,,but now when i reinstall the trap, it keeps leaking
slowly where the plastic threads come together. I put it together and it
does not leak immediately when running water,,,,it leaks later. i have
done this on two sinks in my house and both are leaking in the same place.
any ideas ?
Susan 10 Feb 2009, 08:40
I just figured out what to do since I knew I would never get around to this
as it is too hard for me (translation: just would never do :)
I was able to rotate the stopper in one direction and then in the other direction, holding it at the top, within the sink, turning it hard, and I got it to come off. It either came loose or broke off at the tip where it was attached. I had read that some of the older stoppers can be removed by turning. And I had read of someone who found it better to have the stopper unattached anyway and just dropped in the hole. This one is not very old, but I tried this anyway, not caring if the tip, where it is attached in the pipe, broke off. I'd rather have a little piece of plastic in the drain than all that black gunk! DON'T break it off if you care about putting the same stopper back in ATTACHED. If that would make your sink not water tight or something else you like now, don't do this. Mine still goes up and down, but NOT tightly (which does not concern me; I can put a washcloth in the sink if I am making extra sure not to lose something down the drain.) However, I had read also that it is okay to use the stopper loose - and I had decided I wanted that anyway - an open access to the drain - as now the DRAIN CAN BE CLEANED AND UNSTOPPED EASILY! It is flowing like it never has since we moved here four years ago! And I can just give it a little (now effective) plunging now and then! Hope this helps someone. I know purists won't like it but I am a trial and error person and not an expert on anything : ) Susan
Joe Wright 10 Feb 2009, 08:49
Ok so after months, I called roto rooter they came and fixed it. They said
the clog was by the main, and was full of hard grease...that has been
sitting there for 4-5 years...lucky me i just bought the house 10 months
ago...
Susan 10 Feb 2009, 08:52
We had a problem like that, too, before -- everything was draining badly.
Luckily the town fixed it, as they said the roots were far enough out that
they were responsible. Sorry about your problem. Onward...
jonah.rodriguez 22 May 2009, 09:05
I LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS THE BEST PIPE FOR THE BATHROOM SINK PVC OR STEEL
pattik 19 Oct 2009, 21:17
My sink clogs too, and it is probably the stopper. I want the stopper out
of there thats why I came to this subject. If I remove it from the drain
will it be all right? I don't want it at all. None of my other drains have
one and I keep them from getting clogged by just using the screen covers.
If I take this out will I need a new pipe?
Botunda Foo 01 Feb 2010, 14:13
He is NOT kidding about pulling out a biomass. Heed the warning and wear
the gloves.
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