It’s something we’ve all had to deal with before. It starts slow, so you don’t notice it as much and dismiss it as a “future you” problem. Your sink starts to drain slower and slower. Before you know it, it takes 10 minutes for the sink to drain completely! Frustration starts to kick in as it takes you longer and longer to do your sink business.
The Stages of Sink Repair
Stage 1: Denial.
“Seems like it’s taking too long to empty. It will probably fix itself.”
Stage 2: Minimizing.
“It’s not that bad. I can do something else while the sink drains.”
Stage 3: Acceptance.
“The sink is a problem and I don’t like it.”
Stage 4: Action.
“The sink just overflowed and I better do something about it now.”
How to Deal with the Sink
What is wrong with the drain?
So what do we mean dealing with the sink? Well sometimes sinks get clogged and the drain doesn’t work. Going a bit deeper, the water in the basin is unable to flow down the drain pipe due to a blockage somewhere in said drain pipe.
We need to remove the clog somehow.
How to Clear the Drain
Needed Tools
- An adjustable wrench
- Needle-nose pliers
Objective
To remove the clog, we need access to the drain pipe. The popup drain stopper of most bathroom sinks blocks us from accessing the drain pipe. So we are going to remove the popup drain stopper.
Steps To Remove
- Clear beneath the sink so you have plenty of space to move around.
- Detach the sink horizontal pivot rod from the drain pipe (the metal bar which moves, attached to the biggest pipe under the sink).
- Mark where the horizontal rod attaches to the drain pipe.
- Lift the drain stopper out of the sink.
- Dig around in the drain with pliers till you find the clogged material.
- Remove the clogged material.
Steps to Replace The Drain Stopper
- Add the stopper back into the drain.
- Slide the horizontal rod back into the drain pipe.
- Tighten the screw back on to the point you marked.
- Test by pulling the drain pin up (called a clevis which opens or closes the drain).
Remember Master Plumbing can solve all your plumbing needs. If you still have trouble with your drain, give us a call, and we will come out to fix your drain and whatever other plumbing problems you might have.