Staring at your bathroom sink to let it finish draining is the biggest annoyance anyone can face every day. The hero behind this mechanism is a bathroom sink pop-up drain. This little precious piece of plumbing gets worn over time and needs adjustment.
These sink stoppers may start operating slowly or get stuck and wait to do anything. Fixing a sink pop-up drain is usually a simple process, with few tools and no need to call a professional. Learn how to adjust a bathroom sink pop-up drain so that next time, you don’t have to think before turning on your sink faucet.
Pop-Up Drain Stopper: The Basics
In today’s modern bathroom sinks, a pop-up drain is an apparatus with which you can open and close the stopper of your sink drain. Its primary purpose is to oversee the water flow in and out of your sink’s basin. If you want to stop the water in the sink, lift the rod behind the sink faucet, and it will close the drain hole. Similarly, you can drain the water by depressing the rod; it will lift the stopper to let the water evade.
Key Parts of Pop-Up Stopper
Before getting your hands into the debris, it’s better to learn about some of the essential parts of a Pop-Up stopper. Here are some of its basic components with their role:
- The Stopper: The part inside the sink basin. You must’ve seen it in the form of a disc-shaped plug. It snugly covers the drain hole with a tiny loop at the bottom that connects the rest of the assembly to the stopper.
- The Lift Rod: You mostly get your hands on this, present behind the faucet. It opens or closes and drains the stopper through push or pull.
- The Pivot Rod: (ball or horizontal rode) It’s under the sink, and several linkages connect it to the lift rod. Simply put, it translates the movement from the lift rod to the drain stopper as it gets pushed or pulled.
- The Clevis Strap: A strap is a flat, slotted bar form that attaches to the lift rod. It’s a central vehicle between the sink pop-up drain and the lift rod that carries out the drain.
- The Locknut and Gasket: These little parts are crucial in keeping the pivot rod in its proper position and securing an airtight seal where the pivot rod passes across the drainpipe.
Why Does It Demand Adjustment?
As time passes, like any other thing, this pop-up device turns out to be crooked or congested with debris that leads to slow drainage or lousy sealing. Therefore, adjustment of any such issue is needed to keep your sink working efficiently.
Adjust A Bathroom Sink Pop-Up Drain _ 3 Ways
Before All Else
Before getting into the nitty gritty of adjusting a bathroom sink pop-up drain, you’ve got to do a few things. First of all, make sure to clear the area under the sink by removing all the items. Then, while working, wrap a thin towel over the edge of the bathroom cabinet for comfort. Most importantly, remove the connection of all cold and hot water supply lines to avoid any disturbance during the process.
Next, inspect if the mechanism is broken or needs fixing. Please don’t get confused with metal pieces bending; it’s normal. However, you’ll have to buy and replace the whole apparatus in case of any damage or breakage. If nothing is broken, then you can make some adjustments to resolve your potential issue.
Tools You Need
To get started properly, you need a few essential tools that are most likely available in every house:
- A can of WD-40 lubricating spray
- A pair of slip-joint pliers
- A pair of groove-joint pliers
- A Flashlight
1. The Stopper That Leaks When Shut
Suppose your sink stopper leaks while in the closed position. The main reason is a bad seal. It may occur because the stopper and the drain have detritus in between them or something is wrong with the stopper assembly. So, resolve this leakage issue with a good seal.
Inspect and Clean the Stopper
Firstly, you’ve to remove the stopper. For this, pull the stopper from the drain, or another way is to detach it from the pivot rod below the sink. Once you’ve removed it, check the stopper to see if the seal around its sides cracked. After that, wipe off all waste, hair, or soap layers from the sink pop stopper, especially focusing around the seal.
Check the Drain for Debris
When the stopper is no longer attached to the sink, inspecting the drain is better. So, turn on a flashlight and look into the drain to see if any object, buildup, or damage is becoming a reason for an inappropriate seal.
Adjust the Pivot Rod
If your pop-up stopper still leaks, the pivot rod may be deranged as it connects to the stopper. For this, you’ve to work in a narrow area underneath the sink and find out the point of connection between the pivot rod and the clevis strap. First, lose the retaining nut because it keeps the pivot rod in its position, fix its length, and retighten it again. You must get to the position where the stopper aligns perfectly with the drain, an airtight seal.
2. The Sink Stopper That Won’t Open or Shut
Suppose your sink stopper is refusing to open or close. In that case, usually, it’s the result of an issue with the pivot rod apparatus or the lift rod because any mechanical disorientation with this system will disturb the working of the stopper.
Tighten the Lift Rod
First, check the connection between the lift rod and the clevis strap. Because if the lift is loose, the pivot rod and the stopper will not get an efficient pull or push. For this, you’ve to search for the point where the lift rod attaches to the clevis strap to tighten the screws. It will ensure the rod stands straight and properly connected to its holder.
Adjust the Clevis Strap
Next, Over time, the clip holding the pivot rod may slip and cause the whole scene with the assembly. Therefore, change the positions of the pivot rod and the lift rod by putting them into different holes on the clevis strap.
Clean and Lubricate the Pivot Rod
Another reason that the Pop-up struck in this position can be the accumulation of debris that causes the pivot rod to stick. So, rinse and lubricate the rod to ensure it works smoothly.
3. The Stopper That Doesn’t Pop Up
If your bathroom sink stopper refuses to pop up when you want, it is usually the result of some issues with the pivot rod. The pivot rod _ plays a critical part in the linkage mechanism. Due to this rod, the lift rod connects to the sink’s stopper. So, suppose something is wrong, like loose, cracked, or not properly attached. In that case, the stopper will not be able to respond accordingly to the movements of the lift rod.
Tighten the Pivot Rod Nut
Check if the nut is loose because if it’s not properly tightened, the rod cannot sit properly, causing the stopper not to pop up. So, firstly, detect where the locknut is beneath the sink behind the drainpipe. When you’ve found the nut, use your hands or pliers to tighten it. Be careful; you don’t have to over-tighten it and damage the whole nut or pipe.
Adjust the Rod’s Connection to the Stopper
Next, you’ve to adjust the rod’s connection to the stopper. You may have to pull out the pop-up stopper from the drain. Then, check where it connects with the stopper to see if it’s too loose or tight. Bend the rod slightly or replace its attachment point on the clevis strap to get the right fit in both cases.
Wrap-Up
To wrap up, adjusting a bathroom sink pop-up drain is easier than it initially seems. It would be best to have guidance and the right tools; the process is yours. Now, next time your sink refuses to drain, you’ll not despair with this knowledge. Roll up your sleeves and collect your tools to function your sink properly.
