Whenever I get a call from a customer with a sink backup, it makes me happy because 90% of the time, it’s an amazingly simple job. If your bathroom sink drains slowly or is clogged, I’m going to show you an easy way to handle this on your own so you can save some money and keep your sink running well.
Get a Simple Drain Cleaning Tool
You can get a simple hair removal device at your local hardware store. I use the FlexiSnake Drain Weasel because it is affordable, and it’s a very handy tool for getting hair out of sinks.
What Causes Bathroom Sink Clogs?
When your sink is not draining very well, usually there’s a bunch of hair right on the bottom of the pop-up drain stopper or clogging the drain itself. This is easy to fix:
- Look underneath your sink for the rod that connects to your drain stopper switch. (I recommend taking a picture of how it looks before you take it apart so that you can put it back together easily.)
- You should find a screw with a thin rod sticking out of it on the back of the sink’s drain pipe. Unscrew the screw and pull out the rod, and you’ll be able to lift the drain stopper out of the sink. Take note of the orientation of the hole on the bottom of the drain stopper when you pull it out, because you will need to put it back the same way so the rod can fit through the hole.
- If there is hair or other buildup on the bottom of the drain stopper, clean this off and set it aside.
- Grab your drain cleaning tool and stick the end of it down into the drain. As you insert it further into the drain, twist it around slowly so it can catch whatever hair or buildup is down there.
- Pull the drain clogging tool out slowly so you pull up all the hair and other debris that were clogging your sink.
- Once you’re done cleaning out the drain, stick the drain stopper back into the drain oriented the same way it was when you first pulled it out, with the hole on the bottom turned toward the back of the sink.
- Get the screw and the rod you pulled out in step two and insert them back into the drainpipe. (This is where your picture from step one will come in handy!)
- Tighten the screw as much as you can with your fingers, and double check that your drain stopper works as before.
- Enjoy your clean sink that drains properly!
Call Rocketman for Fast Plumbing Services
Using a drain cleaner to remove built-up hair will solve about 90% of clogged bathroom sink issues. If this didn’t handle your bathroom sink, or if you want a professional to come take care of your sink for you, call Rocketman Plumbing at 505-375-6602. We’ll be there in a flash to take care of the problem and get your sink draining properly again.