The bathroom sink stopper is meant to be a handy tool, making shaving or washing your face easier, or preventing items from falling down the drain. However, like most of the plumbing in your home, the stopper can easily become clogged and maladjusted over time. Fortunately, the sink stopper is a perfect candidate for a little DIY drain plumbing. With the right tools and a bit of know-how, you can have your stopper sealing the drain again in no time.

Follow these helpful tips to learn how to adjust and fix the stopper in a bathroom sink.

What Causes a Stopper to Go Bad?

There are a few reasons why most stopper malfunctions occur, including:

  • The stopper is out of alignment.
  • The stopper or drain is clogged with hair and gunk.
  • A part has rusted or broken off.
  • There’s a loose screw.

Most of these issues can be fixed by removing, cleaning, and adjusting the stopper, or tightening any loose screws.

Before You Adjust It, Remove It and Clean It

How to Remove a Sink Stopper

For most sink setups, all you need to remove and fix the bathroom sink stopper is a pair of adjustable pliers. To remove the plug from the sink:

  1. Crawl under the sink and look for the nut that sticks out of the back of the drain plumbing. A rod comes out of the nut and is connected to a bar that leads up toward the faucet handle.
  2. Use the pliers to loosen the nut and remove the rod from the pipe, which will allow you to pull the stopper out of the sink entirely.
  3. Pull the stopper out.

Related Content: How to Remove a Bathtub Drain Stopper

How To Clean It

Years of accumulated goo and hair on the stopper and down the drain could be part of the reason your stopper is malfunctioning in the first place. To clean it:

  1. Grab a small brush and some soap and give the stopper a thorough scrubbing.
  2. Use a pipe brush to clean out goo and biofilm from the inside of your drain plumbing while you have it open.
  3. Put it back together and create a natural drain cleaner solution to clear out any remaining debris.

Related Content: How to Get Hair Out of Your Drains

How to Adjust a Sink Stopper

To adjust the sink stopper height after cleaning it:

  1. Place the stopper back down in the drain.
  2. Run the rod through the pipe and the hole in the bottom of the stopper.
  3. Manually unclip the rod from the flat bar that leads to the faucet handle and reattach it at a point that pulls the stopper down to make a tight seal in the drain.
  4. Finally, when everything is where you want it, tighten the nut.

The Final Touches

That's all there is to it. Move the handle on the faucet up and down and make sure the stopper responds to your liking. If not, give it another adjustment.

Readjustment Not Working? Schedule Sink Stopper Installation

Sometimes, no matter how many times you readjust the stopper, you can't get it to function just right. If you are still having trouble keeping water in your sink, count on the licensed professionals at your local Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for sink stopper repair or installation. Call 1-877-BEN-1776, or request an appointment online.