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The sink pop-up stopper is a neat
and simple little mechanical device for holding water in the sink bowl. The
sink pop-up stopper device consists of a stopper and a linkage assembly that
controls the position of the sink drain pop-up stopper. Occasionally,
however, it requires adjustment. The pop-up stopper either doesn’t move
anymore when you pull/push on the lift rod or the pop-up stopper just
doesn’t seem to hold water in the sink very well, e.g. water seeps around
the pop-up stopper. Fortunately, with just a wrench and/or screw driver you
can fix a sink pop-up stopper problem in just a few minutes.
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Pop-Up Sink
Problem Does Not Stay Closed
One of the most common sink pop-up stopper problems is that the pop-up
stopper doesn’t stay closed when you pull up on the lift rod handle. The
main culprit with this problem is a loosened pop-up stopper pivot nut.
| The pop-up stopper pivot nut can be found on the back or
side of the sink drain pipe. Usually if you tighten this nut a little,
you will create the necessary friction on the pivot ball, located under
the pivot nut, to allow the pop-up stopper to hold its position when
either pulled closed or pushed open. It is important, however, to not
over tighten this nut as you will create too much friction such that you
will not be able to move the pop-up stopper lever at all. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
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If you do find the pop-up stopper
lift rod hard to move up and down, you may want to loosen the pivot nut a
little. In addition, you can also temporarily remove the pivot nut and
lubricate the pivot ball with a little Vaseline to help create a smoother
action when opening and closing the sink pop-up stopper.
Small Puddle Under Sink
If you notice a small puddle or
leak underneath your sink, it may be that the pop-up stopper nut is too
loose and drain water is actually seeping out around the pivot nut.
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If this is the case, tighten the
pivot nut with your wrench.
Pop-Up Stopper
Linkage has Loosened Up
Another reason why a sink pop-up stopper may not work well in holding water
in the sink is that the pop-up stopper linkage assembly has moved and needs
adjusting. If you look up and under the sink you will notice that a
horizontal metal arm extends from the pivot nut to a metal or plastic
linkage assembly that is connected to the lift handle rod. Sometimes there
is a screw that holds the lift handle rod to the horizontal metal arm that
extends out from the sink drain. Other times there is a U-shaped piece of
metal that holds the metal arm and lift rod together. Occasionally the screw
loosens up or the U-shaped piece of metal slides down the lever rod.
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If this happens, adjust the lift
arm and the horizontal metal arm that extends from the drain pipe, and
either tighten the screw that holds them together or slide the U-shaped
piece of metal up or down on the lift rod. After making the adjustment try
opening and closing the pop-up sink drain using the lift rod handle and see
if the pop-up stopper open and closes properly. If it does not, again adjust
the position of the horizontal metal arm on the lift rod until the pop-up
stopper works properly.
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Photo by Mark Donovan |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
Pop-Up Stopper Disconnect from Horizontal Metal Arm
Another frequent problem that can arise with pop-up stoppers is that the
pop-up stopper becomes disconnected from the horizontal metal arm that
protrudes into the drain pipe. By loosening the pivot nut you can move the
horizontal metal arm in and out of the drain pipe so that it lines up with
the square/round hole in the bottom of the pop-up stopper assembly. Once the
horizontal metal arm is located in the hole properly, you can tighten the
pivot nut back up.
Additional Home Plumbing Resources
Sink Pop-Up Stoppers from Amazon.com
