Clean Up The Drain And Sink
Once you’ve removed the drain components, you should be able to lift the drain from the sink. You may notice residue around the drain, including plumber’s putty. Now that you’ve removed all the old hardware, clean up the drain, sink, and faucet. Be sure to remove any dirt, grime, or old sealant left behindthis will ensure that your new sink drain looks great and that you get a tight seal to prevent leaks.
Install The New Drain Assembly
Insert the drain assembly through the opening from the top side of the sink. If you have long enough arms, you can hold the drain in place while pushing the rubber gasket up the threaded section of the drain assembly from the bottom side.
If you cant hold the drain in place, no worries! Simply lay a towel in the sink to protect the finish and place a heavy object like a book or bowl full of water over the drain.
Avoid Gasket Goof Up
Make sure you install the rubber gasket with the narrowest section against the bottom of the sink. These stepped gaskets are shaped like cones to help them seal properly to the underside of the sink.
After the rubber gasket has been slid up the drain stem, follow it up by the washer and then the nut. The washer acts as a friction disk that allows you to spin the nut without affecting the surface of the gasket. This makes for a gasket that seals flat and evenly.
How To Install A Bathroom Sink Drain
In my last tutorial, I showed you how I built a floating vanity for my powder room. In this DIY plumbing tutorial, Ill show you how to install the sink drain, namely the P trap.
If you also want to see how I installed my wall faucet and vessel sink, watch the video above.
There are 3 parts youll need when installing a new sink drain: a P Trap kit, a trap adapter, and a pop-up sink drain assembly.
- P trap with adapter
- Trap adapter
- Sink drain push pop-up assembly
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How To Install A Pop
Aaron Stickley is a licensed plumber with 15 years of experience in commercial, new residential plumbing, and residential service and repair. He started his own residential service and repair plumbing business. Aaron’s articles about plumbing on The Spruce span four years.
The Spruce / Ana Cadena
- Working Time: 30 mins – 1 hr
- Total Time: 30 mins – 1 hr
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Estimated Cost: $20 to $50
For most bathroom sinks, the drain stopper apparatus is a pop-up assembly that works by means of a small vertical rod attached to a pivot rod below the sink. This lift rod slides up and down through a small hole in the back of the faucet body. The pivot rod moves a linkage inside the drain tailpiece, lifting or lowering the stopper as needed.
You’ll need to install a new drain stopper whenever you install a new sink. And sometimes when you are installing a new faucet, it may come with a stopper assembly that needs to be swapped out with the old stopper. Finally, if a sink drain begins to leak, you can buy a new stopper assembly to replace the old faulty one.
Installation of a drain stopper is usually fairly straightforward and simple, but occasionally the process can become a little more complicated due to variations in the fixture or fittings.
Apply Plumbing Putty Around The Drain

Next, it’s time to insert the new drain into the sink’s hole. You’ll want to put the drain piece into the hole, making sure that the flange is securely placed into the plumber’s putty. If you are using a kit assembly, follow all instructions to ensure you get a good fit with a nice, secure seal around the drain. This will ensure that you don’t run into future leaks.
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How To Replace A Drain In The Bathroom Sink
PLUMBING REPAIR, PLUMBING TIPS, SEWER & DRAIN
Do you think youre due to replace drain systems in your home?
A sink is one of the essential features that your bathroom should have. It plays a vital role in helping you wash your face and brushing your teeth. Once your sink drain gets old, it can get rusty and give out a bad smell.
You should clean your drain at least once a year. If youve avoided cleaning your drain, you could encounter troubles with clogs. So, heres a guide to help you know which drain is best for your sink and how to replace drains.
Remove The Old Drain Assembly
Loosen and remove the P-trap from the branch drain and sink drain tailpiece, using channel-type pliers. With some traps, you may be able to loosen and remove the trap by hand, without a wrench. It’s possible there will be some water in the trap, so position a bucket under the trap to catch this water.
Next, extract the old pop-up linkage assembly, if there is one.
Now, use channel-type pliers to remove the mounting nut from the tailpiece on the old drain assembly. Lift the entire drain assembly clear of the sink. This may require some wiggling of the tailpiece to break the seal on the drain flange.
With the drain assembly removed, clean the sink thoroughly of debris and old plumber’s putty.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Read Also: Water In Washer Not Draining
Attaching The New Sink Stopper Drain
Removing The Stopper Lift Handle And Connectors
Read Also: What To Do If Your Washer Is Not Draining
How To Install A Bathroom Pop
Step 1 Roll plumbers putty between your hands to form a piece about the size of a gummy worm. Place the rolled putty around the underside of the sink flange. NOTE Some drain kits come with a flange washer as this one did. In this case, you would not use plumbers putty.
Place the flange in the sink hole. Press firmly into place.
Step 2 If not already done for you, assemble the pop-up body by placing the locking nut and flat washer over the threads of the pop-up. Slide the rubber gasket on last. The gaskets tapered end should face up.Step 3 Screw the pop-up body to the flange through the hole from the underside of the sink. Make sure the pivot rod opening faces the back of the sink.Step 4 Hand tighten the locking nut on the pop-up body until the gasket fits snug against the underside of the sink. Using the channel lock pliers, tighten two to three additional rotations. Do not overtighten. Wipe away the excess putty around the flange as needed.
Step 5 Drop the pop-up stopper down into the drain opening. Make sure the hole for the pivot rod is facing the rear of the sink.
Step 6 Insert the lift rod through the top of the sink faucet.
Step 7 Attach the extension strap to the lift rod from underneath the sink.
Step 8 Wrap thread tape around the threads of the tailpiece and screw the tailpiece to the pop-up body. .
Then, slide the extension over the tailpiece and tighten the nut.
S Youll Need When Installing A New Sink Drain:
If you have a brand new vanity like me, the first step is to make a hole in the vanity top. To mark the hole placement I lined up my laser level with the faucet rough-in and used a speed square to make sure I was square with the vanity.
Ideally you want the center of the faucet aligned with the drain hole as shown in the picture below, so to figure out the distance I referred to my faucets spec sheet and found the distance from the center of the spout to the wall.
I could then mark the location for the drain hole measuring from the wall. To make the hole I used a hole saw slightly larger than the diameter of my sinks drain hole, and slowly drilled my may all the way through the vanity top.
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How To Replace A Sink Stopper
This article was co-authored by James Schuelke and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD. James Schuelke, along with his twin brother David, is the co-owner of the Twin Home Experts, a licensed plumbing, leak detection, and mold inspection company based in Los Angeles, California. James has over 32 years of home service and business plumbing experience and has expanded the Twin Home Experts to Phoenix, Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. This article has been viewed 256,361 times.
When you pull up on that rod sticking up behind your bathroom faucet, the drain stopper is supposed to pull down and plug the sink. But what if the stopper doesn’t pull down, and you can’t plug your sink? Or, even worse, what if the stopper is stuck down and you can’t drain your sink? Your first instinct may be to call a plumber, but you can save some money and earn some satisfaction by replacing the sink stopper yourself. Whether you want to replace just the stopper mechanism or the entire drain and stopper system, you should feel confident that it is a job most DIYers can handle without much fuss.
Tighten The Drain Assembly

From under the sink, hold the drain tailpiece motionless with one hand and tighten the mounting nut upwards toward the bottom of the sink. Make sure the opening in the tailpiece is pointing straight back toward the wall.
Tighten the mounting nut with channel-type pliers while continuing to hold the tailpiece in place. Do not over-tighten this nut, but make sure it is secure enough so that the drain assembly does not spin in the drain opening.
Also Check: Slow Draining Bathroom Sink Not Clogged
Installing The Bathroom Sink Plumbing Pipes
Important to know is the position of the supply tubes and drain pipes. Drain pipes and sink drain should be lined up, and straight between the supply stub outs.
Uncover the wall to pass the pipe out. The water must be off when the tees soldered onto the pipes.
The drain slope is ¼ inch per foot toward the sewer, and so does the vent in its incline toward its tie-in point.
After that, allow the stub-outs lengthwise a few inches from the wall, then close it after you install the sink.
How To Install Bathroom Sink Plumbing
Generally, Installing bathroom sink plumbing is need two phases: rough-in and finishing phase. The rough-in is more difficult phase. It depends on the systems configuration overall.
Bathroom sink no need high water volumes. So, we must be able to branch the ½ inch supply lines from the tub or shower.
After that, we can tie the 2-inch drain line into an existing one. Remember too about sink vent. If not, maybe it will not drain properly. We have to raise the 1 ½ or 2-inch vent from the drain within 5 feet of the sink trap. And dont forget to tie into an existing vent or to the roof.
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Remove The Existing Pop
The first task is to remove the existing pop-up drain.
- Shut off the water supply by turning the water valves underneath the sink. Position a bucket underneath the sink to catch any water from the drain.
- Using a wrench, turn the nuts connecting the U-shaped P trap to the branch drain pipe and sink drain tailpiece.
- Remove the P trap. Any water that spills out will be caught in the bucket.
- Remove the spring clip and clevis strap of the existing drain assembly. The clevis strap is the thin metal strip with holes for the pivot rod.
- Unscrew the gasket holding the thin pivot rod. Remove the pivot rod and ball from the tailpiece and pull out the drain stopper from the sink.
- Turn and remove the mounting nut from the tailpiece.
- Push the tailpiece upward to free the drain flange. This is the collar surrounding the bathroom sinks drain. You may have to wiggle the tailpiece to break the drain flange seal. Lift the entire tailpiece clear of the sink.
Tip: If the sink is not installed with a cabinet or vanity, use a 2 × 4 to support it while you are working.
How To Connect A Bathroom Sink Drain
- 31st December, 2021
Are you fed up of spending money on plumber for doing some simple plumbing jobs and you have now decided to give it a try yourself? Then, youre at the right place. Read this article and know how to connect a bathroom sink drain.
Installing a bathroom sink drain in your bathroom is an ABC thing. Yes, its the easiest and the fastest DIY project in plumbing that every homeowner can handle.
However, before you attempt the installation job, its good to know the parts of a bathroom sink drain and the tools and materials youd need.
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Attach The Pivot Rod To The Drain
Next, connect the pivot rod to the drain and clevis. Finish by attaching the clevis to the faucet behind the water line. Since the clevis and pivot control the stopper, you’ll want to ensure that they’re connected and working properly so your sink will stop as needed. If you are also installing a faucet, you’ll want to reconnect the waterline and ensure that everything is sealed.
How To Install P
Step 1 Slide two slip nuts over the waste line arm. One should face the waste out and one should face the p-trap. Add a slip washer with the bevel facing the waste-out connection. Step 2 Attach the waste line arm to the wall. Loosely tighten the slip nut.
Step 3 Slide a slip nut followed by a slip washer over the bottom of the extension pipe . Attach the j-bend and tighten the nut.
Step 4 Turn the j-bend pipe until it meets up with the waste line arm. Make adjustments as needed in the waste arm-to-wall connections in order to get the proper alignment. Attach the j-bend pipe to the waste line arm.Step 5 Tighten down all the nuts and connections.Step 6 Test for leaks and make adjustments as needed.
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How To Replace A Bathroom Faucet With Your New Sink Drain
Many people install a new sink drain while replacing the faucet. This is a great idea, especially if your new faucet is a different color or type of metal than the drain in your sink. Ensuring a matching faucet and drain will keep the bathroom fixtures consistent and cohesive.
Whether you’re fixing a drain or installing a new drain in a sink, the fixtures should match. It gives the sink a clean look and allows you to check for any water damage in the cabinets and detect other problems you may need to address with your bathroom update.
Most sink faucet installation kits are simple to follow with easy, clear instructions. If youre wondering how to get started, check out the DIY faucet replacement video below.
If youre looking for a beautiful faucet to match your new bathroom sink drain, dont miss our wide range of bathroom faucets and fixtures. At Do It Best, we have everything you need to create a beautiful bathroom update that youll feel proud of.
While do-it-yourself projects can be fun and fulfilling, there is always a potential for personal injury or property damage. We strongly suggest that any project beyond your abilities be left to licensed professionals such as electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. Any action you take upon the information on this website is strictly at your own risk, and we assume no responsibility or liability for the contents of this article.
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