How to Clean a Vessel Bathroom Sink Drain

A vessel sink is a glass or metal bowl that mounts to the top of a countertop. In many cases, a vessel sink does not have a pop-up grain plug like many sinks because a vessel sink does not have a built in overflow to keep the sink from overflowing. Due to this, the sink has a strain style cap where the water flows out of the bottom of the vessel. If the sink's drain requires more than a liquid plumbing gel for cleaning, you must disassemble the plumbing under the sink to clean the drain.

Things You'll Need

• Pipe wrench
• Bucket
• Hot soapy water
• Sponge for drinking glasses

Instructions

1. Loosen the compression nut that clamps the sink's down tube extension to the vessel's down tube. If you cannot loosen the compression nut with your hands, use a pipe wrench to loosen it.

2. Loosen the compression nut on the top of the trap. Again, use the wrench if necessary.

3. Slide the down tube extension pipe upwards onto the down tube to release it from the trap.

4. Loosen the compression nut on the bottom of the trap and then slide the trap off the drainpipe that goes into the floor or wall. Be careful when pulling the trap off as wastewater is in the trap. Dump the water into a bucket.

5. Clean the inside of the pipes in a working sink. Use hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush designed for drinking glasses. These brushes have a long handle to help you get into the pipe.

6. Slide the down pipe extension onto the sink's down pipe. Slide the trap onto the drainpipe. Do not tighten the compression nuts yet.

7. Slide the extension down pipe into the compression nut on the trap and then tighten all of the compression nuts as tight as you can with your hands.

8. Turn on the sink water. If any of the pipes leak from the compression nuts, tighten the nuts with the pipe wrench until the leaks stop.

References

• Handy Man How To; How to Retrieve an Item Dropped Down the Sink Drain; Bob Jackson