After taking apart the drain P-trap and recovering the lost earring, the pop-up drain is removed to clean out the hair to prevent future drain clogs.
This repair is continued from How to Retrieve an Item Dropped Down the Sink Drain – Part 1.
Remove the Pop-Up Drain Pivot Rod
The hair clog I found in Part 1 must be removed it would continue to build up over time and clog the drain. It was obvious the hair was caught on the pivot rod (also called a ball rod) that attaches to the stopper of the pop-up drain. To do a proper job of cleaning the drain, it is necessary to remove the pivot rod.
Here are the parts of the pop-up drain pivot rod (click on the image for a full size view):
Step 1: Remove the Spring Clip
Note which clevis hole pivot rod is in, which is the 2nd hole from the bottom here. Squeeze the ends of the spring clip together slightly and slide the clip and clevis off the end of the rod.
Spring clip released from the pivot rod (a.k.a. ball rod) and clevis.
Step 2: Unscrew the Retaining Nut
Unscrew the pivot rod retaining nut to release the pivot rod from the drain T.
Step 3: Grasp the Sink Stopper
Before removing the pivot rod from the drain T, press down lightly on the rod to lift the sink stopper. Grasp the stopper, pull out the pivot rod, and lift the stopper from the sink drain. The trick is to get a grip on the stopper before removing the pivot rod, otherwise the stopper is seated flush with the drain and you can’t get your fingers under the rim of the stopper to lift it out.
Step 4: Pull out the Pivot Rod
Pull the pivot rod out of the drain T.
Step 5: Clear the Debris from the Drain Pipe
The clump of hair that was looped over the pivot rod now drops easily from the drain pipe.
After removing the obvious clog of hair from the drain pipe, I used a flashlight inspect the drain pipe to see if it was clear. Everything was fine, no other obstructions. The J-bend trap was clear of sediment and debris with a only a light coating of scum inside the PVC pipe. If there were a really a bad clog, it would be simple enough to push it would of the vertical drain pipe with a wooden dowel rod and flush water down the drain into the bucket.
Step 6: Clean the Pipe Joints
Wipe the scum off the end of the drain pipes and P-trap with paper towels.
This repair is continued in Part 3.
Regards,
Bob Jackson
