Why Is My Bathroom Sink Draining Inconsistently?

[leroyjenkens]

Every year around Thanksgiving, my plumber friends get "emergency" calls for odd plumbing problems. Most of the time, the problems arose from people dumping warm, fatty water down the drain. As soon as the fats hit cold drain pipes, they congeal and gather any bits of fibrous material that come their way. Then the plugs become semi-permanent. I hope this hasn't happened in your apartment building, but the timing seems right.

It seemed to start the moment I dumped a bucket of water down the sink. I guess maybe the rush of water pushed some stuff that was along the sides of the pipe down to block it? Or is it just a coincidence?

Their sink may be draining slowly through your leak. I understand your leak is from the pull up stopper. That can usually be fixed with a new washer as BOB G mentioned. But you will still have water backing up if there is a clog or partial clog down the line.

In the picture you posted, my sink is leaking from where the "pivot rod" goes into the sink. I don't know why that would start leaking all of a sudden. Do you think it's related to the clog? Both things started happening simultaneously. The leak and the clog.

 

[edward]

Posted by: leroyjenkens

In the picture you posted, my sink is leaking from where the "pivot rod" goes into the sink. I don't know why that would start leaking all of a sudden. Do you think it's related to the clog? Both things started happening simultaneously. The leak and the clog.

The rod may have been sealed by gunk,soap, hair. hard to tell. When you dumped the water in the sink it may have washed it all away enough to start a leak.

Some times a leak around the rod can be stopped by gently tightening the pivot nut that the rod runs through. Older pull up stoppers have a gasket inside. Newer ones have a plastic ball on the rod and uses no gasket.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infplumb/infpopup.html

The big problem is that individual Parts aren't available. They want to sell the entire assembly, and they cost about $75 +. You may be able to get a washer that will fit if it is the old style.


In the worst case scenario it can be fixed on the cheap. Remove the pivot nut, pull out the rod, while pulling out the sink stopper from the top. (you may need a helper) By a cheapo expandable rubber plug and put it in the hole where the rod used to go. Also get an old fashioned drain plug at a hardware store.

The big thing is is the sink still backing up??

The rod pivot nut area will leak anytime you drain water from the sink. Or in this case anytime your neighbors sink cross flows into yours.