Quick Fixes to Unstick a Sink Stopper
Try to pull it up with your fingers. If your sink stopper is stuck in the closed (lowered) position and has a small grip or rod on top of it, grab it and gently tug on the stopper until it moves into the open (raised) position. If you have a popup stopper (the kind you push in to close or open the drain) that’s stuck in the open position, gently pull and twist to remove the entire drain assembly. If your popup drain stopper is stuck in the closed position and you can’t get a grip on it, try one of the other options below. If you have a traditional lift rod stopper, you will not be able to pull the whole assembly out of the drain without disconnecting some pieces underneath the sink (more on that below).
Use a suction cup to force the stopper up. Try this when your stopper is flush with the sink and you can’t get a grip on it to pull it out. Add enough water to the sink to cover the drain, then place a suction cup on top of the stopper and press down on it to form a tight seal. Pull upward in a quick, forceful motion to dislodge the stopper. It may take a few tries for this method to work. If you don’t have a suction cup tool on hand, some people have had success using the cups on the bottom of their shower mat or on the backs of window decorations.
Try a sink plunger to dislodge a stuck sink stopper. Place the end of the sink plunger directly over the stopper and push down to form a tight seal. Then, quickly yank the plunger straight upward to try and force the stopper to open. Continue placing the plunger and yanking it upward until the stopper is free. Tip: Don’t use your toilet plunger for this. Sink plungers are designed to fit over flatter surfaces than toilet plungers (plus, you could be transferring some toilet bacteria to your sink if you use the same plunger in both places).
Lift the stopper up with a rare earth magnet. Rare earth magnets, like those made from neodymium, might be strong enough to stick to your stopper and pull it up. Check your home for the kinds of strong magnets that hold kitchen utensils or spice jars to the wall, for example, then stick it to the stopper and try to lift it up. If your stopper is made of stainless steel, a rare earth magnet will not stick to it.
Push and twist popup stoppers to release them. Put on a rubber glove to give yourself some traction, then press the stopper down with your thumb and twist it counterclockwise until it springs up. Give this a couple of tries—if there’s only some light buildup holding the stopper down, this should do the trick. If it’s stubborn and not twisting, spray some WD-40 around the edge of the stopper and let it sit for a few minutes before trying again.
Tap the edge of popup stoppers with a wooden spoon and a hammer. Grab a wooden spoon from the kitchen (or any kind of thin, wooden rod that you have on hand) and a hammer. Place the end of the spoon’s handle on the outside edge of the stopper, then gently tap the other end of the spoon with the hammer. Tap your way all around the stopper to help it spring back to the open position. If it doesn’t pop up on its own after tapping, give the stopper a light push to trigger it.
Removing & Cleaning a Stuck Sink Stopper
Get familiar with the different parts of a sink stopper assembly. Sink stopper mechanisms are pretty simple, but there may be some components you haven’t seen or heard of before. We’ll be using these terms to show you how to disconnect and remove a stuck sink stopper, so take a quick look to learn (or refresh your knowledge) about them: The drain stopper is the fitting in the sink drain that blocks or opens the drain for water to flow through. The lift rod is the thin rod (usually behind the faucet) that you pull up and down to open and close the drain stopper. The lift rod connects to the top of a clevis strap, or a long and thin metal strip that usually has 5 to 8 holes in it. A pivot rod is a thin metal rod that goes from the back of the drain pipe through one of the holes on the clevis strap. It’s secured to the clevis strap with a spring clip (a U- or V-shaped metal strip with a hole in each end). A pivot nut holds the pivot rod to the drain pipe. A ball inside the nut allows the pivot rod to move smoothly up and down with the lift rod. If you have a popup stopper, the stopper and its spring-loaded assembly all fit inside of the drain. There is no lift rod, clevis strap, or pivot rod to worry about.
Clear out the area under the sink so you can see and work easily. Remove any drawers, cleaning supplies, or other items from under the sink so you can clearly see all of the pipes, rods, and connections. You may need a flashlight or a lamp on the ground to help you see.
Disconnect the pivot rod from the clevis strap. Find where the pivot rod extends through one of the holes in the clevis strap. Squeeze the spring clip at the end of the rod that holds it in place, then slide the clip and clevis strap off of the pivot rod. Remember or make a note of which hole the pivot rod was originally going through (or take a picture before you disconnect it). Set the clip aside to put back later. It’s OK to leave the clevis strap hanging from the lift rod.
Remove the pivot rod and pivot nut. Place a bowl or bucket underneath the pipes in case any water spills out of the pivot rod connection. To take the rod off, twist the pivot nut (located on the back of your drain pipe) counterclockwise and slide it off the rod. If it won’t twist by hand, use a small wrench or pliers. Once the nut is off, pull the entire pivot rod out of the drain pipe. You’ll see the ball that controls the rod’s motion as well as another section of rod that extends into the drain. This other end of the rod is what latches onto the drain stopper and pushes it up and down. Set the rod and nut aside.
Pull or push the drain stopper out of the drain. Now that the stopper assembly is disconnected, you should be able to grab the stopper from above and pull the assembly out of the drain for inspection (if it was stuck in the open position). Wear some cleaning gloves for this since the stopper is likely to be covered in hair, soap scum, and other grime. If you have a popup stopper or the stopper is stuck in the closed position, you’ll have to remove the P-trap and push the stopper out of the drain from below: Keep a bowl or bucket underneath the pipes to catch any sitting water. Twist both of the slip nuts that hold the P-trap (a bent, U-shaped piece of pipe) in place and slide the pipe off. Empty and water sitting inside into the bucket. Use your fingers, a screwdriver, or another long and thin tool to reach up into the tailpipe (the portion of the drain extending straight downward) and dislodge the stopper upward. Once it’s knocked loose, grab it from above and lift it out of the drain.
Clean your sink stopper and the drain. Since most stuck sinks toppers are caused by grime buildup or some kind of blockage deeper in the pipes, now is the time to clear out the gunk so your stopper works as it should. Pull off big chunks of hair and debris by hand, then use warm water and dish soap to wipe the stopper clean. If needed, soak it in soapy water for a few hours to loosen hard debris, then wipe it clean with a cloth. Examine your pipes for hair, grime, or other debris too. If your P-trap is already removed, flush it with hot water or use a flexible cleaning rod to clear it out. Otherwise, use a drain snake to remove hair or a drain cleaning liquid to remove grimey buildup (for an eco-friendly and pipe-safe solution, you can make a natural drain cleaner with baking soda and vinegar). If you have a popup stopper, twist the stopper counterclockwise to detach it from the spring mechanism underneath. Use a clean cloth to wipe away any good or debris on the mechanism that may be causing it to get stuck (you may have to twist some of the pieces apart to get them fully clean—just remember how they fit back together!). EXPERT TIP James Schuelke James Schuelke Professional Plumber 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. James Schuelke James Schuelke Professional Plumber Use a wet/dry vacuum to clean your drain. Take the stopper off the drain and put the vacuum hose right up against it. Turn the vacuum on to extract all of the organic matter, hair, soap scum, and other debris. The vacuum is a great way to clean any drain.
Reassemble the sink stopper. Once the stopper and drain are clean and you’ve confirmed no pieces of the drain assembly are broken, it’s time to put everything back together. Reattach the P-trap if you had to remove it, then slide the stopper back into the drain (make sure the long plastic piece that the pivot rod catches is against the back of the drain). Replace the pivot rod into the drain pipe and tighten the pivot nut, then slide the end of the rod through the same hole in the clevis strap it was in before. Secure it with the spring clip. Test your stopper once everything is back together. Assuming everything is clean and undamaged, your stopper should move up and down without a problem!
Troubleshooting & Preventing Stuck Sink Stoppers
Keep your sink and drain debris-free. You can’t put a mesh cover over drains with a stopper in them to catch hair and debris, so do your best not to let anything fall into the drain. Instead of flushing loose hairs down the drain to clean them up, for example, grab a tissue and wipe them out of the sink to throw away. Keep hot water flowing for a few seconds after you spit toothpaste or other products into the drain to flush the gunk deeper into the pipes and away from your sink stopper. Use a gentle, natural drain cleaner (like boiling water or baking soda and vinegar) once a month to keep things clear. If you notice your water starting to drain slowly, clean the drain as soon as possible to prevent a tougher clog later. Gunk and buildup are the main causes of a stuck drain stopper. If your drain looks clean but is still stuck, try one of the other troubleshooting options below.
Lubricate the spring mechanism on popup stoppers. Popup stoppers might get stuck if grime or corrosion has affected the spring mechanism that pops it open and closed. First, remove the assembly and unscrew the stopper from the mechanism by twisting it counterclockwise. Then, use a screwdriver to carefully unscrew the spring-loaded cylinder (it will come apart into 2 pieces, or one cylinder that fits inside the larger one). Check the smaller piece for a series of grooves where the locking pin slides around to hold the stopper up or down. Clear any debris from the grooves and apply a silicone lubricant (like water resistant WD-40) to them. Then, reassemble the spring mechanism and push it in and out a few times to test whether it’s working smoothly.
Make sure the pivot rod is in the correct hole in the clevis strap. If the pivot rod is inserted into the wrong hole in the strap, the stopper will not raise and lower appropriately. When the stopper is closed, the pivot rod should extend horizontally (and maybe slightly upward) away from the tailpipe and into the clevis strap. If the rod is inserted too high, the stopper may not lift when you push the lift rod down. Move the rod one hole lower and test your stopper. If that doesn’t work, loosen the clevis screw (the screw at the top of the strap that connects it to the lift rod) and pull the strap down until the stopper pops up. Tighten the clevis screw in that position.
Check the condition of the pivot rod. If the pivot rod is bent, broken, or corroded, it won’t move enough to lift the stopper (you’ll probably feel resistance from the lift rod if the pivot rod is stuck, or like it’s moving super freely if it’s broken inside the pivot nut or tailpipe). Unscrew the pivot nut and disconnect the pivot rod from the clevis strap. Remove the pivot rod and examine it. Are the ball and the nut it rotates inside clean? Does the rod extend past the ball into the tailpipe to latch onto the stopper? If the pivot rod is broken or bent (especially the segment inside the drain pipe, you’ll need to purchase a replacement. If it’s just dirty and sticky, clean it up with warm water and dish soap and reinsert it.
Stuck Sink Stopper FAQs
Why does my sink stopper get stuck? Most often, sink stoppers get stuck when the rubber seal at the top of the stopper fits too tightly inside the drain. This can happen due to a buildup of grime and debris over time. Once stuck, pressure can build up behind the stopper and make the seal even harder to break.
Why won’t my sink stopper close all the way? Buildup inside the drain can make a stopper get stuck in the open position (just like how it can force it to stay stuck and closed, too). Or, there may be a small object in the drain that’s forcing the stopper up. If there’s no clear debris or blockage, the pivot nut may be too loose. This means the lift rod will keep sinking back down (and pushing the stopper up) after you raise it. To fix it, tighten the pivot nut slightly (tightening too much will just freeze the stopper in whatever position it’s in).
When do I need to call a plumber for a stuck sink stopper? Most sink stopper issues are pretty simple to solve yourself, but if you can’t determine why your stopper is stuck or if you feel uncomfortable handing the equipment beneath your sink yourself, call a pro. They’ll have all the know-how and tools to get your stopper working quickly and can replace any damaged parts. They can also help you install a new stopper if needed.
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