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Fix a leaky bathroom sink drain by tightening the lift-rod set screw

By the experts at The Family Handyman

From The Family Handyman

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When the stopper in your lavatory wash basin doesn’t pop up, you may be tempted to remove it and just use a rubber plug. But try these simple tricks first, and your drain will snap closed and pop open like new again.

When you lift the control rod behind the faucet, a pivot rod pushes the stopper closed so the sink holds water. The most frequent problem with pop-up drains is that the setscrew connecting the control rod and lift rod slips and throws everything out of alignment. Realign the pop-up mechanism and tighten the setscrew as shown.

If the stopper has been removed from the sink, reinsert it before realigning the pop-up mechanism. Some stoppers simply twist onto the pivot rod, but others require removal of the retaining nut. Pull the control rod down so the stopper pops up (that way you’ll be able to grab it when it’s loose). Completely unscrew the retaining nut and slide it onto the pivot rod. Now hold on to the stopper with one hand and reach under the sink and pull the pivot rod out of the pop-up body until the stopper comes free.

Be careful not to lose the pivot bushings on each side of the pivot ball. Drop the stopper into the sink and slide the pivot rod into the bottom hole of the stopper. Retighten the retaining nut, then adjust the pop-up mechanism as shown. Mark the location of the setscrew with a permanent marker to simplify future adjustments.

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Push the control rod all the way in, then lift it up 3/4 in. and tape it to the faucet. Loosen the setscrew so the control rod slides freely through the lift rod linkage. Push up on the lift rod until the stopper is all the way down, then torque the setscrew down with an open-end wrench or a small pliers.

From The Family Handyman - February 2002