DIYers

[Spoff]

Just moved into a new place, and am first to admit I am the worst handyman in the world (my ex wife let me have a drill but no drill bits...).

The plug hole in the sink is awful, given it as good a clean as possible with bleach and the like. Any suggestions on getting it back to somewhere near it's original colour. (taps are silver so presume the plug hole is too)

Otherwise how do you get the damn thing out to replace it?

 

[Robobum]

It'll probably be silicon gelled in. Unscrew all the traps underneath, put a a block of wood against the undernetah of it a smash it with a gert big 'ammer.

 

[brendy]

Use a plunger and a quarter full sink, you might need to put a cloth or similar on the overflow hole (otherwise it will shoot out and soak you) in the sink and thrash that thing clean. Ours was full of lady hair, toothpaste etc and 20 seconds with the plunger and it is as good as new. Basically you are forcing the water and a little air down the pipe and it will dislodge all but the most stubborn gunk. Use warm water and you might need to repeat a couple of times.


To clean the thing, try something like autosol and give it a good rub.

(apologies, I misread the post but you might as well give it a good plunge while you are at it)

 

[Spoff]

Cheers, knowing me, in true cartoon style. I'll smash the sink which will all fall away and the plus will continue to be in place by itself!!!

 

[Khamelion]

First option, you'll have a U-Bend pipe, or bottle trap directly under the plug hole, if it's the latter then the 'bowl' portion will unscrew, allowing you to remove any muck and gunk that's collected there. Chances are it'll be really smelly so if you are of a weak stomach take a deep breath before unscrewing.

Once that has been removed, cleaned and replaced, run a tap to check it's not leaking and to see if the water is running away better.

Next up would be to try the plunger, as suggested above make sure the over flow is sealed up and that any other plug holes have their plugs in them so they are sealed as well.

partly fill the sink with the problematic plug hole with a bit of warm water using the plunger to cover the plug hole as you fill the sink, then pump away, give it a few goes, then let the water drain away, repeat as necessary until the water flows away nice and quick.

Then as belt nad braces you could shove down some caustic soda, or Mr Muscle to give the pipe insides a spring clean.

To clean the plug hole back to show room condition, autosol may work, but if it's beyond repair, some plugs screw in from the top with a large rubber or silicon washer creating a seal, other plugs can be secured in place by a large nut underneath, the top portion of the plug slots through the hole in the sink and before it's connected to the drainage plumbing you screw up a large nut which pulls down the plug and again the seal is created by a rubber or silicon washer.

If it's the screw in from the top, there may be a screwdriver slot in the middle of the plug hole which will let you unscrew the plug hole.

If it's the large nut then you need to get under the sink with a large pair of mole grips, or adjustable pliers to get the nut off.

Even for the most ham fisted DIY novice, changing out the plug on a sink is an easy way to burst you DIY virgin bubble. Use you phone camera to take a few shots of how the plumbing looks before you start, so you know how to put it back together and jobs a goodun.

Oh aye I would advocate, trying to smack out the plug assembly with a large hammer, couldn't tell if the poster above had commented in jest or not, you'll just end up with an expensive repair and a shed load more work.

regards
Dave

 

[Spoff]

Cheers guys, waterflows pretty well, just the actual plug is pretty much black, although agree it wouldn't harm to give the pipe a good clean too.

I'll give it a shot and let you know how I get on...