DIY - Installing A Pop-Up Sink Drain

Hello Loves!  Today I have been wrestling my new vanity sink drain, so I wanted to share with you how to install one of these and show you some of the things that can come up.

I didn’t take any pictures of installing the faucet… it’s pretty simple.  Obviously, when you are at this point, your water supply is turned off.  Thread it through the pre-drilled holes on your sink and secure the actual faucet and the handles (don’t over-tighten).  You’ll also attach the water supply to the faucet... but don't turn it on yet!  :)

Ok, now for the good stuff!

Step 1:  Make sure your sink is clean AND dry.

Step 2: From your faucet kit, grab the silver flange that goes in the bottom of the sink and some plumber's putty.  You'll roll the putty in your hands and make a "snake-like" piece.  Then on the under side of the flange, place the putty around the lip.  I used a lot, and that's what you want to do, you'll see why in a sec!

Step 3:  Place the flange in the sink hole.  I don't press it down, the flange has threads where you'll screw the tail piece in from underneath.  As you do that, it tightens against the putty and creates a waterproof seal. 

Step 4:  Before you screw the tailpiece in to the flange, wrap the threads in plumbers tape.  

Step 5:  You'll also want to place the nut on first then the gasket.  When it's time to tighten the nut, it will push the gasket up against the bottom of the sink and flatten it out, creating a seal.

Step 6:  Ok, time to place the tailpiece in and screw it in to the flange. Tip: Reach around on top of the sink and hold the flange in place with your palm while screwing in the tailpiece.

Step 7:  Make sure the pivot rod opening is facing the back, then tighten the nut and gasket all the way up to the bottom of the sink.  Tighten it really well, we don't want any leaks!

Step 8:  You'll notice that the flange has been pulled down and excess putty has come out the sides.  Just take your finger and roll the putty right away.

Perfect!

Step 9:  Install the pivot gasket into the pivot rod opening.

Step 10:  Next you are going to take your stopper and place it down in the drain with the opening at the bottom toward the back.  Thread the pivot rod into the pivot rod opening and through the opening at the bottom of the stopper.  In the picture below, I show how it threads through (if you didn't have the tailpiece).

Step 11:  Once the pivot rod is inserted into the opening and is in place, tighten the pivot/retaining nut over the ball.

Here's how it looks when the pivot/retaining nut is in place.

By moving the rod up and down, you should see the stopper working.

Step 12:  Next, you'll take your clevis strap and secure the pivot rod in place with the metal clip.

Step 13: Slide the lift rod into the back of the faucet and attach to the clevis strap with the clevis screw.

Step 14:  Your tail piece and trap should now go right together and connect... BUT sometimes there's a gap when you replace a vanity that's a different height... like this.

You may also notice that my tail piece is smaller than the trap pipe.  The tail piece was 1 1/4" and the trap was 1 1/2".

Step 15: Luckily they make connector pieces that are just for this purpose.  I also picked up a washer to put on the tail piece to compensate for the different size.

The connector was 6" and I only needed it to be 4", so I cut it down to size and got the piece ready to install.

Step 16:  I added the adjustment washer and nut to the tail piece.

Step 17:  Slide the connector piece on to the tail piece and screw it on loosely.  You then need to line the trap up with the tail piece and slide the connector down the tail piece in to place and screw the two pieces together.

Step 18:  Once everything is connected, turn your water supply on and test this baby out!

Make sure there are no leaks underneath and you are good to go!  A great way to check for any water is to use toilet paper or a tissue, believe me... if there is any water, either of those will find it!

Here's a great diagram of the "anatomy" of a sink, it helps a lot to know what you are looking at.

That's it!  Remember, you can do this... be fearless! 

XOXO

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