How do I deal with a clogged sink overflow?

9 years ago

Hi all. I'm updating my 1950s bathroom by replacing the faucet. I have the tailpiece out and while trying to clean out the sludge, noticed that the overflow is full of stinky water. (Hey, it's the kids' bathroom and they never complained!)

The hole in the drain area seems to be completely closed. Any tips on opening it up?

Since there is a good chance it's rusted solid, is there any reason to not close off the overflow hole (after getting the water out) and pretend it doesn't have one? Any advice on how to close it up?

(Replacing the sink isn't a desirable option--it's tiled in and the sink and tile have been discontinued for 50+ years.)

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
Coat hanger?
grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
9 years ago
A problem with the info you gave.

You have the tailpiece out but say the hole is rusted solid; that's hard to do in porcelain. The tailpiece is also most likely brass, both the sleeve and the big nut underneath. No rust there either. Is all of the tailpiece out?

Remember that replacement tailpieces come in varieties that may or may not have a hole where that hole in the porcelain is, and if you do use one of those "solid" wall tubes, the overflow will not work and may clog hard over the years..
Related Discussions
How do you deal with neighbors' dogs?
Q
Comments (75)
I'm moving from the suburbs to a very rural area. My neighbor is friendly, but he doesn't see a problem with letting his dogs run loose. The cast of dog characters over there changes frequently, as they get hit on the road or 'disappear'. When he loses one, he just gets another one. For him, they seem to be disposable, but he's never without at least one. Lucky for us, so far the dogs have been people-friendly, but they have killed the neighbors own stock in the past. Mostly they aren't spayed/neutered, and I do not know if they have the required shots. As part time residents, we just tolerated the issue. Our own dog was always leashed or in the house, and we always scoop his droppings immediately. The part time stepping in the other dogs' poop and having all the deer and wildlife run off wasn't worth the argument. (While my neighbor is nice, he is a bit hot tempered, likes to drink, and likes to shoot things when he gets upset). Having him there is actually a benefit for home security, as I don't think any thieves would consider targeting my house. Also, he's here to stay; he's the 4th or 5th generation on an old family farm, so he's not going anywhere, and his way of life is firmly entrenched. Trying to set a good example with our dog didn't work. Now we'll be living there full time, and we'll just have to fence our place. We have indoor cats, and intend to have chickens, sheep and goats. We like dogs and don't want to hurt them. We have cameras and motion sensors, but we just want to keep problems from starting in the first place. We also don't want the expense of illness and vermin transmitted from his dogs to ours (we recently thought the dogs had fleas, but he told us he thinks his dogs have mange). So, until we have our fence, what are some good ways to deter these dogs? I have considered trying an air horn when I see them coming (but it would also be audible to all my neighbors, which could be good or could be bad). I have pepper spray, but I don't want to have the blinded dogs getting hit in the road out front. I like the paintball gun idea, but like I said, we're not interested in picking a fight with the neighbor, we just want his dogs to stay off our place. And for fence, the whole thing will be a real pain (and expense) for us. The area the dogs enter on is where vehicles come in, so gates are going to be an annoying necessity. I imagine the gates will also be vulnerable to entry by the dogs, if they aren't the right kind of gates. Also, the terrain is rough, uneven, and has a small creek running through it. It will be a job to keep them out. Any thoughts or ideas for me folks? Thanks very much!
...See More
Toto Ultramax clog/overflow
Q
Comments (2)
I've never had my Totos clog, but anything is possible. I'd consider pulling the toilet to check the trap to see if something is stuck (Barbie doll, toothbrush, etc.), and for easier access to the drain. Pulling the toilet is a snap if you have minimal skills. I'd do this before getting out the checkbook for the plumber. Do you have a snake that you can put down it? The last time I had a problem and snaked it I found the remnants of a kitchen towel wedged down the line about 30'! Don't ask me how that happened...
...See More
Plunged sink, Dishwasher overflowed
Q
Comments (9)
What you have is a clog in the drain line somewhere between the sink drain and the main waste line for your house. It sounds as though your dishwasher drain line isn't connected to an airgap, and your dishwasher isn't equipped with a built-in anti-siphon device. When the sink drain was plunged, the plunger forced water into the dishwasher drain line (the only place it could go since the house drain line was clogged), which backed up into the dishwasher. Once the dishwasher sump and the bottom of the dishwasher filled up, there was no other place for water to go, except overflowing. If your dishwasher were connected to an airgap, or if the dishwasher had been equipped with a built-in anti-siphon device, the over-flow wouldn't have occurred. Water would have been prevented from back-flowing into the dishwasher. (Because the plunger was forcing the back-flow, a high-loop wouldn't have prevented the overflow) Probably your best bet for clearing the problem is snaking the house drain line from under the kitchen sink. To do this, place a large bucket under the drain p-trap, and remove the trap. Any water remaining in the sink will drain into the bucket. It's possible the clog may be in the p-trap. If that's the case, clean out the trap and replace. Problem solved. More than likely, however, the clog is further down the drain line. To clear that, you'll need to snake the line. You can buy a snake at your local home center. They come in various lengths and in manual models, which you'll need to manipulate by hand, or much easier, models that will connect to an electric drill, substantially reducing the effort required to feed the snake down the line, and in clearing the clog. You can also buy big, heavy-duty professional models that have their own motors, but that's probably over-kill. Alternatively, you can call a plumber or an outfit like Roto-Rooter to snake the line for you. That's often the easiest solution, but also the most costly (unless you opt for the professional-grade snake). Roto-Rooter can usually resolve the problem within minutes, but will charge upwards of $100 for the service (I haven't used their service for several years, so it may be more). Shop around.
...See More
How to clean a sink overflow drain
Q
Comments (3)
I would suggest that you don't use bleach. It is going to breakdown the seal of the drain. I'm guessing that the stink is coming from the pipe and not the overflow drain.Maybe something was dropped down there that has sunk into the bottom of the dip in the pipe. Have you cleaned your drain? I clean mine with 1/4 cup baking sod, pour this into the drain, then follow by pouring 1/2-3/4 cup vinegar. Let it do its magic, 10-15 minutes or as long as you want. Then flush with very hot water. You will notice the water drains more easily. Woah la you have a clean drain. I do this to all of my drains, kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower drain, and bathtub drain. If I had a dishwasher, I would do it too.
...See More
Fori
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks. It's too solid for a coat hanger so I think the overflow feature is permanently dead. I can stick something through the upper hole pretty far; it seems to be jammed at the opening only.

Not sure, Grubby. I'm sure the old drain assembly is out. The old tailpiece has a hole although it might not have been lined up correctly. Maybe it isn't rust. It's black and hard and smelly which isn't exactly a characteristic of rust, but there were rust stains around the drain so it's rusting somewhere. (The sink is cast iron.)

I don't feel the need for an overflow, so I don't NEED to save this function. Is it even possible to stop up the top overflow so that no more water gets in?
emma
9 years ago
I would go to a home improvement store like Lowes and ask the clerk in that department. They are usually very knowledgeable. I googled, but only found solutions for bathtub over flow. It suggested a snake for that job.
sombreuil_mongrel
9 years ago
I just had to clean this out on my sink (installed 2008) I used a piece of spring brass wire, about 0.96mm IIRC. It is harpsichord stringing wire. I didn't want to use steel piano wire because it could scratch. I fed it down through the three overflow holes. It had a small loop bent on one end , and then I used an old toothbrush from the drain side once the plug of disgusting slime was broken.
I read online that the black slime grows because of Listerine. Go figure. I put some lysol TBC down the overflows, hopefully that took care of the rest.
Casey
Fori
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I can poke at both sides of the clog and it feels like concrete. The drain hole area in the sink is really corroded at the level of the overflow outlet which makes me think that even if the overflow could be unclogged, I should not be introducing water to that area anyway. Looks kinda like this (the black spots in the enamel are crud, not missing enamel, but inside it's that bad:

and the old piece looked like....

So I should not be using the new tailpiece with the overflow openings I think...any suggestions on keeping this thing going a few more years?
Fori
Original Author
9 years ago
In conclusion, I used a chisel and hammer and knocked out all the crud. The enamel actually looked pretty good under it, nice and pink. It almost seems like someone had intentionally filled the entire overflow section of the sink throat. Maybe it's 20+ year old plumber's putty. It was icky.

Weird.

Well, that was fun. :)

How do I deal with a clogged sink overflow?

Comments (7)

Joseph Corlett, LLC

grubby_AZ Tucson Z9

Related Discussions

Fori
Original Author

emma

sombreuil_mongrel

Fori
Original Author

Fori
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How do I deal with a clogged sink overflow?

Comments (7)

Joseph Corlett, LLC

grubby_AZ Tucson Z9

Related Discussions

ForiOriginal Author

emma

sombreuil_mongrel

ForiOriginal Author

ForiOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Fori
Original Author

Fori
Original Author

Fori
Original Author