I had a pedestal sink installed about 3 or 4 years ago. I have had an on-going problem with it becoming stopped up. At first I used a Drano like product and it would relieve it for a while, but it always comes back. I suspect that my daughter is bathing her Guinea Pig in it when I am not around (which I hope I have stopped). The other day it was so bad (after using a baking soda, white vinegar and hot water flush that I took the back of it apart to see if there was something lodged in it. It was pretty clear so I put it back together and figured I would call a plumber as this is bigger than my plumbing knowledge. I now have a major leak at the ball joint rod. When I run water with the stopper open, water shoots right out of it and down into the opening in the pedestal. If I close the stopper and fill the sink and then open the stopper, water shoots out again. I believe I have hooked up the ball joint rod correctly. Is there supposed to be some type of putty or Teflon tape or something in the ball joint area? I watched a video on You Tube and it appears like I have done everything right. I am open to emailing a picture to anyone who can help. I have been out of work for almost two years and I cannot afford to hire a plumber to come in. Any help is appreciated and thank you!! Les

Easy fix! Where the rod enters the drain is the "retaining nut". Simply snug that nut up until the leak stops, CAREFUL! Don't overtighten or it will be too stiff to operate. Do you still have a drainage issue? Did the p-lumber remove the trap and snake the line in the wall? Good luck, Tom

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Hi Tom,

Thank you for your response. I have tightened, untightened, retightened and I have done everything I can to the retaining nut, but water keeps shooting out of it. I have not called a plumber yet, but I will have to tomorrow as it is in our main bathroom and it's annoying not being able to use the sink. I will also ask the plumber to remove the trap and snake the line to the wall. I could try it myself as I have a snake and I have already removed the trap once. Any other ideas why water would be shooting out of the horizontal pivot rod, even if the retaining nut is tight??

Thank you!

Leslie

There should be a washer or two on the pop up rod. If you can pull the rod in and out, you are missing the washer. There is no reason for a pop up to leak if the washer is installed properly

Hey Ma0641 - I think you hit the nail on the head or at least solved my plumbing mystery. I can pull the rod in and out so I assume there is a missing washer. Unfortunately, I do not have the washer so I will probably have to call a plumber. Is there any way to determine the size of the washer? I bet I have 5-10 in my garage just take up wall space...

Thank you responding!!

Les

They are special washers, flat on one side and cupped on the other. Go to Home Depot and you can most likely find a replacement rod that will fit, I have swapped out a lot of them and have a few in my parts box.