COMPATIBILITY FIRST · NO INTRO ADS
Clear a blocked bathroom sink
Start with reachable hair at a pivot-rod stopper, then clean an accessible removable trap if needed.
Illustrated version: Accessible bathroom sink with the illustrated Moen 10790-style pivot-rod drain and Dearborn ground-joint tubular trap. Check applicability ↓
Read the narration transcript
Clear reachable hair first. If chemical drain cleaner was used, don’t open the drain; tell a plumber. If several fixtures back up, stop using water and call one. Stop for glued fittings, corrosion, or moving pipes. Close the sink supplies, open the faucet to verify no flow, then turn it off and empty the basin. Stop if the shutoffs fail. Wear gloves and eye protection. Place a bucket below. Release the clip, disconnect the rod from its strap, unscrew the nut, and withdraw the rod. Save its seal. Lift the stopper; remove hair from it and the visible opening. Refit the stopper with the rod through its eye, pivot seat correctly oriented, nut snug, and clip reconnected. Restore water and test. Still blocked? Close the supplies again, verify no flow, and empty the basin. Support and remove the trap over the bucket; brush out accessible debris. Don’t push blockage farther into the pipe. Reassemble undamaged seals correctly, without forcing alignment or taping slip joints. Restore water and check drainage and every disturbed joint. Stop for leaks or persistent blockage.
01 / MATCH YOUR DESIGN
Confirm this is your version.
- Accessible bathroom sink with the illustrated Moen 10790-style pivot-rod drain and Dearborn ground-joint tubular trap.
- This staged approach starts with the stopper. Reassemble and test it before deciding whether the trap needs removal; isolate and verify no flow again before that second disassembly.
- The inlet washer's narrow taper enters the receiving trap fitting. The illustrated outlet seals at a molded ground joint without an extra loose washer.
- This page does not cover chemical drain-cleaner exposure, snaking hidden drains, glued fittings or a blockage affecting several fixtures.
- After isolation, bail a blocked basin into a separate container before opening a joint. Do not leave standing water above an open drain.
Representative educational geometry, not manufacturer CAD or certification. Use the instructions supplied with your exact fixture and replacement part.
02 / CHECK BEFORE BUYING
Find the source of the problem.
- If chemical drain cleaner has been used, do not open the drain; tell a plumber what was used.
- If several fixtures back up, stop using water and call a plumber.
- For a single slow sink, check reachable hair around the stopper before opening the trap.
03 / PARTS & PREPARATION
Have the right tools ready.
- Bucket, towels, gloves and eye protection
- Soft brush and a suitable tool for reachable hair without pushing debris farther down
- Matching replacement seals if existing parts are damaged; screwdriver for linkage adjustment if needed
These checks are for your use. They do not certify compatibility and are not saved.
04 / THE PROCEDURE
Work through the repair.
- Start at the stopper. Clear reachable hair first. If chemical drain cleaner was used, don’t open the drain; tell a plumber. If several fixtures back up, stop using water and call one.
- Isolate and verify. Stop for glued fittings, corrosion, or moving pipes. Close the sink supplies, open the faucet to verify no flow, then turn it off and bail the blocked basin into a separate container. Stop if the shutoffs fail. Wear gloves and eye protection. Place a bucket below.
- Release the rod and clear hair. Release the clip, disconnect the rod from its strap, unscrew the nut, and withdraw the rod. Save its seal. Lift the stopper; remove hair from it and the visible opening.
- Reconnect and test. Refit the stopper with the rod through its eye, the Moen 10790 nylon seat fitted with its cup facing outward toward the pivot ball, nut snug, and clip reconnected. Restore water and test.
- Isolate again and clear the trap. Still blocked? Close the supplies again, verify no flow, and bail remaining basin water into a separate container. Support and remove the trap over the bucket; brush out accessible debris. Don’t push blockage farther into the pipe.
- Reassemble and verify. Reassemble undamaged seals correctly, without forcing alignment or taping slip joints. Restore water and check drainage and every disturbed joint. Stop for leaks or persistent blockage.
05 / VERIFY THE RESULT
Test operation and check for leaks.
- After the first repair, fully reconnect the pivot assembly and open the stopper before testing drainage.
- If the trap was opened, reseat every correct seal, align without force and check every disturbed joint under flow.
- Drain a partly filled basin, confirm free drainage and inspect with dry tissue. Stop for persistent blockage or leakage.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS
Stop and get qualified help when…
- Chemical drain cleaner, multiple backed-up fixtures or uncertain drain contents
- Failed shutoffs, glued fittings, corrosion, cracks or moving pipes
- Blockage is beyond accessible removable parts
- Leakage, poor drainage or repeated blockage after reassembly
Use your actual parts prices, tool costs and an all-in local service quote when deciding. A cheaper repair is not worth unsafe isolation or water damage.
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MANUFACTURER REFERENCES
Sources & scope.
The references below support the named example. Their instructions and version notes take priority if your fixture differs.
- Moen all-metal bathroom drain 10790
- Moen pivot-rod and linkage instructions
- Oatey P-trap installation guide
- Oatey/Dearborn catalog for the illustrated ground-joint trap
- Drano guidance on clogs and drain-cleaner precautions
Checked October 15, 2026. Information links only. No affiliate links or parts sales.