How Pop-up Drain Stoppers Work

Pop-up drain stoppers move up and down to open or close drains in sinks and tubs.

Although the stoppers in sinks and baths look similar from the outside, the mechanisms hidden within the drains are somewhat different.

You raise and lower sink pop-ups with a knob usually located near a faucet handle.

The knob is actually the head of a lift rod fastened to a clevis, a connecting bar.

The clevis connects to a pivot rod and ball assembly, that is, a rod that runs through a rubber pivot ball and slopes slightly uphill to the tailpiece of the stopper.

Pushing the knob and the lift rod down causes the pivot rod to push the stopper up; pulling the knob causes the pivot rod to pull the stopper down. If you want to remove the assembly you may be able to pull it right out. You may have to twist it, however, to unhook it from the clevis.

You raise and lower tub pop-ups with a lever at the tub's overflow plate.

The lever operates a lift linkage that pulls on a spring. The spring pulls a rocker arm that raises and lowers the stopper.

It is usually very simple to pull out the stopper and rocker arm linkage.