Pop-up drains in bathroom sinks

[jeskibuff]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has pressed down on the sink drains only to have to pry them up because they were stuck in the down position.

Are there recommended products to maintain these or does anyone have a solution for keeping them fully functional? I would think that some kind of waterproof lubricant needs to be put on the stopper shaft and some kind of cleaner needed to make the O-ring free of buildup and pliable again.

[Old-Biscuit]

Plumbers Grease

[Spk64]

Old-Biscut’s suggestion on plumbers grease is good.
Also may want to remove trap and drain plug assembly to clean. It may be clogged with hair.

[TiffinUser]

In my sink I press it a 2nd time to get it to pop up. Once to seal. Once again to unseal.

[NLOVNIT]

That's true. Depends on which type of stopper you have. The one in my mid-bath was a press once to seal/twice to open. The ones in the master bath were lever operated via the rod behind the faucets.

[jeskibuff]

Originally Posted by TiffinUser

In my sink I press it a 2nd time to get it to pop up. Once to seal. Once again to unseal.

That's the way they're supposed to work but over time the mechanism gets stiff and the 2nd press only jams the stopper further down the drain. You're left with a bowl full of water and needing a thin screwdriver to pry it up with unless for some reason you don't mind a sink that will never drain again.

[ratfish]

We ordered a new one from tiffin easy to install