Sink of DEATH!

[Jey Gifford]

Hey All,

I bought a new fixture for my bathroom sink and was totally jazzed about installing it yesterday. While removing the old fixture though, I ran into a problem:

There's a nut underneath the sink on the cold water side (sorry, I'm not a plumber so my lingo probably sucks.) The nut threads up to a washer which seats directly to the sink. I CAN NOT GET THAT NUT LOOSE! The problem is that there is so little space down there that I can't get a good grip with a wrench. I bought a new pipe wrench... no luck. I bought a basin wrench which also has not worked.

I also tried cussing at it and striking things near it with a hammer (you know, to intimidate it...) no luck.

Any ideas?

Thanks! Jey

[I-zheet M'drurz]

Been there, done that. Probably because some little punk immigrant plumber 40 years ago decided to put that #!@*^&+$ thing on so NOBODY would get it off.

I've had to do this twice in my Mr Fixit career, luckily both times without destroying the sink. Start by getting rid of everything that you can from the top. With any luck you can unscrew, pry, and get rid of the chrome parts, and get down to bare "pipe" skelton. From that point on, it's hacksaw or Sawzall time. The idea of course is to cut it close enough to the sink that your #@!&^%$ bottom piece will fall through as soon as you finish the cut. Be careful, sharp stuff all around (can you say "Yes, I've had a recent Tetanus shot"?? lol) Good luck.

[Stormin Mormonn]

Two aerosol products come to mind:

Deep Lube Aerokroil

The Deep Lube I got through a store (many decades ago) and Aerokroil was mail order. And I don't have the form handy. Web search..... it's an odd spelling word. Not like you'll get a lot of hits.

[DS]

Hey Jay, that sounds like my experience doing a brake job this summer on my car.. except in that case the nut was rusted and literally fused together. Go to your local hardware store and grab a can of "liquid wrench." The stuff worked wonders with the car. Spray it on liberally, let it sit... tap it a bit with the butt end of a screwdriver, then spray on a ton more and let it sit for a few minutes, then give it another go.

Good luck!

-Dan

[Art Todesco]

[Nate B]

"Jey Gifford"

If the nut is indeed hopeless, lubes, as other posters suggested, will probably be of little help, IMO. Can you get some vise grips in there? If not, I would remove the entire sink, set it up side down on a bench and go to work - vise grip, drill, sawzall, whatever. Just me, though. Destroying your way in from the top as another poster suggested seems a good idea as well - but probably more risk of damaging your sink.

- Nate

[Rudy]

Keep reading Art:

I bought a basin wrench which also has not worked.

As a last resort, I had the same problem once..NO ROOM to work, so I undid the supply lines at the angle stops, undid the clamps which held the (kitchen) sink to the countertop and pulled the sink out and flipped it over to get the old stuff off. Replaced it all, then dropped the sink back in the hole etc etc. This is a lot easier than trying to reinstall the new stuff from below with still no room.

[Speedy Jim]

If taking the basin off the wall isn't an option, and the basin wrench didn't work, get underneath with a long drill bit and drill a couple of holes in the rim of the nut. If you can split the nut, it will be weakened enough that you can just pop it off. WEAR GLASSES!!

Some faucets will permit a deep socket to be used too. There is also one more special tool called a "nut buster" which works but may be pricey for one time only.

Jim

[Robert A. Barr]

I've solved a lot of 'cooperation' problems using a Dremel tool with a fiberglass-reinforced cutoff wheel. If it'll fit up in there, it'll solve the problem. Protect your eyes, above all else.

[Steve Smith]

Cut the pipe, as close to the sink as possible. Install a new riser. If you want to use the old faucet elsewhere, it'll be easier busting the nut off when you have more room and can use a breaker bar.

Bathroom sinks usually have 3/8" tubing from the 1/2" piping in the house. Most of the time the 3/8 tubing can be re-connected using a compression fitting.

[Shepherd]

Hire a plumber.

He will have the tools and the experience to do the job quickly and properly.

If you don't already own the exact tools, you could spend more buying them than hiring a plumber to fix the problem in the first place.

When I was younger I tried to do everything myself. I spent a fortune buying tools that got used only once. Many times, after buying the tools, I found out I could not to the job and wound up calling a plumber to do the job anyway.

Shepherd

[PhotoMan]

You're right - I married a nut buster, and she's pricey as hell.

[SoCalMike]

then you return the unused tools, get a refund.

for the cost of a plumber, you can afford to attempt and screw up the job 3 times.

[Shepherd]

And you most likely will. And in the meantime your kitchen and house is all screwed up.

Shepherd

[Zemedelec]

for the cost of a plumber, you can afford to attempt and screw up the job

3

And you most likely will. And in the meantime your kitchen and house is all screwed up. >>

On the other hand, you'll have a better understanding of plumbing and when/not to leave the job to the experts. Try to get a friend's referral--they're usually much more accurate than the Yellow Pages.

zemedelec

[Jey Gifford]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I think i'm going to try the "liquid wrench." I know that the hardware store near me carries it, and I'm really willing to try a few more things before ripping the sink out of the cabinetry.

A friend of mine recommended using soda pop to get the thing unstuck (though I don't see how ramming the nut with a can is going to help... hehe) Something about the acid and the carbonation is supposed to clean it up. Maybe if I get desperate. :)

Thanks again! I'll let you know how it turns out!

Jey

[Stormin Mormonn]

I had the impression that the stuck nut was underneith. So, pouring soda pop (Coke is supposed to be good) would be dificult.

[DS]

Jey, being the one that suggested the liquid wrench, I tried the soda pop route first.. aside form making a sticky mess, all it did was quench my thirst (why waste a full can if after half a can it is clearly not working :-)

Good luck and let us know how it goes...

-Dan

[Trent©]

WD-40 works really well, too.

You can also try putting a torch to the nut. Just be careful...and make sure you have the proper extinguishing equipment beside you.

Jim's ideas were really good.

You can also try...

1. Cut the nut...with a hack saw blade or a spiral saw like RotoZip.

1. Put a pair of Channel Locks on the nut...straight up and down, not on an angle...good quality pliers that will NOT twist at the tip. Then turn the pliers with a Crescent wrench.

Good luck...let us know.

Wishing you and yours a happy Thanksgiving season...

Trent

[C.K.]

I ended up pulling and replacing the whole basin as well as the faucets. My sinks were a mess. Not necessarily a bad option as sinks aren't too expensive. Additionally its a lot easier to install the faucet hardware when he sink is out. However, if you want to save sink, you might want to think about pulling out the sink and then mounting the hardware. Then caulk the sink back in.