Bathroom Sink Stopper Removal

[moosetags]

Does anyone know how to remove the bathroom sink stopper in a 2015 Flying Cloud 25FB. We have tried everything we can think of to get it out for cleaning. We have tried unscrewing, twisting, pulling. Nothing has worked so far. Thanks for the help.

Here is a picture our sink.

SuEllyn

[Florida 55]

Originally Posted by moosetags

Does anyone know how to remove the bathroom sink stopper in a 2015 Flying Cloud 25FB. We have tried everything we can think of to get it out for cleaning. We have tried unscrewing, twisting, pulling. Nothing has worked so far. Thanks for the help.

Here is a picture our sink.

SuEllyn

I have a 2008 Safari so my sink and faucet are different from yours. This may or may not work for you.

On my faucet the rod that activates the sink stopper is in the cabinet underneath the sink. It is activate by a lever on the faucet.

Where the metal rod protrudes from the drain tube (under neath the sink) and engages with the lever from the faucet you may be able to feel a round "knob" about the size of a dime you can unscrew. When you unscrew that "knob" the rod that engages with the stopper inside the drain tube can be pulled out. At that point you can pull out the stopper and clean out the drain. When the stopper came out there was a bunch of hair and gunk on it from 8 years of use. I cleaned everything out, reinserted the stopper, and engaged it with the rod that goes into the drain tube. Then screwed the knob back into place and everything was good. Don't run water until everything is back together securely!!!!

It is a little tricky to get the rod engaged properly with the stopper when reassembling. You have to play with the lever on the faucet that moves the stopper up and down as well as turn the stopper until you can feel the rod engage the stopper. Then move the lever on the faucet to move the stopper up and down to ensure you have it back together. Make sure the knob below where the rod goes into the tube is tight so there are no leaks.

Good luck. It turns out the stopper and faucet in our Airstream clean out exactly the way our bathroom sink faucets do at home.

[crazylev]

i'd like to know this as well. Florida 55- Our sinks don't have the rod thing. It's sort of a twist/close thing.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by moosetags

Does anyone know how to remove the bathroom sink stopper in a 2015 Flying Cloud 25FB.
. . .

I think our 2014 FC20 has the same stopper. Starting with Post #2587 in the 20-footer thread, there was a brief discussion of this . . . the upshot seems to be that the stopper is not removable, but that the entire assembly can be replaced.

[click on orange arrow in quote to go directly there, and see the full discussion]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Our 2014 bath sink pop-up stopper is getting more difficult to lift up and rotate. Is this thing easily removable, without taking the P-trap etc. apart?
. . .

We got our stopper working better, so quit while we were ahead . . .

If you figure out any other solutions, please advise.

Thanks,

Peter

[Foiled Again]

Hair/soap clogs are almost always to blame and lye (aka Draino) is the fastest easiest solution. It is inherently toxic so use care.. wear goggles!
Before you try the Draino, do the mild treatments. Get a teapot full of scalding hot water and pour it down the drain. Wiggle the stopper with tongs while doing this. The glob of stuff may pass into the gray tank and the slinky can handle it from there. Next try Rid-x, an enzyme based crud digester. Pour a bunch in the sink and push it into the drain, then get it just slightly wet. Add a few tablespoons of water every couple of hours, then try to rinse it completely in one to two days. ( Use a plastic bowl and dump water into the toilet in the interim.)
Thermo-nuclear attack? Get LIQUID Drain-o and squirt it down the plug's post in very small quantities. Wait the recommended time, then follow with a cup of hot water... if it goes down quickly run a lot of water and then drain the tank and run some more water. If it goes slowly repeat the dose, but fill your gray tank from the kitchen sink or shower to dilute what gets in the tank. Your slinky will suffer if it isnt rinsed thoroughly.

[Foiled Again]

I recall that on some models (28 footers) the bath sink drains into the black tank. If it is full of shyte, that should keep the Draino entertained.

[CDONA]

I tried that Corrosion X with the squirt tube and got mine to loosen up, and usable.

[GMFL]

I am about to post a blog post on this very topic. Stopper can’t be removed with drain in sink. There is a set screw that would need to be accessed from the bottom side of the basket. I replace both of mine this week due to corrosion. Here’s a few pics with detailed blog post to follow in a day or two.

My wife is a cleaning freak and she used a product call ”Kaboom”. We believe that is what ate the drains up and caused the corrosion

[moosetags]

Our sink stopper does not have a handle to operate it. You just push it down to close and pull it up to open. It still operates fine. We just wanted to remove it temporarily to clean it.

SuEllyn

[moosetags]

Thanks for all your replies. It is really disappointing that Airstream would choose a cheap sink considering the price we pay for these Airstreams. It is just another example of Airstream going for the CHEAP choice, similar to them changing the thermostat to a cheaper one that only shows the inside temperature when the last one we had showed inside and outside temperature. They also went to a fantastic fan that is exhaust only but in the past they were both a fan and an exhaust. Also, they changed the crank-up TV antenna to a different kind that doesn't work as well. AND.... I bet it was cheaper. Finally, they deleted the 12 volt cigarette lighter outlets completely.


Thanks, SuEllyn

[rbs]

Our's looks the same as yours, and ours required doing something about the clogging, slowing the sink from draining. I ended up removing the plumbing from the sink basin which exposed a nasty hair mess, which I could get to and remove. There is a piece of hardware that is inline that acts as a "trap" and I discovered it was not able to perform correctly, most likely from me using a plunger on the sink. Hard to describe it, but is consists of a soft rubber funnel type arrangement, and had been pulled back onto itself. Wish I'd taken a picture, but as soon as you see it, it's obvious. I would like to replace the OEM stopper with something similar, but one not so cheaply made and more corrosion resistant. I did try and remove the stopper from the sink, but would have required force that might have destroyed it and I prefer to be home and not using the trailer when I do that. Any suggestions for a quality replacement would certainly be appreciated.

[lsbrodsky]

Originally Posted by moosetags

Thanks for all your replies. It is really disappointing that Airstream would choose a cheap sink considering the price we pay for these Airstreams. It is just another example of Airstream going for the CHEAP choice, similar to them changing the thermostat to a cheaper one that only shows the inside temperature when the last one we had showed inside and outside temperature. They also went to a fantastic fan that is exhaust only but in the past they were both a fan and an exhaust. Also, they changed the crank-up TV antenna to a different kind that doesn't work as well. AND.... I bet it was cheaper. Finally, they deleted the 12 volt cigarette lighter outlets completely.


Thanks, SuEllyn

I agree completely. I replaced my sink with a small Kohler ceramic sink at an Oriental looking Kohler fixture. There are some pictures somewhere on the forum of that from a few years ago. My biggest pain with the original was the cheap stainless that spotted and stained.
Larry

[BillfromWI]

For a 2014 Flying Cloud:

Move the stopper up and down while turning it to the left (unscrew). When you feel resistance to turning unscrew it. If hand strength won't move it use a pliers.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Florida 55

I have a 2008 Safari so my sink and faucet are different from yours. This may or may not work for you.

On my faucet the rod that activates the sink stopper is in the cabinet underneath the sink. It is activate by a lever on the faucet.

Our 2006 23' works with a lever and that's exactly how it comes out. When replacing, the hole at the bottom of the stopper should be towards the back of the drain, or so the replacement instructions said. I have found that it's easier to put a pan under the drain and remove the P-trap than to use acids. If the acids don't work then you're going to have to remove the trap anyway. I'd rather do it without the acid in it.

Originally Posted by Florida 55

Good luck. It turns out the stopper and faucet in our Airstream clean out exactly the way our bathroom sink faucets do at home.

In the parts book for our AS it says the faucets are Moen brand and you can call them for replacements.

[ieremius]

Like BillfromWI said, I found the stopper was removable. 2011 Flying Cloud. The stopper has to be in the lowered position - closed - so that it's engaged and doesn't spin. I used a basin wrench to screw it off. Underneath was clogged with hair and gross stuff which I cleaned out with a toothbrush.

[PatSoozy]

Originally Posted by ieremius

Like BillfromWI said, I found the stopper was removable. 2011 Flying Cloud. The stopper has to be in the lowered position - closed - so that it's engaged and doesn't spin. I used a basin wrench to screw it off. Underneath was clogged with hair and gross stuff which I cleaned out with a toothbrush.

Attachment 413433

A small channel lock pliers will work too. Just pad them to keep from knicking the grippers on the knob. If Moen uses standard threading, you might be able to replace that twist and lock with a pop up. They are easier to remove from the cross piece for cleaning. I’ve got both versions at home.

[crazylev]

ieremius

How did this design ever get off the drawing board???? This type of drain plug could make sense for a prison if they were concerned people would escape through the drain.