My sink problems just went from one to three and I need some help. I'm not very good with the terminology here 'cause I'm a noob, but here goes. My sink was draining very slowly so I decided to check the j-pipe underneath for a clog. I used a pipe wrench to undo the slip nuts and almost immediately broke the slip-nut on the end that connects to the pipe going into the inlet drain. There wasn't anything in the j-pipe, so I went to the store to get some new slip nuts, some putty, and another j-pipe just in case. When I got home I loosely attached the j-pipe and ran some water through to see if that part was still going to work. It seemed ok for a moment and then I noticed brown water coming out from underneath the pipe that goes into the inlet drain. So I pulled that pipe out and looked inside the wall and it became clear the clog is way back in the inlet drain. I also noticed a cock-eyed o-ring stuck inside which I'm guessing is what stops the brown stuff from backflowing onto my bathroom floor. It must have been moved out of place when I first broke the slip nut. Now how the heck do I get this o-ring back in the right place and get the pipe that's supposed to go in the inlet drain back in without disrupting the o-ring? Where is that o-ring even supposed to go? Closer to the outside of the inlet drain or further back in the wall? Am I in over my head or overlooking something very simple?

The O-ring suppose to go over the J bend of the P-trap. It shouldn't be inside the drain pipe. It should be flush the front edge of the drain pipe and the nut compresses it against the pipe to make a watertight connection.

There's already an o-ring there. The one I'm talking about is separate from the j-pipe. It was definitely inside the inlet drain pipe before I moved in here.

being a 'noob', your terminology is difficult for we 'pros' to understand. can you post a picture so we can give you the correct advice?

Are you working with the trap arm(the pipe between the trap(U) and the wall drain)? My thought is 1¼" trap arm, with 1¼" slip joint washer attached to 1½" pipe coming out of the wall. The 1¼" washer is pushed inside the 1½".?

Ok. Took me a while to figure out why my computer wouldn't recognize my phone (if you have a pin set on your phone, maybe try unlocking it while it's connected to your computer), but I finally got some pictures uploaded from it.

You can't see the o-rings that go with the slip nuts in the first picture, but they're under there. I tried to use a flashlight as best I could so you can see the o-ring inside the inlet drain in the second picture. The third picture is just to show you what I'm working with when it's disassembled.



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I'm not sure what you mean. As far as I can tell there is nothing that unscrews in that picture. It's the opening of a pipe with a rubber o-ring inside of it. Are you saying the bulbous outer opening of the inlet drain is a nut that unscrews? It seems pretty determined to remain a part of the pipe in the wall.

the photo is inconclusive. steve is saying you have a connection like this, without the ears on the nut..

clean away more of the wall around the end of the pipe and try another photo.

Yes, that's a nut that is suppose to unscrew. The pipe in the wall is probably galvanized and the threads have rust that is binding the nut.

Alright that helps, but what's the best way to clear away the stuff around the pipe? And if the nut is rusted on, what's the best way to get it off?



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Dremel tool with a cut off wheel to cut the nut. If can get a cut through the face of the nut with a hacksaw, parallel with the centerline of the pipe, inserting a screwdriver in the slot and prying might break the nut. Then a small wire wheel to clean the rust from the threads. I would screw a brass trap adapter on the pipe, instead of using the end of the pipe as a sealing surface for the o-ring gasket.

I haven't got a new picture of the nut yet because cutting into the wall seems like it could get ugly and I'd need to run it by my landlord which I am not exactly eager to do. So I either have to cut into the nut, cut away the wall, or both?



Ok, so if I cut the nut to try and make a slot for a screwdriver should I do it like this vertically?

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Or horizontally?

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Orrr something else?


This doesn't seem like a very difficult job and it's fun to learn but I may not be able to finish it with these options. Is there any kind of sealant that would stop the leak and be easy to remove later?

That brass nut will unscrew using channel-lock pliers. You should not need to cut it.

A brass trap adapter is a great idea, if you have enough clearance.

Landlord should be called for this.

Either direction, whichever is easier to do.

Ok, the landlord gave me clearance. Me and my roommate tried unscrewing the nut together with channel locks, but it just wouldn't budge. Now we have a rotary saw and cut into the nut, but we don't want to cut the pipe underneath, so we've been trying to pry pieces of the nut off a little at a time, but only the stuff in front is coming off. The part that's actually threaded on seems like it's either sealed or rusted on. Is there some kind of solvent we could use to loosen this thing?