I need some help replacing the tail(drain?) pipe in my sink. I've got a leak, and I attribute it to worn out plumber's putty or bad seals. Unfortunately, our sink is very old and does NOT have the setup below:


Instead, the pipe meets the sink with a sort of flat steel flare. When I twist the pipe to unscrew it, the "trap" above turns as well. If I put plyers in the drain to stabilize the trap, the part of the trap start to bend. How am I supposed to separate the drain and the trap/strainer?

Nevermind. I found that if I cease to care about retaining the integrity of the trap, a little force will help it come right out (and into the garbage can).

I had a feeling something was going in the garbage can. I have very old plumbing too. It seems to be permanently sealed from age and corrosion. Sometimes you have to rip it apart and go with modern fixtures.

Thanks for the reply. I ended up getting modern fixtures and they work like a charm. Next stop, the leaky tub faucet.

That is exactly what I am trying to figure out how to tackle. I have original fixtures from the late 20's. They don't even make the fixtues I need anymore. I'm afraid to even start this project in case I run into trouble and no one can take a shower!

I started to take off the faucet (also from the 20's, I believe) and found that the cold tap was pretty stripped. My rec. is to be extremely careful with the parts as you'll probably have difficulty finding replacements. I might have a pro come in so that I'm not the one in trouble with the landlord when/if something breaks.

You wouldn't believe the price quotes I have gotten. I think that I could gut my bathroom and start all over for what they want. Those are the ones that bothered to call me back about this job. There are two faucets, one for the shower, one for the tub. The lower one is three handle and controls whether the water is in or draining from the tub. That's the one that I can't buy anymore. This is nothing short of disaster!