Asked on Jun 25, 2017

My kitchen sink drain basket -- or whatever it's called --

Louise
by Louise
doesn't work correctly. It's not the one that was original to the sink which came with my 1979 house. Over the years, I've had several and have no idea why I decided at some point I needed a new one. Current one is similar to the picture below. It won't stay open even when it's in the position to stay open. If I have some things piled in that sink and run water in the sink, the stopper closes and I end up with water in the bottom of the sink. I posted about this quite a while back but didn't find anyone at Lowe's who understood what I asked for when I went there. Someone on this forum told me I needed "a complete drain assembly which only runs about 20 bucks." I've found the following photos via Google but don't know if I need the smaller one or the one with a "tail." AND are these universal? Will they fit all sinks or do I need to find the brand name of mine?
This is the style I have now. I even tried to pry the bottom thingie to make it wider to keep it from sliding into the hole and stopping drainage but it doesn't work. It constantly closes and the sink fills with water with annoys me to no end.
Which kind do I need to fix my problem? The short or long one?
  9 answers
  • William William on Jun 25, 2017

    Some basket strainers are specific to the drain assembly. There are universal strainers which fit all drains. You can take a photo of your drain and show what you have at Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, or Ace Hardware and they can match a strainer for you. My strainers do not have the shaft. The rubber gasket has four nubs so I can turn the strainer and the nubs raise it open.


    http://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-Fit-All-Replacement-Strainer-Basket-in-Stainless-Steel-7047-102SS/207144253

  • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Jun 25, 2017

    I get it because mine came with stuff it was just put in about a year ago. I have to keep on an angle otherwise it locks up sink. And water collects and it grosses me out to stick hand in that water, not to mention that I only turn on hot water to rinse off dishes before going into dish washer.

  • Haz23929435 Haz23929435 on Jun 25, 2017

    If I am understanding you correctly, it is not draining well..try vinegar & baking soda. Works great. Maybe a 1/4 cup of vinegar & 2 talk of baking soda.

    • Louise Louise on Jun 25, 2017

      Sorry, that's not the problem. The basket that's supposed to allow or not allow water to drain won't stay open to allow draining. There's nothing wrong with the drain. It drains fine if the basket isn't there.

  • Coni Coni on Jun 25, 2017

    My drain stopper that came with the sink had that problem too. To me, a complete drain assembly seems like overkill and it doesn't guarantee you won't have the same problem.

    Do you always need the drain/stopper to fill your sink? If not, then I recommend you purchase one that does not close (OXO Good Grips Silicone Sink Strainer is a good one) , https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Silicone-Strainer/dp/B000U0K5PU/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498408286&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=xoxo+drain+stopper. ;

    Then if you need to fill the sink with water you can switch to the drain stopper that you had.

  • Rhayge Queen Rhayge Queen on Jun 25, 2017

    What about using a mesh drain cover when not needing to retain water in the sink?

  • Mary Russell Mary Russell on Jun 25, 2017

    You can get an insert that is just a strainer which sits in your sink drain to catch any dabree you don't going down the drain.Walmart or lowes have these very reasonable.You can use this when washing/rinsing;etc,then put your existing insert into the drain cup when you want to actually catch water in the bastn.Hope this helps.

  • Lisa Lee Bernier Lisa Lee Bernier on Jun 25, 2017

    I would just get the pretty colored drainers that have a strainer and get a universal pug when you need to keep water in your sink. all under 5 dollars at dollar genral

  • Alesha Zacher Alesha Zacher on Jun 25, 2017

    I messed with the metal "v" that goes into the center hole. I think I used pliers to make the v wider so it stuck up higher.

    • Louise Louise on Jun 25, 2017

      I also tried to mess with that "V" but I couldn't get it to make any difference.

  • Linda Linda on Jun 25, 2017

    I turned my upside down and now it drains as well as catch any food or stuff you don't want to go down the drain.