Today I started to replace the pipe underneath my bathroom sink. After reading very carefully how to pull it apart, I successfully got all of the pipes loose despite some of them appearing nearly glued on. Unfortunately, I did have a small piece of PVC pipe break off at the bottom of the sink and I'm not sure how to retrieve it witout chiseling it out. I went to 3 hardware stores and looked at several extractors but the largest one is 3/4 inch and this pipe is 1 1/4. Any idea how to remove the piece of pipe?

YOU HAVE TO GO TO A PLUMBING SUPPLY STORE TO FIND THE PROPER TOOL this is not a hardware store tool.

Since we can not see which piece broke off it's hard to say how to get it out.
Post a picture.

The white piece is what I'm trying to remove. This type of sink drain didn't come apart into 2 seperate pieces like the metal one I bought to replace it. I also found out that it's a fairly good possiblity that all of the PVC under the sink was glued. I'll post another reply with the picture of the broken pipe.

Here's the end of the pipe that broke when I removed it. I had to take all of the pipe apart in one big section due to it all being glued together.

OK, this is called the pop-up flange or tail. the way they are made, there is a plated metal top that screws onto this pipe. from the bottom screws a rubber gasket and a jam nut. under the metal top and above the drain of the sink is a space to put some plumbers putty or (in the case of a cast-iron or granite sink) clear silicone sealer.

some guys will blow half a tube of silicone in there, which glues up the whole shebang.

that or leakage gunk is probably what you have in there.

silicone can be cut with an X-Acto knife or single-edge razor blade or utility knife easily. start light cutting around the top, trying to avoid gouging the sink itself, and gently work deeper. this can be removed.

if it's hard, not silicone-spongy, to the feel it may be good ol' drain gunk. jab a plain old drain stopper in the top, and try vinegar soaking the stuff, and to be safe, put a pail underneath the sink drain hole.

the color concerns me a little bit. if that turns out to be epoxy glue, you are going to have to cut the pipe out from the sink drain area with a hacksaw blade in a holder, and you might end up replacing the sink as well. I doubt anybody with a clue would have used that stuff, but not everybody has a clue.

there is an "ugly method" plumbers use when they have a welded-up rusty iron pipe into a threaded drain fitting that they can't budge. the method is to use a hacksaw blade to cut lengthwise down the pipe until it is JUST to the threads... then do it again a half or 3/4 inches away. then you can bang out the cut piece and squeeze/pry the rest of the pipe together until it breaks all the way and can be lifted out.

I say UGLY because it will invariably damage the elbow threads, and they will invariably leak a little around the new pipe. you minimize it by cutting at the top, nowhere else, and use plenty of stick putty , like a LOT, when you put in the new pipe.

in this case, it would scar the drain base of the sink. if that is a statistical material (stone, cultured stone, cast ceramic) that is a failure point as in cracks, and in cast iron sinks it's a rust failure point.

but if the sink has to be saved, very carefully cut the slot and try to pry the pipe free from the side. it may fail spectaularly, and it may work. I take no responsiblility. but if somebody's going to suggest it, better outline the possible fail points.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,