How to get a stuck broken plumbing drain piece out
Plastic slip nuts and broken drain pieces often get stuck or stripped during replacement despite using pliers, belts, or picks. This prevents the old connections from coming loose and stops you from finishing the repair.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using magic pipe puttyDid this help you?
- 2Applying pipe dopeDid this help you?
- 3Supergluing the broken piece back onDid this help you?
- 4Replacing the part entirelyDid this help you?
- 5using tongue and groove pliersDid this help you?
- 6using a strap wrenchDid this help you?
- 7using an old beltDid this help you?
- 8cutting the nut and replacing the trapDid this help you?
- 9opening the ceiling, disconnecting drains, cutting pipes, and consulting professionals onlineDid this help you?
- 10Squeezing warm water onto the joint to loosen itDid this help you?
- 11Using a long, narrow plastic hook tool to pull hair past the top stopperDid this help you?
- 12Cutting the pipe out with a multitool or hacksaw and installing a new trapDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The left slip nut will turn just fine but I can’t get the right one off. I’ve been using tongue and groove pliers and twisting clockwise and it’s getting to the point where the plastic ridges are wearing down.”source ↗
“Trying to replace drain was going to pop this off and a piece broke I’m trying to get that piece out right now with pick but it won’t budge”source ↗
“Tried turning it in the opposite direction but it didn’t work. Is there any chance the people who installed it would’ve sealed it for some reason?”source ↗
“Didn’t have a strap wrench so I used an old belt but still didn’t budge”source ↗
“There was a leak in my basement apartment coming from my main units tub. Opened the ceiling up, diconnected the drains, cut a pipe, and hauled this down.”source ↗
“My bathroom sink drains very slowly and it is a nuisance.”source ↗
“I was unable to unscrew the connection piece, either with my bare hands or with a wrench.”source ↗
“Infuriatingly, the stopper at the top of the sink is not removable, so I can’t go in from the top with a drain snake.”source ↗