Pro Handyman Blog

Remove A Kitchen Sink Strainer

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Maybe your kitchen sink is leaking or maybe you just want to replace the strainer. Removing it can be a real chore. Disconnecting the piping isn’t a horrible job, but then you are left looking at the belly of the beast. You will need to use a large wrench or even water pump pliers and try to loosen the nut that holds everything to the sink. Easier said than done.

The nut under the sink is fairly large, the problem is that when you go to loosen it, the entire assembly will twist with it. What do you do?

There are a couple things you could do, but I think the easiest is to hold the strainer still while you unscrew the nut. You could also cut through the nut or strainer, but that is much more work.

So how do you hold the strainer still? Grab a pair of pliers and turn them upside down. Stick the legs of the pliers into the holes of the strainer at the top of the sink. So what you have is a pair of pliers sticking out of the strainer. Now grab a screwdriver (or a short piece of pipe) and place it in the jaws of the pliers. You have effectively created a handle to hold the strainer still while you remove the nut from below.