Al wrote:
I'm sure it's just hair (next time I'll put a hair catcher in) but I
can't get the drain cover off so I can stick something down there to
pull the hair out. I tried liquid plumber and that helped a little, but
not enough.


It's a Delta plug assembly -- where you push a plunger-like lever on
top of the sink between the faucets to open and close it. It came with
the house. When I've encountered this problem before, I could just
lift the drain out...not this time. I've tried twisting it to no avail
and I sure don't want to compound my problem by breaking it.

Any ideas before I have to call a plumber for what should be a simple
home maintenance task?

Thanks in advance.

A lot of them have either a jog in the bottom of the stopper, or even a
square hole that the actuating rod passes through, either way holding
the stopper down to the linkage, I guess so you can pull the stopper
down as well as push it up.

Go under the sink and you'll see where the more or less horizontal
actuating rod passes through the side of the drainpipe to get to the
stopper, there'll be a threaded cap covering a ball that the rod
attaches through; unscrew the cap, back out the rod until it's clear of
the stopper, you might have to undo a clip or two in the linkage to the
knob you pull, but it's really no big deal. For me the hardest part is
always squeezing the stupid tension clips that hold the various rods
together. Geez I hate those stopper systems.