Removing kitchen sink drain assembly - seems glued in place

[krd111]

Hi,
I am trying to remove a kitchen sink drain assembly. It's only about 6 years old. The locknut came off, no problem. The issue is that the drain assembly itself seems to be glued in with some kind of heavy duty adhesive. I've tried pounding on it with a mallet but it doesn't budge. Any advice or suggestions for breaking the seal?

The reason I want to remove it is that I purchased a new strainer that ought to cut down on the time I spend fishing bits of food that get caught in the sink drain.

Thanks very much!
Kristen

 

[Jadnashua]

While most are installed with plumber's putty under the rim, some people decide that silicone sealant is called for, and use that. IF that's what was used, it can be a major pain to get it off.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Helper Dave]

If you can push it up at all, a putty knife is enough to cut it under the flanged part (from above your sink). Otherwise, try twisting it, or a good, strong, steady push from the bottom. Hammering it won't do any good--it's too bouncy/springy for that, assuming it's silicone.

 

[krd111]

Thanks for the tips, Jim and Dave! Much appreciated. We'll give it another try with a putty knife.

 

[Reach4]

If you wanted to produce steady lift force from below, you could gently push with a car jack or stack of something plus shims/wedges.

I am not saying that constant steady lift force will help.

 

[MACPLUMB]

Heat that putty knife up a little and it will cut though the silicone easier

 

[Plumber69]

Just take channel locks and twist it off from underneath. May have to go back and forth at start

 

[krd111]

Thanks everyone for all these ideas. We're looking forward to giving some of them a try this weekend!