I just installed a new bathroom sink and noticed there's no overflow drain in the sink (that hole on the top of the sink). So, i'm thinking if the sink stopper is closed, and if the water is running unattended for a few minutes, I will have a continuous niagara falls.in the bathroom.

Are you concerned that an unattend faucet running, would cause a flood, if the stopper is in, and there's no overflow drain in the sink?

I noticed that lacking feature in the cheaper sinks at HD a while back. I was caught off guard recently when I purchased Lowes vanity combo kit. I didn't need if for quite some time and when my handyman installed it I realized it had no overflow and the sink design is awful. However I was committed to it at that point. Next time I'll be more carful. Your idea seems like a good one. I find sink stoppers often don't function properly and tenants pull the rod free and it just hangs there.

So I'll venture that many do not use the stopper.

Mike45, sounds like you use the stopper to shave and I'm guessing other people do too. When I shave, I don't use a stopper, I just rub hot water on my face, apply shave cream, shave, rinse off my blade occasionally, and then rinse off my face. Thanks for the input.

small potatoes, a bit like your experience, I've had plenty of broken stoppers and I don't recall anyone asking them to be fixed. I do get lots of emails on slow drains with hair in them. I think a stopper doesn't do any straining. We just have strainers in our home kitchen sink and it works well, you just have to clean it out once and awhile.

How about invent a little garbage disposal device for a bathroom sink, that automatically grinds up hair and the like?

There are all sort of lousy plumbing products (fixtures) on the market, mainly imported from abroad. As a licensed plumbing contractor I have to warn clients about their "finds" -- so called deals from a Big Box Store known as "specials".

Replacement parts, available only sometimes during the production run, then no more.

Defects like the bonnet nut holding a stem in place wears out and the water pressure causes the stem to pop out of retaining nut -- resulting in a flood.

IMPORTANT- If you happen to find a deal on a good quality faucet, buy extra ones for parts. I buy faucets by the case, used to run me like $15 per faucet. Later if I needed a replacement hot or cold stem, wholesale it was $12.95 each. So the extra faucets were worth more in parts then as a replacement faucet -- once I placed dozens in service.

Just this week I had a 10 year old "Home Depot Special" go bad again. I've replaced the hot and cold stems, washers and handles. But now the threads that hold it together were a bit worn, so I couldn't take a chance replacing parts anymore, it had to go... I replaced it with a "Plumbing Supply Store's Special". Now those faucets take standard parts, but again the basic faucet will only last so long with tenants constant use...

Totally agree, Robert J. In some of my houses I have 10 students using the same kitchen faucet. Makes sense to get the most reliable faucet (thought I'm not sure which that is)

As a plumber and landlord, I have many tenants and clients that allow things to go down into the sink's drain and get stuck in the traps or wall tee. I

I sometimes will install a removable drain screen in place of the stopper. But in those cases, the tenant/client will remove the drain screen when clogged, and forget to put it back. Then I have a 1" large open hole in the sink so toothpaste tops and other no-no's will fall into the drain line causing a blockage down the road.

So my solution is to install a ridgid sink drain screen that get's pressed into place so no one, except myself, can remove it -- something necessary to run a snaking cable down the drain...

In MA it's agsinst code to install a bathroom sink that doesn't have an overflow drain. Yet we can install a vessel style bathroom sink which doesn't have an overflow drain. Sometime close the stopper, fill the sink & allow the water to go past the overflow hole to see what happens. Unless the water flow is just a trickle you'll still get a flood. Also if they actually help prevent overflowing sinks why aren't kitchen sink or bar sinks required to have them?

Still learning, yes does seem things falling down the drain is a common occurrence. In my kitchen sink, when the stoppers pulled, there’s some structure that keeps bigger things from going down. Not in the bathroom sink though.

Robert J’s technique of an attached drain screen seems effective, I like it. I guess maybe occasionally a tenant would need to stick their finger in there and pull out hair, etc, but easier than me running a snake down to get it. I'm going to search to see if such a thing is for sale.

Steve you’re really upping the ante with a floor drain. Does sound sweet though. Over the years, I’ve seen a fair amount of damage to ceilings from the bathroom above. Would be nice to have shower, toilet and sink overflows to go down the drain. “And away your troubles down the drain”

And good point about the overflow drain only handling a slow flow anyway. I wasn’t thinking about that but your right. Most overflow holes are like 1/3 the diameter (or 1/9 the area) of the drain. And yeah, "why aren't kitchen sinks required to have them"

Overflowing sink is tenant's responsibility, like any other possible damage to the property. Even if the drain is clogged, my lease is clear: tenant is responsible to MITIGATE damages to property

A responsible tenant will stay in the bathroom when filling the sink. Even if it does overflow , a responsible tenant will clean up the water on the floor before any damage occurs.

I'll leave it to the guys on This Old House to do an experiment, but I'm skeptical that having the sink overflow, but the tenant comes back within 5 mins and cleans it up, would cause any damage. I mean you'd pretty much have to do Home Alone bandit style amount of water over flow when no one is home to get damage.

David, I tend to agree with you and maybe there is not much to worry about, as far as a sink overflowing. I’ve had several instances of shower water and overflowing toilets going to the floor below, but I’ve never run into a sink overflowing. And I agree with you, if the sink were to overflow for a few minutes while someone stepped away, it would be similar to a toilet overflow from someone flushing a clogged toilet, which can be easily cleaned up.

Still Learning, I don’t understand why poor maintenance/repairs in student housing is so common. Houses are a big investment and you’re losing money big time if you don’t take care of them. As for my tenants bothering me, it’s not a problem. Sometimes I wish they’d bother me more after they tell me: “ the ceiling has been dripping for weeks but I didn’t want to bother you because it’s not dripping that much” :-)

Thanks David, interesting way of remediating water damage :-) I don't have any unfinished basements, so it's break out the shop vac and maybe the dehumidifier for me.

You are right Vee, I did not pay attention to the product I purchased. I'm guilty as charged.

I've always wondered why bathroom sinks and tubs have overflows. They seldom keep up with the flow, so the device will overflow anyway. And the kitchen sink does not require one...

I love the floor drain idea, but none of my units have them. At least they are all one story with no basements!

gevans, I think I read that floor drains are no longer code on first floor because sewage will flow up it if there's a backup.