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I have some decent plumbing skills, but I’m nowhere near to being as knowledgeable as a pro. Recently, I’ve been having the strangest problem (at least strange to me), and I need some advice.
My house is fairly new, all the plumbing and fixtures are around 2 years old. Just about since the day it was installed, my double-bowl, stainless-steel kitchen sink has leaked around the drain fixtures. When the sink was installed, plumber’s putty was used (as I’ve always seen it) to seal around the two drains. The problem is – on somewhat of a regular basis (around every three months or so) the drains seem to work themselves loose and I have a leak develop. I can put a good bead of new putty in, and even if I clean both the sink and drain all the way down to the metal and re-apply the putty, sooner or later, the drain seems to loosen up and I have another leak.
I’ve started keeping a bucket under the sink just to catch the inevitable drips. This happens worse on the side that we use the most, but it’s happened on both sides.
Each time it happens, I check the screw-on under the sink, and it’s so loose that I can tighten it with my hand. As I tighten it, some more of the putty squeezes out.
At first, I thought my can of putty was old, and maybe was getting brittle, so the last time it happened, I bought a new can but still had the problem with the new putty. Could hot water be causing this? Is it possible to melt plumber’s putty? I’ve always used it to seal drains, and not had this problem before. It doesn’t happen on the bathroom sinks, but they’re porcelain. Could the heat of the water be causing the sink to expand and contract? My water temp isn’t set excessively hot. I had a kitchen sink almost exactly like this one in my previous house and never had the problem.
Advice, please.
Replies
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If the threading is good on the male and female sections, the only thing I'd venture is that you're using too much putty. Metal or plastic threading?
If I install a drain and tighten it down putty will be squeezed out. If I then loosen that same drain and retighten, no putty (okay, maybe a little bit) should squeeze out, as it should have been tight enough the first time to squeeze out any excess.
My best guess would be too much putty during the installation. Try re-installing using a thinner "rope" of putty. Tighten it down, let it rest a few minutes, and tighten again.
Others may have better info or "experience" with this problem. Good luck.
*Is there a disposer on one of the bowls? Could it be vibration?Have you tried using one of the lock-tites on the screw-on? (there are several available, some more permanent than others.)These are just general thoughts, I don't have any broad-based plumnbing experience.
*Mongo:Metal-to-metal threads. I usually use about 1/4" bead. Think it's still too much? I usually tighten until it's around 1/16" thick, then trim off most of the excess.
*Don't tighten based on the remaining thickness of the putty - as Mongo said - tighten it down TIGHT, let it rest, then tighten it down tight again. Let it rest again, then re-check it for tightness.
*If it's tight, there's nothing more than a film of putty left. Try to crush ALL the putty out!!!.
*How are you cranking this together? Do ya have the super secret plumbers "tuning fork" to hold the basket while you wrench the nut? As other have said, I think the problem lies with a loose connection. Jeff
*Joe, Buck is onto something. There is a special tool you can purchase in a plumbing supply store to "hold back" the basket as you tighten the locking ring. It works a lot better than jamming channel locks into the basket. What kind of under- basket gasket do you have? I've seen them put on backwards at times and you get plenty of putty squees, but the the locknut is not really tight. It is just burried in the gasket. The hard gasket should be next to the nut with the softer rubber gasket above it.
*I would think that an examination of the order of components be done (ie assembly of gaskets nut in proper order?)When tightening against the fresh putty, try this. Tighten down fairly well, then run hot water for a minute or two to heat up basket and nut and all. Then retighten. This will soften the putty and make it easier to achieve a good tight seal.Pete
*Joe, Two things: First, the disposal question asked is appropriate. I have seen many leaks by disposal vibration loosening up the nut under the sink. Second, look for a misalignment between the drain pipes and sink. If the pipes are on an angle to the sink, it will feel tight when you install it, then with time the pipes will bend a little and work loose. You may have to loosen up the other connections to fix the misalignment before retightening the basket nut.Hope this helps. Rich.
*I would look for binding on the drain piping. Together with disposal vibration, misaligned piping will tear out almost any seal. I have even seen it on commercial jobs. Be sure the slip joints go together without having to force them into alignment.
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I have some decent plumbing skills, but I'm nowhere near to being as knowledgeable as a pro. Recently, I've been having the strangest problem (at least strange to me), and I need some advice.
My house is fairly new, all the plumbing and fixtures are around 2 years old. Just about since the day it was installed, my double-bowl, stainless-steel kitchen sink has leaked around the drain fixtures. When the sink was installed, plumber's putty was used (as I've always seen it) to seal around the two drains. The problem is - on somewhat of a regular basis (around every three months or so) the drains seem to work themselves loose and I have a leak develop. I can put a good bead of new putty in, and even if I clean both the sink and drain all the way down to the metal and re-apply the putty, sooner or later, the drain seems to loosen up and I have another leak.
I've started keeping a bucket under the sink just to catch the inevitable drips. This happens worse on the side that we use the most, but it's happened on both sides.
Each time it happens, I check the screw-on under the sink, and it's so loose that I can tighten it with my hand. As I tighten it, some more of the putty squeezes out.
At first, I thought my can of putty was old, and maybe was getting brittle, so the last time it happened, I bought a new can but still had the problem with the new putty. Could hot water be causing this? Is it possible to melt plumber's putty? I've always used it to seal drains, and not had this problem before. It doesn't happen on the bathroom sinks, but they're porcelain. Could the heat of the water be causing the sink to expand and contract? My water temp isn't set excessively hot. I had a kitchen sink almost exactly like this one in my previous house and never had the problem.
Advice, please.