i just replaced my kitchen sink strainer/basket...i installed two new...i used a professional grade strainer/basket...at least that is what the package said...i spend about 23 bucks for both of them...

i applied the plumbers putty around the sink hole...about a 3/8 in diameter of putty is what i used...i did the same on both sides of the sink...i put the strainer in to stop the the water from draining...i put about 2 inches of water in the sink...one side has no leaks...one side drips about 5 drips in a 30 minute period...it is leaking between the large ring nut that holds it to the sink and threads...it came with a large rubber gasket to go between the large nut and the bottom of the sink (about 1/4 inch thick rubber gasket)...

i have tightened it till i don't feel comfortable putting too much pressure on it...i have an american standard americast sink (composite and white porcelin)...

what did i do wrong??? how can i fix this...i am tired of dealing with it....how much putty should i use??? did i use enough???

thanks...michael

 

how tight am i suppose to tighten these things???

i really cranked down on it this time...(4th time, by the way)...

we will see if it leaks now...

 

Its not that you did it wrong, but you may have to take it apart and do it again. Might use alcahal to clean the sink.

 

i think i got it...i filled the sink up with water about 8:10...i just checked it...it is now 10:00...there are no leaks coming out of the strainer/basket under the sink...

do you think i am out of the woods now???

i did find one small leak in the pvc plumbing parts, but nothing at the metal basket nut and threads...

what do you think???

also...tomorrow, i am going to replumb the main drain from the kitchen sink to the main line in the crawl space...however, due to the old galvanized pipe in the wall behind the kitchen cabinet and the vent that attaches to it, i am going to use a automatic vent device...i have a 2 inch line in the crawl space of pvc from a redo of the washer and dryer...(they are about 8 feet from the kitchen sink and on the same line as the kitchen sink, but different vent...had that redone when i had a water leak under the house and had to replace subfloor and such)...i plan on taking a 1 and 1/2 inch pvc and go through the kitchen cabinet bottom through the subfloor, elbow in the crawlspace, then about a 4 foot run to the 2 inch line...thought of using a nice T with a curve in it to attach the 1 and 1/2 inch to the 2 inch line...the automatic vent device will be as high as i can get it under the sink...

any thoughts on that???

 

I just re-attached my kitchen sink strainer twice too, and mine is also leaking. Although it's leaking much, much less now. I filled the sink with water and after 7 minutes one drop appeared.

I found this post via a search and thought I'd post my findings (so far) here for posterity.

- Check that the strainer is right for the kind of sinky you have. The first strainer looked terrific, only it turned out to be for Corian/cast-iron sinks only. My sink is stainless steel.
- Don't overdo the putty. I put a lot of putty down the first (very leaky) time. I had more luck with a 1/8" - 1/4"-thick bead of putty.
- Don't let the strainer turn in it's seat while you tighten the locknut. The first (again, leaky) time, the strainer rotated quite a bit (about 1/2 a turn) while I was tightening it.

I'm going to try again tonight, only this time I'm going to jam a pair of pliers down the top of the strainer (as shown here: http://www.rd.com/content/openConten...ontentId=19635) to keep it from rotating. Then I'm going to hope for the best!

If any of my points are wrong, please let me know.

-Antun

 

There should also be a very tin paper/cardboard gasket that goes between the rubber gasket and the nut to help avoid the nut "hanging up" on the rubber. You still need to hold back on the strainer with channel-locks or a screwdriver in the slot.

 

I did replace that cardboard washer when I reinstalled the drain, and I plan to replace it again. It sounds like allowing the drain to rotate is definitely not recommended, right?

-Antun

 

Correct. When it turns, the seal of the plumbers putty is compromised. You want the strainer to pull straight down.