Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Fixing a Leaking Sink Drain

Leaking plumbing is never fun to deal with, but at least when a drain leaks, the water is not pressurized like with a water line leak.

I recently discovered a slow leak from one of the two drains in our kitchen sink. Unfortunately, this was a drain I installed seven months ago, so I was fixing a problem I created. Ah, such is the life of a do-it-yourself person!

Find the Leak
The first step in fixing a leaking drain is determining where the leak is coming from. This may not always be as simple as finding the water droplets, because the droplets of water can travel far from the leak location before they fall to the ground. Keep in mind that water obeys the law of gravity, so if you follow a water trail up to its highest point, that will usually be the source of the leak.

The blue arrow in this photo shows where some water was collecting. The PVC pipe above was also wet. The pipes and drain to the left were completely dry, so I knew they were not the culprit. After using a flashlight, I could see that the drain itself was leaking, not the pipes.

Fixing a Leaking Sink Drain
Now that I knew what part of the drainage system under the sink was leaking, it was only a matter of fixing it before it got any worse.

Luckily for me, this was a quick fix. I would only need three things:
  1. Plumber's Putty
  2. Teflon (Plumber's) Tape
  3. Channel Lock Pliers
1. Place a large bowl or small bucket under the pipes to catch any water.
2. In order to remove the drain, I had to first unscrew the first connector (first photo).
3. Then, I removed the 'T' section of PVC pipe (second photo).
This 'T' section has a splash shield in it that prevents water coming from the left arm to splash up and out of the top opening. When reinstalling, make sure it is installed correctly.

At this time, I took the 'T' section outside and used our garden hose to flush it out and clean it. This step is not necessary, but I figured that I might as well do it while I can.

4. I now had access to the drain. The drain is attached to the bottom of the sink by a large nut. Between the nut and sink is a washer. Unscrew the large nut and place the nut and washer off to the side.

5. The drain is now free, all that has to be done is to lift it out of the sink. The plumber's putty may offer a little resistance, so if you are having trouble, try twisting the drain a little to break the putty's hold.

I have seen some people use silicone adhesive caulk instead of plumber's putty.
The silicone caulk will ensure the drain is water proof and secure, but once it adheres, you will not be able to remove the drain. This would be especially bad if your sink is like ours and is made out of solid surface material because it can lead to a cracked sink.

6. Remove all traces of old plumber's putty from both the sink and the drain. The old putty may be reused if it has not hardened.

7. Apply a bead of plumber's putty around the collar of the drain. There should be enough putty to make a good seal. When you install the drain, some putty should be squeezed out, if not, there is not enough putty.

8. Reinstall the large washer and the drain nut. Tighten. I then used a rag to clean all traces of putty in the sink. A good way to judge whether you have enough putty and the drain is tight enough is by looking at how flush the collar of the drain is to the bottom of the sink. If the collar sticks out past the bottom of the sink, then there is either too much putty or the drain has not been tightened down enough.

9. Wrap the threads of the sink drain and all the threaded portions of the PVC pipe with new Teflon tape (clean the old tape out first).

10. Reinstall the 'T' section of pipe and tighten all the fittings. That is it!

12 comments:

JaniceMadden said...

The comprehensive guide you've shown us is surely helpful if you need to do a quick fix on your leaky drain pipe. I, being inexperienced in fixing the pipes, really need the help from people who knows more about plumbing. Minneapolis, the place where I currently live, has a lot of plumbers whom I can entrust my leaky pipes to.

After getting my plumbing (Minnesota plumbers) fixed, I started to learn some basics on plumbing, so I won't be helpless.

Nonie said...

Your blog was so helpful and inciting. I've been having kitchen pipes clogged up for the past several days but when the sink started to leak...help. The only problem that I encountered was getting the big nut off the drain itself. I have no help so I'm on my own. It was on there so tight. I cleaned everything with a spray bottle filled with soap. A wire brush and took all the old putty out that way. Never did get the nut off so this is what I did. I made a bag (like chef's use) put putty in the bag. Cut a small piece off the tip and squeezed it in that way. Works like a charm and less frustrating for me. Before you ask; yes, I did use channel locks and everything else under the sun. Thank you. Best blog I've read in forever.

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for sharing this how-to! This is precisely what I need to do to fix the leaky sink drain in my camper tomorrow. :)

Darryl Iorio said...

If you are having a hard time deciding on whether to use a plumber’s putty or an epoxy for fixing leaks of sink drain, let me give you an idea: plumber’s putty is a sealer that is used mainly for faucet installations. It is never used in areas that are near water pressure because it doesn’t dry out, unlike epoxy, an adhesive that can join two materials together, repair cracks, and fill voids and dents permanently. Hope I helped somehow.

Gayle Manning said...

PVC pipes are certainly easy to repair. Plus, replacements are quite cheap! Anyway, this is a good write-up. All the details were well-described. By the way, you should also consider using brass pipe products. They are efficient because of their durability and tolerance against corrosion.

Unknown said...

Leaks are common household problems. And though people who fix leaks on their own have been growing in number, there are still more who don't have the slightest idea about how it's properly done. Well, basic knowledge can come in handy with the right tools, and your tutorial can be of help to many. Thank you for sharing this, and I am glad that you fixed your leak just fine.
Total Plumbing Inc.

Unknown said...

This is great to keep in mind–especially for me as I am doing my first time research for a new plumber. I just moved to Ohio so I am looking for
Cleveland plumbing experts to have on speed dial in case something were to go wrong...but DIY tutorials are always a great reference.

Plumbing Service said...

Great post, I like the step by step guide. Just dont tell my customers how to fix every leaky sink themselves!

Unknown said...

I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
Atlanta leak repair

Bronx Drain Cleaning said...

Interesting post, thanks for sharing!!

الاء على said...


شركة تنظيف مجالس بالرياض

شركة تنظيف كنب بالرياض


تنظيف مكييفات بالرياض

شركة تسليك مجارى بالرياض

شركة تنظيف بالرياض

Unknown said...



فى شركة العربى نقدم خدمة شركة تنظيف بحائل ان النظافه هى من اكثر واهم الامور التى قد تعفى الانسان من الامراض الكثيره لذلك شركة العربى تسعى دائما ان تقدم جميع اعمال التنظيف الى عملائها الذين يثقون بها
شركة تنظيف بحائل
كما تقدم افضل الطرق الحديثه وتوفر لهم الراحه التامه وعدم المشقه فان شركتنا تسعد ان تقدم لحضراتكم افضل انواع النظافه العامه
شركة تنظيف فلل بحائل
وتحب ان تقدمها على اعلى مستوى من المستويات وفى نفس الوقت ان شركتنا لا تقبل المنافسه فى الاسعار حيث ان شركة العربى تعمل فى جميع اعمال النظافه فى حائل بارخص الاسعار وتقدم افضل العروض دائما لعملائها الكرام
شركة تنظيف مجالس بحائل
من أهم أسباب سعادة الانسان وبالأخص عندما يتعلق الأمر بكيف يبدو منزلك, فإن تطلعاتك وأحلامك تصبح كبيرة، فمنزلك هو انعكاس لك، ولهذا السبب أنت بحاجة إلى
شركة تنظيف منازل بحائل
شركة تنظيف رخيصة ومجربة وثبتت انها الافضل بين الشركات فنحن نقدم افضل خدمات التنظيف فى شركة العربى حيث نضمن لك عملية التنظيف بدون اى اخطاء لاننا نسعى دائما لنكون افضل
شركة تنظيف كنب بحائل
وهدفنا هو الوصول الى القمه وكل ذلك عن طريق ارضاء عملائنا وتحسين ثقتهم بنا والقيام بعملنا على احسن وجه ولدينا فروع اخرى فى مدينة جازان مثل
شركة تنظيف بجازان
فنحن نقدم لكم شركة العربى من الشركات المميزه والرائده فى جازان وهى تقدم تنظيف البيوت على احسن وجه كما تقدم تنظيف فلل وتنظيف شقق وتنظيف مجالس وتنظيف واجهات وتنظيف مسابح وتنظيف خزانات
شركة تنظيف منازل بجازان
وتقوم شركتنا بالاعتماد على احدث الالات وعلى افضل انواع المنظفات العالميه التى تعمل على ازالة البقع كما تعمل على ازالة الاوساخ بسرعه كبيره وتقوم بخدمات اخرى كثيره
شركة تنظيف مجالس بجازان
وكل ذلك نقوم به من خلال شركتنا شركة العربى بافضل الاسعار وارخصها التى تتناسب مع جميع الطبقات من العملاء والموظفين وغيرهم من الذين يقيمون فى جازان
شركة تنظيف كنب بجازان