Replacing garbage disposal in kitchen sink.

[limeylew]

I'm reading the instructions for installing my 'disposal' and it says to use 'Plumber's Putty'.

Since I'm not going to make a career of installing disposals, I'd rather buy as small an amount of putty as I can, not a tub of it.

When I checked online, it appears that 'Plumber's Putty' is kind of like 'the old' way of doing it and that silicone seal might be a more appropriate material.

I would appreciate your opinion on what and how I would be best to do here.

TIA

Lewis.

*****

[trader4]

Plumbers putty is the old way and the correct way. It's a putty, which seats and beds and is easy to work with. Silicone sealant is to thin, runs and is totally the wrong thing to use. I recently had to redo a sink for a friend who had a handyman put in a new drain. He used silicone and it was leaking. I used plumbers putty and no leaks. I comes in small containers at any HD or hardware store for a few bucks.

[trader4]

PS: I assumed you were planning on using it where it's supposed to be used, where the flange mates to the top of the basin.

[mm]

This is a sink that never had a disposal before?? A new sink, maybe?

[Colbyt]

Plumber's putty is what you want and should use. A small container ( 1/4 pint) will cost you a buck at the BORG.

You will have 75 cents worth left when you are done so you can fill all the nail holes in your walls and woodwork with the rest of it.

Tightly sealed it will keep about a year and you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

Here is one more tip if this is a replacement. Buy the same brand of disposal and you can reuse the old mounting plate and save the buck.

[<nospam]

Plumbers putty is the old way and the correct way. It&#39;s a putty, which seats and beds and is easy to work with. Silicone sealant is to thin, runs and is totally the wrong thing to use. I recently had to redo a sink for a friend who had a handyman put in a new drain. He used silicone and it was leaking. I used plumbers putty and no leaks. I comes in small containers at any HD or hardware store for a few bucks.

**

Yep. Putty has a much longer lifespan than silicone, and is a much better sealant material for sinks. Silicone is subject to shrinkage over time, and corrosion from mold and mildew. Putty isn&#39;t.

[George]

It is very inexpensive. A little butter tub size is a couple bucks. It is the correct thing to use for what you described.

[mm]

Good point.

If the first one was made by insinkerator, I think you can buy a replacment of any brand that is made by insinkerator. IIRC 80% of disposals in the US are made by insinkerator, but some have house brands or other brands. Sears disposals, for example, are made by them.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Just a guess on my part, but since the manufacturer employs a couple of dozen engineers and has a million dollar test lab, they&#39;d have tried different methods. Why not ask them. Oh, they already told you? Plumber&#39;s Putty? Because it won&#39;t leak, is easy to finish and will last over 50 years?

[trader4]

The ones I&#39;ve seen all come with everything included. You don&#39;t buy the flange seperately, unless you want a colored one to match the sink.

[mm]

The buck that he&#39;s saying is saved is the buck for the plumbers putty.

Because you can use the original plate and don&#39;t have to install a new one, even though you are right, a new one is included.

You can take the new plate and see if it fits the old disposal, and if it seems to, you can probably install the new disposal on the old plate.

Do the ones that are not made by insinkerator also use a "bayonet mount", twist and lock, like insinkerator does? Or do they use something different? How likely is it to confuse the mounting bracket/plates?

[aemeijers]

I think he was talking about the buck for the tub of putty. I see old tubs of it at garage sales all the time, with one daub out of them. If the lid is tight, it lasts close to forever.

-- aem sends...

[Red Green]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news:d7d33b48-366b- [e-mail]:

Plumbers Putty for disposals and all other flange to sink drains.

Putty also is cheaper than silicone and will last for quite some time if closed properly. Most silicones don&#39;t last long once opened. After a certain amount of time if it hasn&#39;t dried in the tube/nozzle it won&#39;t even cure.

[Mark]

I use to find it in a tube line toothpaste, but haven&#39;t seen it in a while. A small tub of putty at lowes was something like $1.49 a couple weeks ago when I helped my Bro-in-law replace his sink. I told him to make sure the stuff that was left was smoothed out flat in the tub when we were done, then MAYBE he could get enough out of the tub in a year or 2 if he needed some. Otherwise, it was an &#39;investment opportunity and he&#39;d lost most of his investment.

BUT, if you are replacing the unit with a similar model, you might be able to just reuse the old mount without having to bother the seal.

[HeyBub]

Wonder if you could cover the remains with, oh, Aluminum foil or clingwrap?

I&#39;ve been adding a spoonful of water to my tub of Elmer&#39;s wood paste (I also moved it to a Tupperware container). Seems to work well.

[mm]

I&#39;ve been investing in putty default swaps for several years now, and they can be a good investment.

True. I think that&#39;s where the swapping comes in.