sink drain question

[JWB]

Hi all,

Just installed a new cast iron porcelain sink. For the life of me, I cannot get the drains to stop leaking. They are only leaking a tiny bit, but of course, that's not good. I used plumbers putty fairly liberally when putting the drains in, and tightened the hell out of them. However, I'm getting the suspicion that putty might not be the best thing on porcelain.

Would silicone be better? Or is there some other trick I'm not aware of for porcelain (in other words, the putty worked fine when I put in my bathtub, which is plastic/acrylic/whatever).

Thank you in advance.

[Speedy Jim]

If the shape of the drain fitting (strainer) very closely matches the sink contour, you could be squeezing all the putty out. Try doing it over with less tightening. Mixing a small amount of silicone caulk in the putty helps sometimes.

Jim