Vanity sink drain usually has two openings for overflow water to go into the drain pipe. What prevents the water from going down (leaking) through the thread?
I just installed a new drain and it's leaking. I figure it is the water going down the thread. Maybe I should use a drain that doesn't have the opening but the sink does have an overflow hole.
Mine has one big one. I've also seen sinks with three holes, and I would imagine there are ones with four.
Jon
Did you put a ring of plumber's putty around the drain before seating it in the sink? You want about a pencil size bead of plumber's putty (not silicone, around the drain. When you tighten it, the excess squeezes out and it seals.
IDK what you're talking about when you say "use a drain that doesn't have the opening" (overflow opening?) I've never seen a drain that had the overflow, it's always been a separate part of the sink.
I think you are talking about the top portion of the drain, near the stopper. I am talking about the bottom of the drain, whose end connecting to a P trap. There is a big nut to fasten the drain to the sink. In between the sink and the nut, there is a rubber washer and a thin piece of metal washer (not sure if every drain has this metal washer.
The whole setup is like this: stopper/cone-shaped washer/plumber's putty goes here/sink/1~2 inches of space/the other side of the sink/flat washer/metal washer/nut.
The drain between the two sides of sink (the 1~2 inches of space, this is where the overflowed water goes) has two holes so the overflowed water can enter the hole and into the drain so that in case of overflow, the water is drained, not overflowed onto counter top, then, onto floor.
My problem is: the metal drain from the two holes to the end is all threaded. The flat washer doesn't go into the thread. So, the overflowed water just leak through the thread and onto the floor.
Do I need to fill the thread? None of the instruction says so. All the instruction says what I need to do is just firs put the rubber washer, then the metal washer, and screw tight the big nut. Well, it always leaks.
Most of the drain has two holes for overflowed water to enter the drain. I do see some that has no holes. This type will not leak but then when water overflows, the water will end up on the floor.
K, now I understand what you're talking about. It's been awhile since I fooled with one so IDK. IT sounds like the threads on the pipe would have to end before going through all of the rubber washer seal. Otherwise, I see what you're saying, water can just follow the threads and leak out. Maybe the sink thickness is different from what the drain part expects? If the sink was thick enough so that the rubber had at least part of the smooth part of the pipe in it, then this would not happen, right?
Here is a diagram of what you're talking about, for everyone's benefit:
It looks like this one is made to seat with the rubber at least partly on the smooth part, not on the so that it seals.
Not sure why yours is like it is. Putting silicone on the threads when assembling it might work though if you can't figure out the correct solution.
How about talking that drain to wherever you bought it and see if they have another one that doesn't have threads extending as far up the pipe? Or take it to a plumbing supply, see what they have? Those are usually universal, but maybe you have a thinner sink and a drain made for a thicker sink?
Thanks for the diagram.
In the diagram, between the overflow holes and thread, there is some unthreaded area. If the gasket goes to the unthreaded area, it'll not leak. In my case, the gasket goes to the threaded area and it leaks.
On 02/25/2017 9:06 AM, yky wrote: ...
Sounds like wrong kit for the specific application; the seal for compression fitting is never the threaded portion; if there isn't a smooth surface for the gasket to seal against it simply isn't the correct combination of parts for the sink/drain or combination thereof.
There can be either a compression washer around the outside of a drain pipe section that is compressed by the nut on the connecting end or a flat washer against a mating flat surface with a similar washer that will also have compression or o-ring in it (altho been a long, long time since I've seen one of those back in the early '50s).
Are these all original parts from the drain; did you by chance get a previously-opened box or buy other pieces-parts or trying to reuse old parts to make the connections?
Whatever, something just ain't right if there's not a place for the compression washer to seal against; perhaps it's intended to trim the tailpiece to proper length?
Link to OEM's datasheet for the drainset in question might help...
Agree, which sounds like the drain is made for a thicker sink where the nut will tighten up while the seal is still on the smooth, unthreaded part.
I'd go back and look at other ones where you bought it or go to a plumbing supply.
I think you are right. It's not the correct part. It comes with a new faucet I bought. I'll just buy a new drain.
A thinner sink, you mean? I'll try your silicone suggestion first. If that doesn't work, I'll just buy a new (and correct) one. Thanks.
The parts are your choice to use depending on the model. Toss the metal parts.
put plumber's putty under the flange lip. otherwise, the water seeps under the lip and down the thread and pops out on the rubber washer. the washer is there to maintain pressure pulling on the flange
I filled the thread with silicone, wrapped it with teflon tape, screwed the nut in place. It worked. No more leaking.
On 02/25/2017 5:31 PM, yky wrote: ...
After reading your earlier post, I think we were talking two different issues...I was "underneath the impression" :) it was the tailpipe compression nut but I think I now understand you're talking about the jamb nut under the bowl that holds it mechanically in place.
If so, that is _NOT_ a water seal; the problem if it is leaking there isn't the nut/washer, it's that you either don't have enough plumbers putty to make a full seal or the drain flange isn't seating in the bowl opening properly or it's got a bend or something wrong with it or there's an imperfection in the bowl itself.
There should never be any water on the underside of the bowl itself that has a chance to come out at that location; if there is, the fault is in the seal between the drainset at the top and the bowl opening, _NOT_ in the connection at the bottom side which is mechanical ONLY.
Yes, that's right, I had it reversed.
I'll try your silicone suggestion first. If
It is a water seal. Look at the link to a diagram that I posted. A typical sink has two drain paths, one that you're talking about from the bowl that the water usually goes down. The other is from inside the sink, between it's inner and outer layers, whereby the overflow is routed. The sink drain has holes in it so that it's open in that gap inside the sink, below the hole, so that the overflow water can run into it.
What he has is a situation where the drain pipe has threads for the nut going too far up the pipe, so that when it's tight, some portion of the threads at the top are in that gap area, where there is water, even if the sink isn't overflowing. Water then follows the threads, gets passed the rubber seal under the sink and leaks.
or the drain flange isn't seating in the bowl
Not true, per above. I made that mistake initially too, but when looking at the diagram and thinking about it, I see exactly what he's talking about.
It's also a water seal. Take a look at the diagram in the link I provided. Water doesn't just come from the main drain, in most sinks it comes from the area between the inside of the sink and the outside, whereby the overflow water routes. To intercept that water, that drain piece that is sealed with plumbers putts at the inner sink surface, had HOLES in it just below to allow overflow water in. If the rubber seal below the sink doesn't seal, water leaks out.
On 02/26/2017 11:27 AM, trader_4 wrote: ...
...
OK, I can see a misreading of what was I said, but I repeat the threads on the jamb nut are _not_ the water seal; they're merely mechanical to apply the force to seat the drainset into the plumbers putty sufficiently to fill all the voids.
I stand by the previous that if it's leaking there, either there wasn't sufficient putty used or there's something else preventing it from fully filling the voids; a non-tapered thread cannot be a water seal and isn't intended to be the seal in this location.
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