Blog: Fun with Sink Strainers
Menu
Fun with Sink Strainers - Sunday, June 7, 2015
For the last couple weeks, one of our kitchen sinks has had a "do not use" sign taped in front of it because the sink strainer was leaking. The washer underneath the sink was starting to disintegrate, and the putty was starting to crack, allowing water to slowly drip out.
So after watching a few DIY videos on Youtube (especially this one) and perusing the numerous sink strainer options online, I ordered a replacement strainer from Home Depot's website and had it shipped to the store. I picked it up from the store yesterday, along with plumber's putty and a 12" pair of Channellock pliers.
To my frustration, I found that the nut holding the strainer housing to the plastic tailpiece was so tight that trying to turn it with the pliers just caused the whole strainer housing to turn. I found a suggestion online that said to try sticking a pair of needle nose pliers down the strainer to hold it in place, but even that was no match for the stubborn nut. After half an hour of struggling with it, I realized that I wasn't making progress.
Fortunately, our church friend had a 16" pair of Channellock pliers that he let me borrow. So today, using his pliers to hold the strainer assembly in place, I was able to loosen the nut with my pliers on the first try! Unscrewing the big ring holding the assembly to the sink was a bit harder, but with Priscilla clamping hard with one set of pliers, I was able to use the other to finally break the seal on the stuck ring and finally removed the worn-out strainer.
It was then that I discovered that my replacement strainer, carefully chosen to match the old one in height, was actually 1/5 of an inch taller. I thought I was screwed until I realized that the plastic tailpiece is height-adjustable. So plumber's putty on the new strainer, I set it into place and was starting to tighten the ring on the underside when I realized that I'd forgotten to put the plastic tailpiece back into position after I'd taken it out.
So after detaching the new strainer from the sink, putting the tailpiece back in, reapplying the putty, I finally got everything installed and tightened down the ring and the nut. After removing the excess putty that had squeezed out from around the strainer and testing for leaks (I found none), I realized that the strainer was off center from the hole by just a millimeter. Not sure if the old one was as well, but it's barely noticeable and hopefully won't cause a leak. Only time will tell.
And the next time I have to do this, maybe it'll take only two hours of work instead of three!
So after watching a few DIY videos on Youtube (especially this one) and perusing the numerous sink strainer options online, I ordered a replacement strainer from Home Depot's website and had it shipped to the store. I picked it up from the store yesterday, along with plumber's putty and a 12" pair of Channellock pliers.
To my frustration, I found that the nut holding the strainer housing to the plastic tailpiece was so tight that trying to turn it with the pliers just caused the whole strainer housing to turn. I found a suggestion online that said to try sticking a pair of needle nose pliers down the strainer to hold it in place, but even that was no match for the stubborn nut. After half an hour of struggling with it, I realized that I wasn't making progress.
Fortunately, our church friend had a 16" pair of Channellock pliers that he let me borrow. So today, using his pliers to hold the strainer assembly in place, I was able to loosen the nut with my pliers on the first try! Unscrewing the big ring holding the assembly to the sink was a bit harder, but with Priscilla clamping hard with one set of pliers, I was able to use the other to finally break the seal on the stuck ring and finally removed the worn-out strainer.
It was then that I discovered that my replacement strainer, carefully chosen to match the old one in height, was actually 1/5 of an inch taller. I thought I was screwed until I realized that the plastic tailpiece is height-adjustable. So plumber's putty on the new strainer, I set it into place and was starting to tighten the ring on the underside when I realized that I'd forgotten to put the plastic tailpiece back into position after I'd taken it out.
So after detaching the new strainer from the sink, putting the tailpiece back in, reapplying the putty, I finally got everything installed and tightened down the ring and the nut. After removing the excess putty that had squeezed out from around the strainer and testing for leaks (I found none), I realized that the strainer was off center from the hole by just a millimeter. Not sure if the old one was as well, but it's barely noticeable and hopefully won't cause a leak. Only time will tell.
And the next time I have to do this, maybe it'll take only two hours of work instead of three!