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A friend, (not a plumber) recently installed a new kitchen sink for me. It drains very slow & some of the water is coming out of the 'elbow' pipe under the sink & is now going into a bucket. That may just need tightening but, could there have been a piece of something placed in the sink drain for shipping purposes? Thank you, Deanna926 ;-)
Did your old sink drain OK or did it just start after the new sink was installed? Have you snugged up the nut on the trap or is the leak coming from somewhere else? This is PVC isn't it? Back to you, Tom
Hi SpeedBall1,
Old sink was just fine & yes, PVC. My husband passed away before he had a chance to install the new sink.
The leak seemed to be coming from above the 'elbow' (maybe that's the trap you're referring to) under the sink but has stopped dripping water into the bucket since I first posted my question.
Today's problem is, my sink stopped draining all together. I poured a cup of drain cleaner in twice & although it was slow, it did drain but still, none in the bucket. Too bad that isn't my current problem because I could just 'snug' up all the joints, if tightening is what you meant.
Oh, how I wish I would have paid more attention. Message to the women reading this... learn as much as you can & above all, learn where the water shut off is; including the main shut off that's outside.
My friend that installed this sink is busy most of the time so I'm willing to try the fix before the next step, call a plumber.
Thank you!
Deanna926
Good Morning Deanna.
My sincere condolences on your husband. I too live alone and know what it means to lose some one.
Most likely your sink is clogged in the wall and must be snaked. I can walk you, or your friend, through the process. Do you want to try clearing it yourself or do you plan on calling a plumber?
What's your pleasure.
Warning!! If you 0put Draino or other caustic drain cleaners down the drain the caustic solution's still down there and can burn your hands or damage your eyes. Use rubber gloves and goggles when you open up the trap.
And speaking of using drain cleaners, As a repair plumber I have never recommended using harsh chemicals. In your drainage system. Besides they only seem to work in TV commercials and when you try to remove the water you could burn your hands or damage your eyes.
Let me know what you plan to do.
If you plan on doing the work yourself you'll need an hand held snake. Let me know, Tom
Hi Tom,
Thank you & my condolences to you as well. Six months is coming up & this is the longest that I've ever lived alone & it'll take awhile to get used to.
I'd rather not ask the family friend to tackle this project again because he's just too busy so, I'll take the challenge myself & if it's too much, I can always call a plumber.
My husband was the ultimate handyman & there's enough tools in his shop to open a store but I sure don't remember seeing a snake. Before I go searching there or shopping at Home Depot, there's a couple of questions I have. Because the sink I had taken out drained just fine, why wouldn't the new one act the same? Also, 'friend' did not tighten the sink or faucet down so I'm tempted to ask Home Depot if there could have been some sort of packaging in the sink that could have possibly slipped into the drain during installation.
The plan is to make the sink my weekend project. Step one, make sure I have a hand held snake, shut off the water... &, great advice on the rubber gloves, goggles & NO MORE drain cleaner!
Can you think of anything else that I should be aware of?
Thank you again!
Deanna926
Trust me! It does get better. I got a dog for companionship and that helped a lot. In time you might even prefer living alone. It has its perks. Hang in there!Quote:
Six months is coming up & this is the longest that I've ever lived alone & it'll take awhile to get used to.
Back to your sink.You'd think so wouldn't you? What might have happened is that installing the drain he might have dislodged some gunk built up on the pipe walls and that's what's clogging your sink.Quote:
Because the sink I had taken out drained just fine, why wouldn't the new one act the same
Not very likely! You have to "trim" out the sink, (install the basket strainers and faucet) before installing so, even before the sink is set on the counter everything should be clear.Quote:
I'm tempted to ask Home Depot if there could have been some sort of packaging in the sink that could have possibly slipped into the drain during installation.
If you're saying he didn't tighten the sink clips and the faucet's loose you will hafta to complete his sloppy work. You might need a few extra tools for this. Purchase a nut driver, if the clips have hex head bolts, to tie the sink down. Also a small tube of Dap White Tub and Tile Caulk. (see image) Squeeze some Dap on the counter where the sink rim will go and tighten down the clips. Wipe off the excess caulk with a damp cloth. For that loose faucet a basin wrench, (see image) will let you tighten down the retaining nuts on the faucet. Are you still with me?Quote:
Also, 'friend' did not tighten the sink or faucet down
Now, after you've completed setting the sink, (I hope there isn't a disposal involved) we can address the slow drain thingy.
Sponge the water out of the sink and place a bucket under the trap. Now remove the nuts form the "J" bend of the trap. CAREFUL!! Watch splashing any in your eyes! Now sen your sink up through the tail of the trap into the wall, (see image). You'll run into a bend about 8 inches in but once past that you only have to put out 6 more feet of snake. Reinstall the trap and test buy filling the sink up and letting it drain. That should get it but if it doesn't we'll go to plan "B". Good luck, Tom
Hi Tom,
Another friend looked at my project & said the wrong sink was purchased. There are no clips to hold it down, no way to tighten the faucet & the opening is too big. Neither of us had any way of knowing that your good advice would not work & now I'll call a plumber. Thank you so very much for your help. :Deanna926
Let us know if we can help with the new sink. Good luck, Tom
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