Good question, l always use putty on bathroom sinks, doesn’t matter if it’s a metal or plastic drain assembly. I sometimes use a small amount of silicone under at rubber cone washer as this is a very common leak point on pop up’s.
I have a leaky bathtub drain. I took out the drain flange and sure enough, the putty was cracked and the rubber gasket between the shoe and tub was broken. I replaced the gasket with a new 1/8" rubber gasket, then teflon taped the drain flange threads and used plumber's putty for the sealant. This did not work. The drain still leaked. I poured water straight into the shoe to make sure the pvc shoe wasn't the issue. My questions would be 1: should I put silicone in place of putty around the flange (as you advise in your video), and 2: should I put a bead of silicone the top of the shoe then put the rubber gasket on that to hold it in place? The shoe is just slightly off-center, (1/4" or so), so not sure if that is what is causing the poor seal or if it's the putty sealant around the flange. Any advice?
Start with plugging off the tub & adding enough water to cover the drain in tub. Does it still leak? If not then you know it’s not the putty and it is coming from the seal underneath. If it does leak then you know it is the putty and l would clean it off & redo it with silicone. You should not need any sealant on threads of plug. Good luck, I hope this helps!
Our kitchen sink just won't stay leak free. New basket, new lower gasket, new plumbers putty above... Cleaned everything up but the putty oozed for weeks and we got leaking down through the basket assembly onto the drain body threads consistently. Every couple days it would re-start. (Tip: make a thin snake of paper towel and tie it around suspect leak spots and it will wick the moisture and you'll know which spot is leaking more easily.)can't seem to dig up the foam top gaskets around here. Going to try silicone this time around.
@@SethJayson lf you can get your hands on a kindred 1135 they have a plastic basket & tailpiece & are pretty leak proof. The only issue I’ve run into is you need a bit more space between bottom of sink and piping for them to fit properly but if they fit they don’t leak. Good luck!
So basically it's best to use plumbers putty for areas that have easy access, and areas that require lots of replacements or maintenance over time correct?
The drain you showed that you used putty on was a plastic drain. More putties say not to use them on plastic as it has some kind of chemical reaction with the plastic over time and degrades the plastic - unless this has somehow been debunked, but it is written on the putty container I recently bought.
Great tips. What about to seal under that pop-up drain, I have a gasket but is leaking. Not the top of the sink, but at the bottom. Should I use putty or silicone? Any tips? Thanks.
@@LuisSanchez-jj1os If you mean the cone shaped gasket underneath those are one of the most common leak spots. First you need to make sure it’s dry on both sides of gasket, push gasket into place, small bead silicone around where gasket meets drain threads & tighten nut, let dry. That usually does it. Hope it helps!
Thanks this was really helpful. I currently have water underneath the vinyl lining of my bathtub due to lack of seal between the bath drain and lining. Any recommendations on temporary fixes before we go ahead and replace the tub? Thanks again!
You need to find exactly where the water is leaking from, fix the leak if it’s coming from the drain itself or completely dry and re-seal the affected area as a temporary measure, thanks for watching!
Once the drain is threaded in & tight if l can get to the underside l will take the excess silicone from around the drain flange in tub or shower and apply to the seam on the outer part of gasket and fitting underneath. This isn’t necessary but it does add a bit more waterproofing to the underside in case the gasket fails. Thanks for watching!
How do you get out a drain thats been siliconed in mine is so tight i broke off the little cross in the middle and there is no access pannel to fix the she if it cracks getting thenold drain out. I dont want to have to remove the tub as we are on fourth floor of a condo
@@donaldotsig6818 I have dealt with this issue before & it happens on putty drains as well they corrode, break & will not turn. I have had to open up the ceiling in the unit below to properly change the drain out. You can try carefully cutting the drain out with hacksaw blade from in tub but always prepare for the possibility of opening ceiling below if you can’t remove it. It really depends on the buildings policies but you may have to hire a pro. Good luck!
what do you do about water pooling around the kitchen sink drain? I used a gasket, and the drain flange sits slightly above the hole, causing water to pool and not drain 100%
@@kmfa75 lt has to be a foam gasket which is only supplied with certain brands of basket strainers. The foam compresses very well, whereas rubber will not. If you have the foam gasket already then I’m not sure why the water would be pooling. If it’s rubber replace with foam or use putty. Hope this helps!
As long as it’s made for kitchens & bathrooms it doesn’t matter. I prefer to use clear just because it’s not as visible against different coloured fixtures.
There doesn’t seem to be room for a drain gasket in my tub…can I use silicone caulking in place of the gasket? I can’t find a gasket thin enough to fit
@@FrancoDFernando If it’s on an existing tub the drain gasket may already be in place on underside of tub. You can just replace the top part & use silicone as shown. This is the main sealing point for the drain. Hope this helps!
Bathroom & kitchen sink drains require more maintenance so l would use putty in those cases as the drain is easily accessible & usually needs to be disassembled.
Thank you for the video. You mention how putty cracks over time, but for more than one occasion you are using putty, without saying why. Please elaborate. Thanks again...
Thanks for watching, I use putty in readily accessible locations because the parts of these fixtures need to be repaired or replaced much more often than a concealed tub drain or shower drain. Old putty also cleans up much easier than silicone.
@@JENSENDIY the amount of that stuff you put on there (looked like half the tube) is going to make yours or the next guys job impossible, drains get replaced, tubs to have rust stains on them on occasion, especially the cheap stuff that apartments use! Also has anyone told you that you look like The actor Timothy Bottoms? He's one of my favorite actors and why I clicked on the video in the first place.
I only use silicone when the drain will be concealed because it holds up better than putty over time in my experience. I have never been told that I look like Timothy Bottoms but I agree he is a great actor! Thanks for watching@@tbewin1z143
@@Alundrahs lt makes no difference using too much. The excess is removed after tightening & put back in its container. Using too little is where you will run into problems.
If I go with a metal pop up assembly for the bathroom sink instead of plastic would you still use putty or silicone?
Good question, l always use putty on bathroom sinks, doesn’t matter if it’s a metal or plastic drain assembly. I sometimes use a small amount of silicone under at rubber cone washer as this is a very common leak point on pop up’s.
Thanks!I was under the impression to use silicone for metal but if it doesn’t leak that’s all that matters.
@@JENSENDIY what about with marble sinks? The manufacturers say not to use putty because it will stain stone and porous materials
@@twitchascension l would use silicone in that case.
I read somewhere that you shouldn't use plumber's putty on plastic or ABS.
Putty isn’t recommended on pvc plastics.
I have a leaky bathtub drain. I took out the drain flange and sure enough, the putty was cracked and the rubber gasket between the shoe and tub was broken. I replaced the gasket with a new 1/8" rubber gasket, then teflon taped the drain flange threads and used plumber's putty for the sealant. This did not work. The drain still leaked. I poured water straight into the shoe to make sure the pvc shoe wasn't the issue. My questions would be 1: should I put silicone in place of putty around the flange (as you advise in your video), and 2: should I put a bead of silicone the top of the shoe then put the rubber gasket on that to hold it in place? The shoe is just slightly off-center, (1/4" or so), so not sure if that is what is causing the poor seal or if it's the putty sealant around the flange. Any advice?
Start with plugging off the tub & adding enough water to cover the drain in tub. Does it still leak? If not then you know it’s not the putty and it is coming from the seal underneath. If it does leak then you know it is the putty and l would clean it off & redo it with silicone. You should not need any sealant on threads of plug. Good luck, I hope this helps!
As someone that worked construction, you earned a like with "Well that really depends..." haha
Appreciate the video. Does the silicone product need to state it is waterproof? Any recommendations?
I always use a kitchen & bath rated silicone. I usually use a brand called PlumbRite.
Our kitchen sink just won't stay leak free. New basket, new lower gasket, new plumbers putty above... Cleaned everything up but the putty oozed for weeks and we got leaking down through the basket assembly onto the drain body threads consistently. Every couple days it would re-start. (Tip: make a thin snake of paper towel and tie it around suspect leak spots and it will wick the moisture and you'll know which spot is leaking more easily.)can't seem to dig up the foam top gaskets around here. Going to try silicone this time around.
@@SethJayson lf you can get your hands on a kindred 1135 they have a plastic basket & tailpiece & are pretty leak proof. The only issue I’ve run into is you need a bit more space between bottom of sink and piping for them to fit properly but if they fit they don’t leak. Good luck!
So basically it's best to use plumbers putty for areas that have easy access, and areas that require lots of replacements or maintenance over time correct?
Yes, that’s what l like to do because putty is much easier to clean off old parts than silicone.
The drain you showed that you used putty on was a plastic drain. More putties say not to use them on plastic as it has some kind of chemical reaction with the plastic over time and degrades the plastic - unless this has somehow been debunked, but it is written on the putty container I recently bought.
What would cause my drain to Crack? Its happened twice in 2 years
Great tips. What about to seal under that pop-up drain, I have a gasket but is leaking. Not the top of the sink, but at the bottom. Should I use putty or silicone? Any tips? Thanks.
@@LuisSanchez-jj1os If you mean the cone shaped gasket underneath those are one of the most common leak spots. First you need to make sure it’s dry on both sides of gasket, push gasket into place, small bead silicone around where gasket meets drain threads & tighten nut, let dry. That usually does it. Hope it helps!
Thanks this was really helpful. I currently have water underneath the vinyl lining of my bathtub due to lack of seal between the bath drain and lining. Any recommendations on temporary fixes before we go ahead and replace the tub? Thanks again!
You need to find exactly where the water is leaking from, fix the leak if it’s coming from the drain itself or completely dry and re-seal the affected area as a temporary measure, thanks for watching!
Great video. When you say putting the silicone underneath, do you mean between the gasket and the tub or between the gasket and the drain pipe??
Once the drain is threaded in & tight if l can get to the underside l will take the excess silicone from around the drain flange in tub or shower and apply to the seam on the outer part of gasket and fitting underneath. This isn’t necessary but it does add a bit more waterproofing to the underside in case the gasket fails. Thanks for watching!
How do you get out a drain thats been siliconed in mine is so tight i broke off the little cross in the middle and there is no access pannel to fix the she if it cracks getting thenold drain out. I dont want to have to remove the tub as we are on fourth floor of a condo
@@donaldotsig6818 I have dealt with this issue before & it happens on putty drains as well they corrode, break & will not turn. I have had to open up the ceiling in the unit below to properly change the drain out. You can try carefully cutting the drain out with hacksaw blade from in tub but always prepare for the possibility of opening ceiling below if you can’t remove it. It really depends on the buildings policies but you may have to hire a pro. Good luck!
Thank you totally agree
Thank you for the tutorial! Which silicone sealant do you use?
@@1Crochetqueen Plumb Rite Silicone but it really just needs to be a quality silicone made for kitchen & bath. Thanks for watching!
what do you do about water pooling around the kitchen sink drain? I used a gasket, and the drain flange sits slightly above the hole, causing water to pool and not drain 100%
@@kmfa75 lt has to be a foam gasket which is only supplied with certain brands of basket strainers. The foam compresses very well, whereas rubber will not. If you have the foam gasket already then I’m not sure why the water would be pooling. If it’s rubber replace with foam or use putty. Hope this helps!
Does it need to be translucent silicon or can it be the white kind?
As long as it’s made for kitchens & bathrooms it doesn’t matter. I prefer to use clear just because it’s not as visible against different coloured fixtures.
There doesn’t seem to be room for a drain gasket in my tub…can I use silicone caulking in place of the gasket? I can’t find a gasket thin enough to fit
@@FrancoDFernando If it’s on an existing tub the drain gasket may already be in place on underside of tub. You can just replace the top part & use silicone as shown. This is the main sealing point for the drain. Hope this helps!
For the bathtub drain, do I need to remove the old silicone first make it nice and clean ?
Yes, definitely has to be clean & dry before applying silicone.
Hello, what about a rubber gasket instead of silicone for the shower drain ? Have you ever tried that? Thanks for the video
I have not done that as it’s not the proper way to install. The rubber gasket is meant to go on the underside of shower drain. Thanks for watching!
@@JENSENDIYGuessing he was referring to the ‘foam’ gasket on top v. putty.
Why was putty ok for the 2nd and later options?
Bathroom & kitchen sink drains require more maintenance so l would use putty in those cases as the drain is easily accessible & usually needs to be disassembled.
Thank you for the video. You mention how putty cracks over time, but for more than one occasion you are using putty, without saying why. Please elaborate. Thanks again...
Thanks for watching, I use putty in readily accessible locations because the parts of these fixtures need to be repaired or replaced much more often than a concealed tub drain or shower drain. Old putty also cleans up much easier than silicone.
What brand do u use
I use PlumbRite when l can but any kitchen and bath silicone will work.
Nice info
If the tub ever rusts you are not going to be able to do any repairs with all that goop you put on there, or switch out the drain in the future!
If a tub rusts, which it should never do even if it’s an enameled steel tub then you have a much larger issue than some silicone around the drain.
@@JENSENDIY the amount of that stuff you put on there (looked like half the tube) is going to make yours or the next guys job impossible, drains get replaced, tubs to have rust stains on them on occasion, especially the cheap stuff that apartments use!
Also has anyone told you that you look like The actor Timothy Bottoms? He's one of my favorite actors and why I clicked on the video in the first place.
I only use silicone when the drain will be concealed because it holds up better than putty over time in my experience. I have never been told that I look like Timothy Bottoms but I agree he is a great actor! Thanks for watching@@tbewin1z143
I liked your vid because
1. I can tell you cleaned your bathtub and sinks for this demo!
2. Great video, perfect length
I got it loose using a heat gun and then the tapered extraction tool. Thank god.
USE SILICONE. IF IT DOES NOT SQUEEZE OUT, BE WARY. YOU WILL SPEND TIME WIPING SILICONE WITH FINGERS. -taught by múltiple máster plumbers.
Thanks too late. I used silicone on my kitchen sink
@@thebobsmith1991 Silicone will work fine on kitchen sink drains, it’s just harder to clean off & prep surfaces when repairs are needed in the future.
That’s a lot of putty bro
@@Alundrahs lt makes no difference using too much. The excess is removed after tightening & put back in its container. Using too little is where you will run into problems.