Living in a house with a sink is usually very convenient. But sink installation, especially for the first time, can be a bit tricky and complicated.
- Make sure you have chosen a sink that fits your countertop before purchasing the sink. However, if the sink does not fit even after checking the dimensions of sink and countertop carefully, then it might be possible that your countertop has been compressed or expanded by different temperature variations over years/decades due to which width/depth of cutout for sink has changed. In this case, the sink will not fit no matter how much care you take while measuring the dimensions of sink and cutouts during purchase or how well you might fit sink later.
- If the sink can be lifted up by 1/4 inch, then it might be possible to shave the countertop's edges in order to make the sink fit.
- You could also hire a plumber with experience in fixing appliances and ask them if your sink installation is doable or would it involve too much labor? They will check for you whether a sink can be installed given what type of countertop you have and measure the minimum space required for sink to fit inside cutouts (for undermount sink).
If sink does not fit:
- Ask a plumber to confirm the sink installation plan with you. If the sink cannot be installed, then see if it can be removed from your countertop and sink installation can be done later or you need to choose another sink that fits perfectly in your cuts. Sink installation problems: water leakage at the drain lines, overflow holes
If sink does not fit:
- Make sure plumbing lines for the sink are properly positioned before installing the sink. Overflow holes must align horizontally or vertically with the main drain line of sink or garbage disposal. After checking the plumbing lines carefully, use the plumber's putty around the drain opening on the undermount sink and firmly press it into place using a flathead screwdriver. This will help avoid sink leaks in the future.
- Sometimes the sink's drain lines are not pitched properly and this might cause the sink to leak water over time. You can solve this problem by installing the sink's drain lines at a slightly upward angle so that all the water goes down the drain and does not accumulate over time around the sink.
- It is important to make sure that the sink's overflow hole is clear of any obstruction before installing the sink. If sink has no overflow hole then use a mesh strainer over the sink's drain opening to prevent any objects from going down the drain and getting clogged.
- Sometimes, even if you take all these precautions, sink installation can become a sink headache in the future because garbage disposal in sink clogs drains over time. Use a plumber's putty around the sink's drain openings to ensure that the sink does not leak water when it is in use.
- Check if the sink is tightly secured on the countertop and has all its screws and bolts properly installed and tightened with the right torque strength (usually between 5-8 Nm). If you cannot tighten any screw or bolt on sink then call a plumber immediately.
- Sometimes, even after taking precautions like checking the sink securing mechanism for tightness, tightening/loose screws/bolts, the sink can still wobble or pull away from the wall. In this case, see if you can add some reinforcement to the sink installation area by using L-brackets or other types of metal brackets. You could also use construction adhesive to make the sink more stable and stop it from wobbling or pulling away from the wall.
Sink installation problems: sink does not drain properly
- Sometimes the sink's drain opening is too small and this can cause drainage problems. You can solve this by using a sink strainer over the sink's drain opening to prevent any objects from going down the drain and getting clogged.
- If the sink still drains poorly, then the sink's drain opening might be too small for the sink's drain line to fit tightly. In this case, you will need to replace the sink's drain line with a new one that has a larger diameter and is pitched at a downward angle so that sink drains properly.
Conclusion paragraph:
When it comes to installation of sink , there are a lot of things that can go wrong and we’ve covered some of the most common problems and solutions in this post. We hope you found these tips helpful! If you need assistance with your own plumbing project, feel free to contact us for help.
Author Bio:- Angela Louise
Angela is a marketing manager at EZ Plumbing USA. She has a great interest in educating readers about various leakages that can happen in their home or offices through her articles. With extensive knowledge of water leak and slab leak detection techniques as well as HVAC systems, Angela wants to make readers aware about the warning signs indicating leakage and predictive AC and Heater maintenance and also how to fix them to refrain from dangerous and costly consequences.
Read articles to get more valuable information about detection and damages of water and slab leak repair, techniques to fix clogging, and installation and maintenance of AC & Appliance in San Diego.
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