How to Fix your Drain

As drains age, they begin leaking. Often, the piles loosen, the putty dries up or the tape begins to lose its effectiveness, causing water to trickle down the drain. If you have a sink drain that leaks, you can mend it by following the steps outlined here. And by attending to it yourself, you’ll be saving by not calling in a plumber!

First, close the tap before starting work. Next, remove all the fittings of the drain by unscrewing them, using a screwdriver.  Next, take off the tailpiece. Ask a friend or family member to hold the drain pipe from over the sink while you loosen it with pliers.

If your drain has a plastic retainer, unscrew it before the drain pipe comes loose. Now that you have disassembled everything, clean it thoroughly. Check that you have cleaned the previous plumber’s putty from the fittings of the drain. If something is left over, it will weaken the bond when you put it back altogether and begin to leak once more.

Now, coat the part under the rim of the drain pipe with 0.5” thickness of plumbers’ putty to prevent future leakages. Remove any excess putty from the pipe or you will find it very difficult to clean it once it dries. Now, replace the drain pipe into the drain and screw all the fittings to the pipe below the sink. This simple operation will repair your leaky drain.

However, if you have a leaky shower drain, water may collect around the edges and make its way to the ceiling below it. To repair this, cut a panel in your ceiling downstairs. However, if you live in a rented accommodation, speak to your landlord and have him repair it or get his approval before doing it yourself.

Now, place some cloth on the floor just where you want to get down to work. Wear a pair of goggles. Then, make a cut of about 1.5 feet square into your ceiling that’s just below your shower drain, using a saw. Remove the locking unit using pliers and then the gasket.

Now, in the bathroom, loosen and take off the packing nut from the leaky drain. Remove the drain collar and clean the area around it with a putty knife, and clean the shower drain entirely.

Next, take about an inch of plumber’s putty and coat the base of the drain collar with it. Replace the drain collar using a very firm hand or some of the putty you just applied will come off. This is normal, so don’t panic. Once this is done, screw the locking nut tightly again and then take off any extra putty from around here and replace the packaging nut where it belongs. Use silicone caulk to keep this packing nut firmly in place.

To test if the leak is plugged, open the tap and let a little cold water trickle out. Now, if there is no leakage, you will need to repair the drywall. If a leak persists, call a plumber.

Photo Credits: lavenderstreak

Originally posted 2010-04-20 17:59:08.

This post involves:

drain water, drainpipe, Drains, leaks, Plumber, shower drain

... and focuses on:

Drains, Handyman, How to Fix, Plumber, Shower

Posted by Fix Handyman on October 15, 2011 in Drains, Handyman, How to Fix, Plumber, Shower. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.