Wax Based Putty - Sink Setup

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Baumgrenze

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I will soon be installing some nice Grohe Classic Wideset Faucet with TDL Handles I recovered from a garage sale sink, on a new Kohler cast iron sink. I know that the classic installation product for this task is plumber's putty (whiting and boiled linseed oil.) I think I even have a tub in the garage somewhere. In hand I have some Ace Rope Caulk Weatherstrip which is a soft putty made from whiting and a soft petroleum wax. It handles like plumber's putty. Has anyone had experience with a wax based caulk for outfitting a sink (faucets and drain?)

thanks,

baumgrenze
 

Baumgrenze

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BAPlumber, thanks for the suggestion.

Grohe has a nice international language 'picture manual' on their website. Tech support kindly sent me a copy (without comment) in reply to an inquiry. I could find no recommendation on the Kohler site. Neither website suggests the use of any putty at all.

As I cleaned off the rock hard linseed/whiting putty from the original installation, it appeared to me that the installer applied so much putty that he had difficulty properly seating the spout. It has a nice o-ring groove to seat on the top of the mounting hole (the o-ring was installed) and a rubber washer to provide a cushion between the C shaped washer and the mounting nut below the sink; it looks as though it should mount neatly without putty. He did not use the entire complement of 6 fiber and rubber washers (2 above the sink and 4 below) to mount the faucet valve bodies. Instead there was a mess of dried up putty here, too. It thoroughly fouled up the pipe threads. The one place where putty seems to make sense is for the mounting of the pop-up drain. I know the 'grass-widow' who owned the house when the sink/vanity was installed. She would have hired a local plumber to do the job.

For the record, I boiled some of the wax/whiting weather strip putty in water for a few minutes. It became a bit softer but did not melt to a liquid and/or separate. Linseed/whiting putty also softens at that temperature. I happen to have it available because it is considered the best available present day seal for the restoration of acoustic suspension loudspeakers where it is used to seal the mounting flange of the speaker to the box. Clearly that is not as 'demanding' a situation as plumbing; it is a dry, room-temperature application. It sure looks like something that would be a lot nicer to clean up should a change-out be desirable in the future.

Tomorrow I hope to find that Barron Park Supply will be able to provide me with fresh mounting washers and o-rings.

Thanks for the input.

baumgrenze
 

Jimbo

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Some faucets do in fact have an o-ring on a the base flange, and on a nice smooth flat surface like a cast iron sink, this is probably all you need to keep water from seeping under.

You will find plumbers putty is a better product today ( many are listed as no-stain in deference to the popularity of marble and other materials.). The can of putty you have in the garage is probably dried out.

The preferred sealant today for many plumbers is silicone caulk. Long lasting, a little more work to put on an clean up-not water cleanup> use denatured alcohol.

But, again, it sounds like your faucet may not need any sealant. Use putty or silicone for the basket strainers.


As an aside, we would always advise against buying faucets at garage sales or the famous auction site. Too many unknowns, and unknown warranty situation. Presumably you got a fantastic deal, and are willing to roll the dice on that situation.
 

Baumgrenze

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The Deal Was Too Good to Ignore

The deal included an ugly, not very well made vanity, a Allia bow-front porcelain sink, and the classic Grohe wide spread faucet set for $20. I moved the sink one too many times and dropped it a few inched down on the concrete slab floor. It ended up in small pieces, one bag at a time, in the garbage can (so as to keep the weight within limits.) Time will tell if I got a good deal. The neighbors who sold it were remodeling and wanted something different.

baumgrenze
 
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