Why does the Manufacturer say this?

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edwardh3

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St Thomas, a maker of nice sink bowls, says do not use a wrench on the drain fitting- tighten only.
Are their products so weak that a wrench on the drain pipe nut will break the porcelain bowl? They actually say "hand tighten only" on a sticker next to the bowl drain hole.

seems silicone would seal up the big black rubber drain washer and sink drain better/easier than plumbers putty in this case.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Because if the sink has double-lipped drain opening to allow for overflow capability, the mfg of the product can't determine how each and every single person tightens, and to what strength they tighten the assembly down.

The golden rule is to snug, then tighten till leaking stops in dealing with sink assemblies. Tightening down hard can lead to cracks over a period of years from the drain opening to the overflow.

I'd follow instructions to avoid a do-it-twice scenario.
 

Patrick88

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You never want to crank down and type of drain connection. I have seen the plastic slip nut break and cause leaks from plumbers thinking they need to crank down on the nuts. Hand tight or a little more tends to be fine.
 

SRdenny

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I've seen bowls crack, some after months of use. The problem is not overtightening, it's poor drain design. Otherwise, Kohler, American Std., and other major brands would have (and need) the same warning. I especially dislike seeing this warning on pedestal lavies where tightening up the nut after setting the bowl on the pedestal is not an option. :mad:
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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I've seen bowls crack, some after months of use. The problem is not overtightening, it's poor drain design. Otherwise, Kohler, American Std., and other major brands would have (and need) the same warning. I especially dislike seeing this warning on pedestal lavies where tightening up the nut after setting the bowl on the pedestal is not an option. :mad:


This problem could resolve itself if the codes were changed to eliminate the use of overflow ports in pop-up assemblies along with all bowls/sinks made without the ported opening.

It's a bacteria-laden option that results in drain smells. Makes the drain assembly rely heavily on the mack washer for a water tight connection, instead of the trim piece directly visible.
 
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