Plumber's Putty swells out

firefly · Jul 27, 2008

I used plumber's putty under the flange of my metal basket strainer in my stainless kitchen sink. As weeks go by, the stuff seems to absorb water and swells out. If I remove the oozed-out stuff it keeps coming out (over time). Should I re-install the basket assembly with silicone sealant?

hj · Jul 27, 2008

putty

No, you should finish tightening the strainer, or rather reset it properly and then retighten it. It is oozing out because you did not tighten it enough to squeeze it out in the first place, as time goes by it "settles" itself in and pushes out some of the excess putty. You probably had too much putty and some squeezed out under the sink. You didn't remove it so it interfered when you tried to tighten the locknut.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

firefly · Jul 30, 2008

putty

I tightened the lock nut another turn. Hopefully it works. I originally was afraid to go so tight thinking all the putty would squish out leaving no material to make a seal.

Redwood · Jul 30, 2008

I would have taken it apart, cleaned it up, applied new plumbers putty, and reset it. Not just tighten it more.

hj · Jul 31, 2008

putty

If you got putty in the locknut's threads it may NEVER tighten properly, and once water gets in the joint, the putty may not seal properly regardless of how tight you make it. Take it apart and redo it correctly.

firefly · Sep 7, 2008

plumber's putty

if i take it apart, i will use silicone sealant. how can one argue against it? maybe there is concern about a tough disassembly next time the sink gets overhauled?

NHmaster · Sep 7, 2008

Do NOT USE SILICONE, unless you plan on never servicing the basket again. The putty does not seal anything, thats not it's purpose. The seal comes from the gasket underneath the sink between the sink and the strainer nut.

Redwood · Sep 7, 2008

On a kitchen sink the seal is 100% the putty.

No doubt you are using the type of strainer that has a large nut to secure it. I would suggest getting rid of that one and getting one that uses a double cup and a smaller nut to secure it. They are much more forgiving. The large nut has a huge surface area and a lot of friction to overcome. In addition to that throw in excess putty and you have a strainer that you will never get tight.

NHmaster · Sep 7, 2008

Betch a 6er that I can use no putty at all and the drain won't leak.

Redwood · Sep 7, 2008

Whatcha got up your sleeve? It's coming right down the threads...

Jimbo · Sep 7, 2008

firefly said:
the stuff seems to absorb water and swells out.-quote]

Putty cannot absorb any water, really. If it is oozing out, you probably had too much, and did not tighten it enough. The metal flange should be essentially flush right to the sink, not propped up by some putty.

Wrex · Sep 7, 2008

I hope that you are tightening the nut with a strainer nut wrench or water pump pliers and not trying to nudge it tight with a screwdriver.

It will never get properly tightened that way.

Plumber's Putty swells out

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