42
votes
Accepted
What are the black pads stuck to the underside of a sink?
These are sound-dampening pads:
(Image from https://www.instructables.com/Easily-Soundproof-a-Stainless-Steel-Sink/)
They aren't strictly necessary, but as the name suggests, they do help reduce how ...
- 693
31
votes
Accepted
How can I unscrew this nut with little clearance?
What you want is a basin wrench:
(Source)
The left end pivots so you can reach up under the sink and access the nut.
That said, you have some serious corrosion going on there. You might have to go ...
- 6,218
26
votes
How can I remove a broken knife blade stuck in my sink disposal?
There should be a hole in the center of the bottom of the disposal. A 1/4" allen wrench fits in there so you can spin the insides and loosen stuff stuck in there. You might also be able to jar ...
- 72.4k
20
votes
Accepted
Should I run the tap while dumping boiling water?
April 13, 2016
Purpose: There is some disagreement as to whether boiling water can be poured down a residential kitchen sink without damaging the drain pipe. It might be assumed that if the pipe ...
- 6,204
20
votes
How can I remove a porcelain sink from a granite counter?
A kitchen sink is usually relatively large and when made of porcelain it's probably pretty heavy. The putty knife is a good idea but you're fighting against not just the silicone but also the weight ...
- 24.4k
13
votes
How can I remove a porcelain sink from a granite counter?
Jack up the sink slowly. Take all of the plumbing out, get a car jack or any other type of small jack, put a piece of a 2x6/8 in between and push that thing up.
Once you get a little bit of upward ...
- 47.3k
13
votes
Can I salvage my disaster of an under-sink cabinet for actual storage?
All the supply and drain plumbing for your entire kitchen is in one easily accessible space where it can all be maintained without tools! This is actually pretty cool. Worth sacrificing an under-...
- 28.9k
13
votes
Accepted
Alternative method for connecting sink drain with waste pipe directly under?
Since this is NOT buried in concrete, don't use a glue-together trap at all.
Problem the first (apart from what you mention) is that the vent is too close to the trap - it needs to be at least 2 pipe ...
- 175k
12
votes
Accepted
Can I replace this broken pipe under my kitchen sink?
Yes - that's a "tailpiece" - the new one may be too long, if so, they are made that way so you can cut them to fit - but there's also considerable space to slide them built into the connections, so ...
- 175k
12
votes
How can I stop sink fitting from leaking?
The metal stub from the wall should have a washer inside the sip joint nut (red arrow):
Click to embiggen
If your plastic pipe simply slipped in, then either the washer is completely missing or has ...
- 37.9k
11
votes
garbage disposal relocation
Good pictures. You have an unusual configuration for that drain. Typically, there is only one drain line coming from the wall into the kitchen cabinet. That would have one trap and upstream of the ...
- 3,363
11
votes
How to remove this water shut off valve under the kitchen sink?
That plumbing is PEX which uses compression fittings. You have two styles of compression rings on it, the black-ish ones with the aqua copper corrosion are "copper crimp rings" and the ...
- 4,352
11
votes
Is this sink faucet removable?
Yes, the faucet can be removed. You have to turn those black "nuts" counterclockwise to remove. You'll need a faucet wrench or a pair of chanellocks to remove them. They will be stuck on ...
- 72.4k
11
votes
What are the black pads stuck to the underside of a sink?
Seconding Abe's reply, these are sound dampeners. When we got our stainless steel sink it had them attached. One fell off pretty soon and I noticed more noise so I glued it back in place using regular ...
- 111
10
votes
What type of pipe joint is this, and how do I repair it?
That's known as a slip joint. If you remove the slip nut, you should find a beveled washer on the pipe.
To put the joint together, you'll slide the slip nut onto the upper pipe, followed by the ...
- 130k
10
votes
How can I unscrew this nut with little clearance?
You could use a box spanner, the pipe will go up the body of the spanner and the pin used to turn the spanner is not fixed.
I have used basin wrenches ( I know them as tap wrenches ) but sometime get ...
- 281
10
votes
Garbage Disposal - Water Shoots Up Non-Disposal Side
Replace that 4 way junction with two wyes offset from each other (you might drop the disposal trap a few inches to achieve this) and extend the aav arm as high as possible.
The pressure from the ...
- 28.9k
10
votes
In order to avoid shutting off water to the whole house, can I temporarily terminate a PEX pipe at a closed shut-off valve?
Yes that is fine. Plumbers use sharkbites as well. Just make sure the pex is fully pushed into the sharkbite shutoff. You could even leave them permanently - exposed plumbing is one of the better ...
- 12.6k
9
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to add fluoride to my tap water?
I know this has gotten a bit off topic, but in an attempt to answer the question - according to my wife, a hygienist - your best bet is to use:
Fluoridated toothpaste
Take a fluoride supplement
...
- 2,823
9
votes
Garbage Disposal - Water Shoots Up Non-Disposal Side
Get rid of that double trap setup and that PVC tee monster. Configure a single p-trap to a waste ell on the vertical waste pipe coming out of the floor. A baffle tee goes to the top of the trap with ...
- 33.9k
9
votes
What adhesive is typically used to "glue" a porcelain under-counter sink to a stone countertop
Most likely it's silicone. You should be able to cut it with a razor/knife to free the sink and then scrape/peel it off completely once the sink is out of the way.
- 5,104
8
votes
Can I salvage my disaster of an under-sink cabinet for actual storage?
Building on Ecnerwal's answer. Put something like this in the dead space so it slides to the left. Put the stuff you access frequently in a basket in front of the pipes. Take the basket out and slide ...
- 2,124
8
votes
Feasibility Of Kitchen Sink Swap
Any competent plumber can make the transition from the double sink in the pic to a single sink.
The garbage disposal (it's not a compactor) will be attached to the single drain and your dishwasher can ...
- 8,652
8
votes
Alternative method for connecting sink drain with waste pipe directly under?
Ended up moving the waste pipe in the basement for a cleaner look. Let me know what you guys think.
- 163
7
votes
How can I unscrew this nut with little clearance?
File a bit of steel pipe so that you have two pins that match the notches in the nut - this will lengthen the nut to a point where you can apply normal tools.
- 370
7
votes
Accepted
What are these extra tubes underneath the kitchen sink faucet?
Your faucet has a removable sprayer part.
#2 is the hose that goes to this, it runs through the inside of the faucet and is attached to the faucet temperature valve on one and, and the handheld ...
- 4,887
7
votes
Garbage Disposal - Water Shoots Up Non-Disposal Side
Et voila. This is what you should aim for, but where I drew the red circle you'll replace the wall tube with another tee that goes up to the vent and down to the drain. Turn the disposal around as ...
- 28.9k
7
votes
Is this sink faucet removable?
If you look closely at your first photo, you will see a black plastic nut on the two water line connections. This is called a "faucet nut". You will need a "faucet nut wrench" ...
- 23k
7
votes
Can I salvage my disaster of an under-sink cabinet for actual storage?
This isn't the utilities' fault. This is a bad design that created a lot of dead space.
The keystone problem is the dead corner.
Whenever a kitchen countertop rounds a corner, you have a problem with ...
7
votes
Accepted
Will a 33" sink fit into a 35" wide kitchen cabinet
You said drop in sink. That drops into a hole in the countertop. The countertop sits on top of your cabinets. Your sink will be supported by the countertop. I can see an issue if the sink is wider ...
- 4,105
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