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Old 12-05-2019, 02:44 PM   #1
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Plumbers putty?

Ok my brand new Vita RV leaks water at the drain where it meets the sink bottom. I took it apart and it had plumbers putty. So cleaned it up and was about to replace with fresh, since it appeared dried out. Was reading plumbers putty, at it said specifically not to use on plastic sinks or fixtures. Said to use Silicone instead. Any thoughts before I put this back together.?
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Old 12-05-2019, 04:37 PM   #2
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No personal experience but this looks informative:

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/instal...nks-28327.html
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Old 12-05-2019, 06:21 PM   #3
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No personal experience but this looks informative:

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/instal...nks-28327.html
Thank you kind of confirms that silicone is caulking of choice when doing plastic. I just did the left sink, next the right one. Man their putty must have been old to be that dried out. This unit was made in April of this year. Onward with my journey to put quality control back into the Winnebago.
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Old 12-05-2019, 07:50 PM   #4
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I was a plumber for 35 years. Quit using putty many many years ago. Silicone is the way to go!
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Old 12-05-2019, 10:52 PM   #5
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I was a plumber for 35 years. Quit using putty many many years ago. Silicone is the way to go!
Terry
Thank you, guess I need to do the other sink for pre failure fix.
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Old 12-11-2019, 04:13 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by lenore View Post
Ok my brand new Vita RV leaks water at the drain where it meets the sink bottom. I took it apart and it had plumbers putty. So cleaned it up and was about to replace with fresh, since it appeared dried out. Was reading plumbers putty, at it said specifically not to use on plastic sinks or fixtures. Said to use Silicone instead. Any thoughts before I put this back together.?
I use clear stuff , in a tube< called "Goop" buy it at Lowe's

It works great on pvc, or metal, as well
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Old 12-11-2019, 04:41 PM   #7
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Silicone sealant is the best way to go and the process that I used on my double galley sink. No issue with leaks after 2 years so far.
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Old 12-11-2019, 07:39 PM   #8
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For non-porous sinks and tubs such as stainless steel, porcelain enamel on steel or on porcelain on cast iron you use regular plumbers putty while on the porous such as soap stone, marble, Corian, non-ABS plastic and similar you use Stain-Free plumbers putty however for ABS plastic you use silicon sealant suitable for submerged use on plumbing. One would not want to use a glue or adhesive designed for a somewhat permanent bond since that could turn a simple drain tailpiece repair into a sink replacement project.

In vessels where food is prepared, animals are watered from, live fish are housed one would want to be careful to use a food and pet safe silicone as those that are not specifically designated as food and pet safe can have fairly potent fungicides and anti-mildew treatments in them. Many people have killed their pet fish using silicone that was not food and pet safe to deal with leaks in their fish tanks and filter systems.



https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-9-...1177/203013821
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Old 12-11-2019, 09:47 PM   #9
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Now is the time to upgrade your sink to stainless steel or china and install a nice faucet. In the bath also. You might as well start upgrading now.
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:25 AM   #10
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So is the consensus that stainless steel sinks and baskets should not use the silicone method? Reading Dentkimterry's response, it sounds as though putty is not the preferred method any longer.
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Old 12-12-2019, 03:48 PM   #11
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Now is the time to upgrade your sink to stainless steel or china and install a nice faucet. In the bath also. You might as well start upgrading now.
Brand new rig, time to fix leaks, but upgrade later.
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Old 12-12-2019, 08:15 PM   #12
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So is the consensus that stainless steel sinks and baskets should not use the silicone method? Reading Dentkimterry's response, it sounds as though putty is not the preferred method any longer.

The right tool is available for every job though some tend to shortcut this for personal convenience and seek a one size fits all approach. Fresh plumbers putty should stay pliable for 15 years even when exposed to high temperatures such as a kitchen sink where boiling water from cooking pots goes down the drain and will not pop its seal, peal away or turn to a hard plastic ring like silicone can be prone too.

The original posters issue was likely from someone using plumbers putty from an old container which was left open for a very long time. If it does not soften when you kneed it in your hands then its too dried out to use and a fresh tub needs to be obtained.

Regular plumbers putty is still the preferred method of sealing nonporous sinks, drains and faucets to nonporous sinks/countertops while Stain-Free is preferred for porous sinks, counters, etc with silicone a substitution if you are out of fresh plumbers putty or working with anything made of ABS Plastic. ABS Plastic products are the Unique Situation where a silicone sealant is preferred however one would need to be carefull to not use a solvent based silicone which can embrittle the ABS Plastic (actually any plastic composite) and cause it to crack around the drain afterwards.

That said though one would need to exercise caution since RV manufacturers are more likely to use ABS plastic vanity sinks with some RV manufactures who mold their own plastic products more likely to have a uniquely sized and/or shaped sink that can be very difficult or perhaps impossible to find a close enough match for from a regular plumbing supply or home center store. While ABS can be plastic welded in the case were you can't get a new sink that can fit the vanity without major rework, finding an exact color matched ABS welding rod and making the weld without some level of discoloration can be very difficult to impossible making refinishing the sink also part of the project. I weld a lot of ABS and other plastics when something unique can not be replaced.

Do not substitute an adhesive caulk where plumbers putty should be used as this many times will make it so that you may end up destroying the sink the next time you need to service the drain body. Drain bodies themselves wear out and fail especially if they have a pop-up stopper and its really miserable going in and trying to replace the drain after someone has used an adhesive to seal it. If you end up destroying a unique sink custom made for or by the RV manufacturer then your simple drain and stopper repair can become a bathroom remodel requiring a new vanity and counter top.
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Old 12-12-2019, 08:49 PM   #13
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The sink in question is a 14 x 25 dual plastic sink installed in the new Vita 24p Motorhome.
When I took the drain out, the putty was beyond dried out, it cracked and fell apart while removing drain. So this is a Manufactured April of 2019 motorhome with dried out putty, another example of poor quality control by Winnebago. We wondered why the Auto industry almost died years ago and it looks like the RV manufacturers just dont care, or have poor floor managers. I am siliconing the drain back in, but maybe fresh putty would be better. According to several posters the silicone is by choice the best option. So far the standing water has not leaked in the last 6 days.
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Old 12-13-2019, 03:54 AM   #14
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I'm still a fan of plumber's putty, in fact I used it on the bathroom sink in the RV just a couple of months ago when replacing a broken drain. The putty that was there was 7 years old and still doing it's job just fine.
Personally I wouldn't wouldn't want silicon or any other product that is going to cause the two pieces to stick together, because I may want to take them apart someday. That joint needs to be sealed, not stuck - there's a difference.
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Old 12-13-2019, 01:48 PM   #15
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I'm still a fan of plumber's putty, in fact I used it on the bathroom sink in the RV just a couple of months ago when replacing a broken drain. The putty that was there was 7 years old and still doing it's job just fine.
Personally I wouldn't wouldn't want silicon or any other product that is going to cause the two pieces to stick together, because I may want to take them apart someday. That joint needs to be sealed, not stuck - there's a difference.
I have quite a bit of plumbing experience and I too am leery of using silicone on anything that may need to be disassembled in the future.

I also agree that fresh plumbers putty is the best way to go.
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