Industry News

A kitchen sink strainer is installed to prevent solid objects from being washed down the drain. This will help prevent clogs from forming in the plumbing system. Sometimes an old sink strainer will need to be replaced to repair a leak underneath the sink. Before replacing a sink strainer due to a leak, one should attempt to tighten the slip nut and replace the rubber gasket and fiber washer within the sink strainer assembly to see if that solves the problem.

Materials

A WUZHOU KINGDA kitchen sink strainer assembly is made up of several components. These include the strainer itself, rubber gasket, fiber washer and the lock-nut that holds the assembly together. Those installing a new kitchen sink strainer will need an adjustable wrench, spud wrench, putty knife and plumber's putty. These materials should be readily available at home improvement or hardware stores.

Removal

Before installing a new kitchen sink strainer, the existing strainer will need to be removed. This can be done by locating the tailpiece underneath the sink. The tailpiece is the section of pipe directly connected to the sink drain. Use an adjustable wrench to loosen the slip nut located at the top of the tailpiece directly below the sink strainer. Once the slip nut has been loosened with the wrench, it can easily be twisted off by hand to remove the entire tailpiece. Next the lock-nut will need to be removed. The lock-nut is a large nut that encircles the base of the strainer. This nut can be difficult to remove due to its size. A special tool called a spud wrench is designed to remove this nut and will make the job much easier. Use the spud wrench to remove the lock-nut, which will free the strainer. The sink strainer can now be pulled out of the sink from the top. There should be some old putty remaining where the strainer was removed. Use a putty knife to scrape it away to ready the drain for the installation of the new sink strainer.

Installation

Clean the sink thoroughly before installing a new sink strainer. Make a rope of putty and apply it to the lip of the drain opening where the strainer will be placed. Insert the strainer into the drain and press it down into the putty. Next, slip a rubber gasket and then a fiber washer onto the bottom of the sink strainer underneath the sink. The lock-nut should now be screwed onto the bottom of the sink strainer tightly. This will keep the sink strainer in place. Once the lock-nut is properly tightened, the tailpiece can be attached to the bottom of the strainer. Tighten the slip nut to complete the installation.