General Plumbing Question

KB · Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 5:19 pm Post subject: General Plumbing Question

When we built our electric brewery, following Kal's plans and items purchased from him, nowhere in the build did we use silicone or plumbing puddy for plumbing connections. We did use a small amount of silicone during the control panel build.

I bring up as my brew sink is leaking at the drain basket. Remove the basket and notice the plumbing puddy has deteriorated in places allowing water, just a small amount, to get thru and leak under the sink.

Why even use plumbing puddy? Seals, but over time it usually deteriorates. Had same happen to my kitchen sink too.

Thoughts on not using plumbing puddy since we didn't use any in our electric brewery build.

Or, instead of plumbing puddy use a small bead of silicone.

Thoughts and suggestions?

Thanks.

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:13 pm Post subject:

Good question. Not sure as I'm not a plumber. That said, my brewery sink drain basket is sealed underneath using a bead of silicone just like you because we couldn't get it to sit tight and leakfree otherwise (this was done by the professional plumber I hired).

Kal

KB · Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:04 pm Post subject:

I guess it's one of those "old habits die hard" type of things. Plumbers probably have used the puddy for so long they forgot why they use it and don't consider doing things differently. This is similar to the black glob of puddy used to cover up/seal a utility hole (utility, plumbing, AC, etc) from outside into the house. Over time the black glob gets brittle, deteriorates and leaks. When this happens again I'll seal with silicone.

The bead of silicone worked fine. Kal, thanks for the input.

itsnotrequired · Joined: 15 Sep 2015 Posts: 177 Location: central wi

i've used putty under every strainer flange on any sink i have ever done and can't say i ever had a leak. plenty of original plumbing that came with the house, you can see the putty on those and no leaks either. silicone works good for something you will never have to replace, like a shower drain. for something like a sink, those get replaced and dealing with the silicone can be a pain to clean up (assuming you are reusing the strainer) but not the end of the world. silicone works well as it finds its way into all the little nooks and crannies but those really shouldn't be there. cheap and/or damaged materials result in the need for 'band aids'. same deal with using a ton of teflon tape or pipe dope as a fix for something that is not ideal in the first place.

KB · Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:17 pm Post subject:

Maybe depends on the water. We have hard water here. Unfortunately, chemicals fluctuate over the year. Yes, this is public utility water. Maybe the hard water and/or chemicals in the water helps deteriorate the puddy? I really don't know, but I do know both sides of my brewhouse sink have leaked (within 2 years) and we've had the same problem in our kitchen sink.

Builder · Joined: 03 Sep 2017 Posts: 32 Location: Indiana

I've never seen putty leak.