No wrote:
Charlie S. wrote:
Have an old style double sided kitchen sink that is attached from beneath
the countertop. There are clips of sorts holding it up. There is a small
gap between the basins and the metal trim/casing. The newer basins, from
what I am told, rest on top of the counter.

The faucet leaks at the base when you turn the spout to the right. The
water flows to the gap between the basin and metal casing. The water then
leaks into the cabinet below.

A couple of my plumber friends say I should replace the whole counter,
sinks, and faucets. I really don't want to put that much money into it.
Would rather just fix the leaky faucet and seal the gap between the basin
and metal casing. They don't seem to like that idea at all. I guess it
must be difficult or time consuming to fix these types of leaks.

For now, I just don't use the right sink. Would like to just replace the
faucet, but one plumber said don't bother as it still would leak between the
seams. My guess would be if I replace the faucet, all I would need to do is
caulk up the gap to prevent any residual water from going down.

Is my thinking faulty? Is there a caulking that's safe to use in the
kitchen? Are faucets difficult to replace in an older system? Feel like
I'm fighting an uphill battle with these plumbers.

Wouldn't think of replacing the faucet myself. Seems like they are
impossible to get off.



Hey charlie - You sure those plumbers are really plumbers?

You have an under mount sink. These are very common in granite or solid
surface countertops. The top mount style are used with laminate counter
tops. They are not a newer style.

You need to do only two things. Total cost under $5. Total time less
than an hour. 1 trip to hardware store if all goes well.

First - You need to tighten up the screws that hold up your sink if
needed. After you tighten it up, or not, you then will caulk the joint
between the sink and counter top. This will cost you $4 for a decent
tube of caulk.

Second - You need to fix the leak. Don't replace the faucet for a leak
like this. Sounds like this is a single handle faucet or a double with a
spout in the middle. Likely a single handle - LMost singles will have
repair kits will all parts needed for every repair. You only need one or
two O rings.

Shut off the water. Figure out how to remove the handle. Google the make
and model of the faucet. There will then be an outer body and an inner
guts. Removing this is specific to each make and model. What you want to
get at are the rubber O rings between the middle and the outer chrome
body. Take off the old one and match them up at a good hardware store.
Should cost you about .50 cents. If you go to home cheapo bring your
model number. You will likely have to get a kit with the entire guts. If
you go that route it may cost $10 or $20. The kit may even come with any
tools you need like allen wrenches. If you get the kit put in all the
parts from the kit and you will be good as new.

I agree with you on replacing the O-rings but my read of the OPs
description makes me think that the sink is not an undermount in todays
terms. Sounds more like the old style that had a metal trim ring that
sits on top of the counter and the sink hangs from that. If the clips
are rusted or the trim ring is bent the OP has a big problem.

If the trim is not bent you can try tightening the clips but if the
plywood is soft it won't do much. You would have to get a piece of
metal under the tip of the screw to keep the plywood from crushing.
Don't take out more than one clip at a time and don't get under that
(cast iron?) sink if it is sagging even a little bit. Don't bother
going to the Borg to find replacement clips, try Ace, True Value or
'that little place on the edge of town'.

If the sink can't be tightened up a cheap SS replacement might be the
way to go if you can find one the right size to cover the hole. Then
you can caulk all around the sink and set it on top of the counter.