Choose The Right Drain Company For Sink Drain Replacement
There are different kinds of drains in your home that can become clogged or corroded over time, leading to leaky pipes and resulting in damage to walls, flooring, furniture, and even electrical systems. At New Canadian Drain & Plumbing, we are the top referred drain company in the Greater Toronto Area because of our knowledge, experience, and quality of work. From Aurora to Pickering to all communities in between, we can provide you with innovative and affordable to solutions to all your plumbing needs.
As the top drain company in Ontario, we often get questions from home and business owners about common plumbing-related issues — how to stop a leak, how to replace a stop valve, ways to improve water pressure — and believe it is our obligation to educate customers so they can make informed decisions. If we can help someone make a very basic repair on their own without calling a professional, we are more than happy to do it because that is what has made our company so successful over the years. A commitment to helping customers save money, and the community at large.
As any homeowner knows, drains get clogged over time. Sometimes corrosion sets in due to constant use or build-up of “crud” — a catch-all phrase plumbers use to describe accumulated hair, grease, oil and other items that appear in drains over the years. Most customers first notice a problem with their sink drain, as water is not draining as quickly as it should. This may be one reason to call a drain company for advice or service.
Replacing Your Sink Drain
In our experience, we have come across many do-it-yourself homeowners who are more than qualified to replace their sink drain on their own. If you like getting your hands dirty, have a desire to save money, and want to do basic plumbing repairs, then replacing a sink drain instead of calling a drain company may be a good place to start.
Tools That You Will Need
Some do-it-yourself fans go totally overboard and have tools and equipment that would make many professionals proud. While they are nice to have and a good conversation starter around the water cooler, for instance, you do not need a back hoe to dig a hole when a hand shovel will work, right? The same goes with replacing a sink drain. In this case, you will need the following:
- A pair of average pliers. Not needle nose style, not vice grip or locking. Just pliers, with the tips wrapped in a single layer of masking tape to protect fittings.
- A Spud Wrench. This type of wrench is designed for a very specific purpose, to loosen and tighten sections of older pipe. In many cases, a standard adjustable wrench will do the job, too.
- A Hammer, 12 or 16 ounce is more than sufficient.
Steps to Follow
If you want to replace the drain yourself rather than calling a drain company, here are the steps to follow:
- Loosen and remove the coupling nuts from the top end of the tailpiece using pliers, then remove the tailpiece from the sink strainer body.
- Use the Spud Wrench to undo the locknut.
- Keep the strainer assembly from rotating while removing the locknut by bracing the assembly with the pliers.
- Remove the sink drain assembly and scrape off old putty, but be careful not to damage the lip.
- Attach the adhesive gasket that came with the new sink drain, or apply some plumber’s putty to the drain opening to prevent leaks and create a tighter fit.
- Finally, attach the new strainer in the opening, then the gasket, friction ring, and locknut from underneath the sink. You will also tighten the locknut, and then reattach the tailpiece. Remember to clean off excess putty around the drain opening.
Things to Remember
As you are disassembling any plumbing fixtures and installing new ones, always keep track of all pieces — threaded fittings, washers, and so forth — so they do not end up inside of pipes or the new drain without you realizing it. Visit us on Google+