Galley Sink Drain replacement and Microwave

pablosgirl · April 29, 2011, 03:32:35 AM

Cyndi opened the drawer under the sink to find it full of water after using the sink. After removing the drawer to dry she reached in to see if she could tighten the drain where it meets the sink and it came off in her hand. Seems the plastic drain broke right at the flange. Found the exact replacement at WM and bought two thinking that the other would also be due to fail soon too. Pretty straight forward to swap out the flange. But getting the 90 degree elbow to not leak where it threads on to the drain flange has been a real nightmare. The elbow should have been designed with a compression gasket where it meets the drain flange like a house sink. I tried Teflon tape and plumbers putty to no avail. Should I use pipe dope on the threads and not back off once they are in position for the hose and the tee between them?? What have others tried? Please reply with your ideas.

Lance Jones · April 29, 2011, 06:49:30 AM

I did a variation of this: http://www.c34.org/projects/kindred-spirit/sink_drain.html

Ken Juul · April 29, 2011, 08:22:02 AM

It they are threaded on....having a hard time understanding why they would leak. If too loose, perhaps using polysulfide or silicone caulk will help. Let thoroughly dry before testing. Also make sure it is not the sink/flange joint, a small leak there will run down and show itself at the bottom.

Ted Pounds · April 29, 2011, 09:22:43 AM

Go to Home Depot and get bar-sink drains. They fit right in but they're REAL SS plumbing fixtures, not the cheap, plastic crap that was on there. While you're doing that replace the whole drain system with real PVC sink drains and an adapter to the through-hull. That way your sink will drain much better. There's a thread on here about how to do it. (Or maybe it's on the Wiki.) It's inexpensive and well worth the effort.

Lance Jones · April 29, 2011, 11:41:33 AM

Ted, that's what my link was to.

Stu Jackson · April 29, 2011, 12:44:41 PM

Ah, Lance did his in a quite unique way: http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sink_Access

Ron Hill · April 29, 2011, 06:45:27 PM

Paul : Most of us have changed out the sink drain to the "SS bar sink" fittings as mentioned. Then attach a 1 1/4" (1 1/8?) thin wall PVC horizontal pipe to an adapter that connects to a vertical 1" hose to the thru hull.

You'll be amazed at the speed the sink drains - it even swirls!!!

scotty · May 01, 2011, 07:57:12 PM

and hopefully I can then put a microwave oven under the sink. This is on one of the threads and looks like a really good idea.

Ron Hill · May 02, 2011, 03:25:13 PM

Scotty : I wouldn't recommend putting anything electrical, that is as unprotected as a microwave under a sink!! Even our water heater is in jeopardy under that sink and it is somewhat self contained.
A thought

Stu Jackson · May 02, 2011, 04:54:10 PM

Scotty, our microwave is under the sink, protected in its own plywood box. Been working fine for 25 years (14 of them are ours).

Ron Hill · May 02, 2011, 05:27:35 PM

Scotty : I forgot to mention that you should look at the the neatest (in my openion) "after market" microwave installation that I have seen made to a C34.
The microwave is suspended from the overhead directly over the galley sink.
It's at eye level, out of the way, doesn't change any existing cabinetry and handy to get to. A thought

Michael Shaner · May 02, 2011, 08:07:27 PM

Mr. Hill,

I don't think I've seen that one...I imagine chasing 120V to it in an aesthetically pleasing way could be challenging...at the risk of hijacking a thread, a pic by chance??

scotty · May 03, 2011, 08:46:44 AM

Good points. Look at the Mainsheet magazine tech notes (Vol. 28, No. 3, August 2010) for an example of under-sink plumbing and microwave installation, with GFI. Putting the microwave inside a waterproof plastic shroud would be a good idea. Over the sink sounds interesting too. Wires can be channeled in nice teak (or white plastic) pieces to be aesthetic.

Steve W10 · May 03, 2011, 09:10:38 AM

Hey Paul. Last year I installed a microwave under the sink and the biggest problem I had was finding a unit that would fit under the existing plumbing. I ended up replacing the factory drain with this much lower profile one....

http://ambassadormarine.com/search.php?action=Detail&series=S00-0101-%28series%29

It gave me more than an inch of extra space between the water heater and sink drains. The only drawback I see with these units is that they are secured with only a screw down the centre of the drain into the plastic, but I just made sure that I secured the drain hose to the bulkhead to remove any stress on the drain. Also this is for a one inch drain line, not sure if they have others. Working great so far.

Just another option, especially if you are thinking of installing a microwave there.

Steve

Ron Hill · May 04, 2011, 06:52:40 PM

Steve : I like the way you installed your drain. Great finding those fittings and it will really drain with that one inch hose.

Michael : I'll have to look in my files but I doubt if I kept a picture. I did put one in the Mainsheet Tech notes about 1999? The 110v wire was in a tan plastic surface chase and not noticeable at all. What caught my eye was the use of the "out of the way space" above the galley sinks.