leak due to overflow hole in drain assembly

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NYCremodel

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Just had a sink installed by a plumber. There was a very small leak coming from very top of drain assembly. The plumber claims that the overflow holes in the drain assmebly are too tall for this particular sink. And the fact the holes come down lower than the ceramic, that the water is leaking out the overflow hole. Though they are covered by the thick rubber gasket that the bottom nut on the ssembly pushes up into bottom of sink. Is this a common problem? Are there known workarounds? Do they make drain assemblies with over flow holes that aren't as tall? How do you know which are which as most specs don;t seem to specify this dimension. My plumber said the only likely solution was to use a drain assembly with no overflow. I don't like this option as my sinks overflow hole would then not lead into the drain.

Thanks,
Mark
 

Krow

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That is not a common problem. In fact, I've never heard of such a thing. It is possible that you have a bad drain assembly. Either way, you should not have any leaks
 

NYCremodel

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Any one else heard of such a thing? Or assuming this is bullshit, what might the problem be; assuming the drain assembly isn't faulty? I noticed they just cranked up the nut into the gasket which pushes up against bottom of sink. Is it recommeded to put any putty, teflon tape, or anything to ensure the best possible seal, or is just the nut sandwiching the rubber gasket up into the bottom of ceramic sink enough?

BTW- this is a drain assembly that came with a Kohler Fairfax faucet. The sink iteself is a "Paris" vessel sink from ******.com.

Thanks again,
Mark
 
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41Fever

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Customer supplied fixtures

Does your vessel sink have an overflow built into the sink? Many do not and require a different type of drain which, had you done your homework, you could have supplied the plumber with the correct stuff when you ordered your equipment online and saved some coin. Now the bigger question: Did you save enough to replace the vanity after incorrect drain assembly leaks and ruins it? Or does the vessel sink just not get used and look "Pretty". I'd be willing to bet the faucet also has some color or finish that will make it difficult to find a drain assembly to match that on the faucet.
 

NYCremodel

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The sink is a plain old ceramic white vessel, the paris model from renovator supply, inc. (******) And it does have overflow holes. Faucet as is a kohler Fairfax in plain old polished chrome. Guess you lose the bet, 41fever... Any more constructive info or advice on if what my plumber said sounds legit or workarounds to fix the problem are greatly appreciated.
 
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Krow

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I like to wrap teflon tape around the thread just under the overflow holes to give the rubber gasket a tighter fit once it is tightened up. I have run across some drain assemblies that will not seal without the t-tape, but it had nothing to do with overflow holes being too long or big.
 

GabeS

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You put plumbers putty or silicone from up top under the chrome ring. Underneath, teflon on the thread where the tail piece disconnects from the ring. The rubber and nut on bottom is enough with the putty on top makes the seal.

I've installed tons of faucets and never had this problem. Do you mean you can actually see the overflow holes from underneath the sink after the drain is installed?

Where exactly is the leak coming from and how much is it leaking?
 

NYCremodel

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I guess the sink is better described as above-counter than a vessel, though it is technically advertised by Renevator Supply as a vessel. It is not a round vessel that sits on a ring. The bottom part that is connected to drain assembly thru a 3" diameter hole in vanity is perfectly flat. I can't see the overflow hole when bottom nut is fully tightened up into gasket/sink. Not sure if they are exposed beneath the gasket if i loosened the nut down. The leak was coming from up very high. Either between the bottom of sink and gasket, or between gasket and nut. Very small leak. The odd thing is that it doesn't seem to be leaking anymore... though weird that it went away and i'm worried it will return. And i now noticed another unrelated problem. Even with the pop-up stopper in the down postion all the water drains out of the sink. Not sure if its going directly down the drain cause the stopper itself not a good seal to flange, or if its going on the outside of the flange as the seal between it and the sink is not good. (there was definitely plumbers putty put under it). The good thing is in either case its not leaking underneath. Any easy way to tell if its a faulty stopper or if i need to re-install the flange with plumbers putty again?
 

Redwood

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9 out of 10 times a leak on one of these is water coming down the threads past the mack washer.

I coat the threads with teflon paste and do not have any problems.
 

SaraPa

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Did you fix it?

Mark--

Did you ever fix this? I'm having the SAME exact problem. Tried everything, still leaking.

Sara

Just had a sink installed by a plumber. There was a very small leak coming from very top of drain assembly. The plumber claims that the overflow holes in the drain assmebly are too tall for this particular sink. And the fact the holes come down lower than the ceramic, that the water is leaking out the overflow hole. Though they are covered by the thick rubber gasket that the bottom nut on the ssembly pushes up into bottom of sink. Is this a common problem? Are there known workarounds? Do they make drain assemblies with over flow holes that aren't as tall? How do you know which are which as most specs don;t seem to specify this dimension. My plumber said the only likely solution was to use a drain assembly with no overflow. I don't like this option as my sinks overflow hole would then not lead into the drain.

Thanks,
Mark
 
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