Kitchen drain plumbing can be an easy to moderate job all the way up through difficult to hiring a plumber. The level of the job depends on a person’s ability level. One kitchen drain plumbing job that falls into the easy to moderate level would be installing a kitchen sink drain.
Before beginning any project it is important to collect all the necessary tools and/or materials. You should also be sure to have a bucket and rags ready in case of a mess.
Materials and Tools Needed
The rest of this article will take you through the steps you will need to follow in order to install a sink drain:
Measure the Drain Height
The first step, after getting all of the necessary tools, but before you buy the new kitchen sink, is to take some measurements. You will need to measure the height from the base/floor of the cabinet to the trap arm of the sink you are replacing. You will want to measure to the center of the trap arm.
If it is more than 16”, you may have a hard time finding the necessary slope (grade) for the trap arm, for the new sink. Having the measurement of the current drain will help you determine how much time will be necessary for this kitchen drain plumbing job.
Need to Lower the Sanitary Tee, Hire Gogo Rooter Plumbing
If after measuring the current drain you realize it is not low enough for the new sink you may want to consider hiring a professional plumber. In order to accommodate the depth of the new sink it could be necessary to lower the position of the sanitary tee within the wall.
Unless you are extremely handy and are very confident in your abilities you should consider hiring Gogo Rooter Plumbing to help with this part of the project. Gogo Rooter Plumbing has experienced plumbers on hand to help you with any of your plumbing. They are professional and ensure that each job is done right the first time.
Install Disposal and Strainer
Next, decide which side of the sink you would like the garbage disposal on and install that. Then on the other side you will need to install the basket strainer. If you have any other components such as a hot water dispenser or a water filter now is the time to install those as well.
Continuous Waste Pipe is Next
Once the disposal and strainer are installed you will need to connect the continuous waste pipe. This piece connects the two sides of the sink drain. You will need to hold the pipe up to the two ends of the drain take the measurement in order to cut the flanged tailpiece.
If you installed a garbage disposal you will need to measure between the drain outlet on the disposal and the sink strainer. However, if there is no disposal you will just need to measure between the two drain openings, the centers. You do not want to cut this piece longer than necessary. The fittings must tight, but if you cut it too long the first time you can always cut it again.
Lastly, is the Trap
Finally, it is time to connect the drain trap which has two pieces, one is U-shaped and the other is J-shaped. The U-shaped piece fits onto the end of the vertical tailpiece. The J-shaped piece, also called the arm fits into the sanitary tee, at the wall.
Once the job is completed make sure to run water on both sides of the sink. This will allow you to check for any leaks, tighten up anything that is leaking and make sure everything is working properly.
