Caulk the drain rubber washer to prevent leak?


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Old 12-01-17, 11:14 PM
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Caulk the drain rubber washer to prevent leak?

There is minimal leaking thru the rubber washer. The drain line isn't perpendicular to the sink because it has to slightly tilt to go into the trap. Can I caulk between the washer and sink, and washer and the nut below? Like where the 2 red lines are?
 
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Old 12-02-17, 01:58 AM
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No caulk. Back the nut and washer down as far as it will go. Dry all parts.
Apply Teflon paste to the upper male threads of the pop up and reassemble. You want the paste to seal between the inside of the rubber washer and the outer pop up body.
I do this on every bath drain I install and no leaks.
 
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Old 12-02-17, 03:57 AM
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I would re-do the trap so everything can line up properly. I don't like glued in place traps as they are difficult to clean when they clog. Traps held in place with compression nuts are very easy to adjust and take apart for cleaning.
 
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Old 12-02-17, 05:12 AM
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I agree with Dane, replacing the trap with a removable trap and aligning it properly with the pop-up drain would be ideal. If you are going to do this, I would recommend replacing the pop-up assembly with an all metal one. Those plastic pop-ups can be a bear to seal correctly, especially if everything is not lined up properly, as the plastic threads don't allow one to tighten the nut under the sink as much as sometimes necessary. You should b able to pick up a generic, metal pop-up assembly (make sure to get whatever color your faucet is) from you local big box store for $20-$30.

If replacing the trap, it doesn't look like you have enough room to cut off the old trap and glue a new coupling and trap in place. You will likely have to go with a tubular trap. Get an 1 1/4" (metal or plastic, whatever you prefer) tubular trap and a 1 1/2" x 1 1/4" ABS hub trap adapter. You should have enough room to glue on the trap adapter and slide the tubular trap right into it. If there isn't enough room for the trap adapter, you can you a 1 1/2" x 1 1/4" Fernco fitting (the gray one) instead of the trap adapter.
 
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Old 12-02-17, 06:13 AM
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Most relatively inexpensive faucets now come with these plastic pop up assemblies. I toss the plastic and replace with an all brass assembly. Also, if the all brass one doesn't seal properly, the back up plan is per Brian and to Teflon paste the threads on the pop up before tightening down the nut. I have a whole box of these plastic pop ups waiting to be donated to the local Habitat for Humanity store. I simply refuse the install them.
 
 

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