Actually the drain for the bathroom sink... First off it's a Corain sink / vanity top, over 6 feet long, the sink and top are all one piece and the sink was put in before the tile was installed... Therefore, there's no way I'm going to replace the sink.

It all started with a very tiny leak and I had the brilliant idea to fix it before it got worse... I had planned to disassemble the drain, replace the putty and the rubber washer / gasket put it back together and take pride in the fact that an old lady could fix things... Yeah right, just call me Murphy...

The original drain fell apart when I took it out... Apparently when it was installed, over 20 years ago, the plumber tightened it too much and when I took it out the last 1/4 of an inch snapped... I'll try to keep my ramblings to a minimum but......

The original drain was 1-1/4", I picked up a new one at Home Depot and was told they only make 1-1/2" now and it would work... ( I asked why there were no instructions in the box and was told that all you have to do is stick it in.. Yeah, right! )... The first thing I noticed was that the inside rim of the rubber washer / gasket, the part that's thicker than the rest of it was bigger than the old one... Again I was assured that it would work, that when I tightened the nut it would flatten against the sink, making a tight seal...

Yeah, right... The washer would not work, no matter how slowly I tightened the nut the washer would slip ( part in the opening and part out ) causing an even bigger leak... After three tries I gave up and called a plumber, actually two different ones... The first one charged me $188. to snake two drains and didn't even try to fix the drain ( said he'd come back tomorrow and only charge me an additional $149. )... The second one took it apart and put it back together 3 or 4 times, using my plumbers putty, charged me $79. for a service call and $129. for the work and I ended up with a waterfall.... Couldn't use the sink at all!

After 4 weeks of searching I finally found a washer I think will work but.... I wanted to make sure this would be the last time I'd have to mess with the drain... I read everything I could find on the internet, which wasn't much, and even read the entire label on the plumbers putty... Seems you can't use regular plumbers putty on a Corain sink, it says so on the putty container... Neither one of the "plumbers" mentioned that one little fact.

I called Dupont and the putty manufacture and they both said to use siliconized latex tub and tile caulk... Three more weeks of searching and I found it!

So, I believe I have the right washer and the right 'putty' but...

Well I wanted to make sure... On the underside part of the sink there were two lines that the first 'plumber' said were cracks ( they don't go through the sink into the bowl ) and I say they are mold lines, I tested the calk on the lines... I sanded them and applied a thin coat of caulk, dried beautifully, appears to be water proof...

My next test... I lined the sides of hole in the sink with Saran Wrap, applied a good amount of calk to the old drain and pushed it in the sink hole then let it sit for 48 hours... When I took it out to see if it would provide a good seal it was still wet, it had formed a skin but when squeezed it had the same wetness and texture as it did when I put it on.

Now to my questions... On the back of the tube of calk it says " Allow 24 hours for thorough drying, cures in 5 to 7 days. "

1. Can I test for leaks after 24 hours or should I wait the full 7 days?

2. Do you think this stuff will work?

3. Do you have any other recommendations or suggestions?

4. Should I just give up and buy a can of Bondo and make the sink and drain one? (lol)

Rita