MJNewton Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 I've got a new stainless steel Franke sink and waste, which came supplied with sealing washers top and bottom. The instructions make no mention of using any silicone in addition to the washers but should I for belt and braces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macglo Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Must plumbers I know, ditch the sealing washers as they normally degrade and just use silicone and cut away the excess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Use the lower seal and ditch the flimsy upper one. Set the top metal part ( sieve ) in with some clear silicone ( I prefer clear CT1 / clear Stixall etc as it doesn't degrade like silicone does ) and clear the excess off immediately with baby wipes, lots of them, used once and discarded. Cutting off cured products afterwards risks scratching the metal and is a bit clumsy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz07 Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Taking this to next level plumber on the job I'm currently on ditches top seal and replaces bottom one for a pte? Plastic one. Also silicone both sides. Guy I normal use ditches top one and uses silicone both sides 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Bottom ones shouldn’t need anything other than your absence unless cheap rock hard ( plastic ) rubber? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherryfountain Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 I always found the Franke and Blanco kits to work well without any other sealants . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 Thanks everyone - seems unanimous to use to use silicone for the top seal. 1 hour ago, cherryfountain said: I always found the Franke and Blanco kits to work well without any other sealants . I must admit it wasn't a specific doubt about the quality of the kit - it all felt good quality but wondered even so about the benefits of a silicone seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 For me the plastic top seal seems to leave the metal of the waste a bit high. With silicon you can get it nearer flush. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 10 minutes ago, Temp said: For me the plastic top seal seems to leave the metal of the waste a bit high. With silicon you can get it nearer flush. Yup. Biggest bug bear of mine with those is the gap which crud gets into. 1 hour ago, cherryfountain said: I always found the Franke and Blanco kits to work well without any other sealants . Agreed. To be honest, if you follow the path that water would take, if it got under the top fitting, you’ll see it cannot leak out if the bottom seal is robust. The use of a sealant is more about keeping things from moving about tbh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 (edited) Just been back to the wastes to examine in more detail what washers/seals are provided. There's a formed rubber one for underneath that mates well with the underneath bits, and a thin foam one for on top. The foam washer doesn't make the plug hole sit proud as there's a fair recess in the sink, and without it it doesn't self-centre quite as well. What I think I'll do is dry-fit to start off with, or perhaps add silicone to the foam washer for good measure, but I don't think I'll leave it out. Edited October 25, 2020 by MJNewton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 (edited) I should've uploaded a picture really as thinking about this it has dawned on me that not all sink wastes are the same. Here's what I've got: With the above-sink parts consisting only of a pressed plate (i.e. there's no threaded column that protrudes through the sink hole) it's clear that the watertight seal is actually a function of the rubber washer underneath the sink. If I was going to be putting silicone/PM anywhere *that's* where I'd be needing to put it but given the ridges on the washer I don't think it'll be required. Edited October 25, 2020 by MJNewton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 If you silicone the foam washer, it’ll spread and splay out as you tighten up. ?. Either dry fit it, or don’t fit it, but not both. 36 minutes ago, MJNewton said: Here's what I've got: With the above-sink parts consisting only of a pressed plate (i.e. there's no threaded column that protrudes through the sink hole) it's clear that the watertight seal is actually a function of the rubber washer underneath the sink..................but given the ridges on the washer I don't think it'll be required. Correct. Dry fit the whole thing and don’t over tighten. Should be fine without any help as that’s a good kit with the essential good rubber ‘under / bottom seal’. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 Thanks everyone. Once again BuildHub comes up trumps with no-nonsense advice. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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