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That stupid leak under my kitchen sink took me 6 HOURS to fix | DIY Fix It Club - Talk Freely

That stupid leak under my kitchen sink took me 6 HOURS to fix

I had a slow drip from the garbage disposal drain pipe. Thought it'd be a 30 minute job swapping a rubber gasket at Home Depot for $4. But the pipe was corroded and I ended up cutting, re-threading, and using three different adapters from Ace Hardware to get it to seal. Has anyone else had a simple plumbing fix turn into a whole Saturday project?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_johnson163mo ago

Man I used to swear by the cheap rubber gaskets too but after reading this I'm definitely switching to neoprene next time. Plumber's grease on the dishwasher drain hose connection is a tip I'm stealing too.

alicew683mo ago

That stupid leak took me 6 HOURS" - I feel your pain so much. But real quick, I gotta gently correct something. You said you used a rubber gasket from Home Depot for $4, but for garbage disposal drain pipes you really want a neoprene gasket or a proper O-ring kit, not a standard rubber one. Rubber dries out and cracks way faster with the constant vibration from the disposal. I learned this the hard way after replacing a rubber gasket three times in one year. Also, a tiny dab of plumber's grease on the threads makes a world of difference for sealing those adapters. Six hours sounds about right for a "quick fix" that turns into a plumbing puzzle.

xena_brown503mo ago

Three tries in one year with rubber gaskets sounds rough, @alicew68. I finally gave up on rubber after the second one split right down the middle while I was running dishes. Neoprene is the way to go, I grabbed a pack of three on Amazon for like eight bucks and the first one is still holding strong two years later. And yeah, plumber's grease on the threads is a must, I even use it on the connection between the disposal and the dishwasher drain hose. Saves you from having to take the whole thing apart again in a few months.