Plumbers and Do-It-Yourselfers...got a question

[seepy83]

Bear with me if I'm not using the right names here...I think I know what all this stuff is called, but I'm just your average homeowner that can't afford to pay a plumber for every little thing.
I've got a leak in a bathroom sink coming from a Brass Sink Tailpiece. This is not my picture, but looks exactly like the tailpiece I have:

The leak is coming from what looks like a seam where the rough-textured brass meets the polished brass (a couple of inches above where the PVC P-trap connects).

Do I have any options for fixing the leak?

I'm pretty sure that all of the brass parts are 1 piece (like what you see here, for example) but I really don't want to get in to replacing the whole Pop-Up Drain Kit

 

[lupi]

given the price for that piece, I'd think it would be easier to swap it out than try to fix a leak in it.

 

[rommelrommel]

I would just replace the tailpiece as well, if that's where it's actually leaking from.

As it's one piece, it's unlikely to be leaking from what is basically a machining mark. It's probably leaking from the top, bad seal to the sink.

 

[seepy83]

given the price for that piece, I'd think it would be easier to swap it out than try to fix a leak in it.

Yeah well that's where me not being a plumber comes in. Might be the easiest thing in the world, but I don't want to get in over my head.

 

[seepy83]

I would just replace the tailpiece as well, if that's where it's actually leaking from.

As it's one piece, it's unlikely to be leaking from what is basically a machining mark. It's probably leaking from the top, bad seal to the sink.

I spent a longtime looking for the leak...wrapped pieces of paper towels around at different points to find the origin...its definitely right there.

 

[iGas]

It depends on the tail piece. If the tailpiece below the mechanical popup tee is threaded, then it is possible to repair with a couple wrap of Teflon tape/pipe dope. If the tailpiece is a single unit then, you must replace the waste tee & slip/lock nut washer/s.

However, it is best to set a new tail piece with plumber putty if it is a single unit that is leaking at the bottom seam of the tee.

 

[rommelrommel]

Might be the popup tee leaking, but regardless if it's one piece then it's a replacement.

 

[iGas]

Here ya go!

How to Replace a Bathroom Drain and Sink Trap

 

[Sluggo]

Great username and subject combo

 

[seepy83]

I thought it might be leaking where the pop up ball connects in the back. Unscrewed the cap/nut for the ball/popup arm and added some tephlon tape to the threads...either I did a shitty job, or the leak isn't there.

Thanks for the replies/suggestions...seems like I may need to replace the whole thing. Blah.

 

[ManBearPig]

Just replace the tail piece. It's so easy. And cheap.

 

[Humpy]

It's leaking at a threaded connection. Don't replace anything.

Tighten it.

 

[lupi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYAwdoe5RTg

 

[fstime]

Solid brass does not rust, it lasts a very, very long time.

 

[JEDIYoda]

of course it could also be leaking from the whooptedoo and that would also need replacing before you replace the thingamabob!!

 

[DrPizza]

Didn't read the OP carefully, but remove it and reinstall it. Plumber's putty is pretty cheap (and some tailpieces use a rubber gasket).

 

[skyking]

It's leaking at a threaded connection. Don't replace anything.

Tighten it.

This. It does not need dope, tape, or anything in most cases. It is just loose, fine threads that need a little tightening. Once tight, they self-seal.

 

[Zee]

actually a little sliver of plumbers tape will go a long way if it's 2 piece threaded connection.

if it's a solid one piece (not screwed together, maybe soldered), and for whatever reason you dont want to just replace it if it has a leak (why?), then just get some of that leak spray rubber in a can that acts like epoxy resin.

 

[seepy83]

I'm sure that 999 time out of 1000, a leak is at a threaded connection. But I would love for someone to explain to me how I could wrap a small piece of cloth around every threaded connection, run the water and they all remain completely dry. However, a cloth wrapped around that seam where the rough brass meets the polished brass has leaking from it. Dry 1/2 inch above that seam, and wet at the seam. I'm putting my money on the piece being defective and us just noticing the slow leak now.

I pulled the who pop-up drain/tailpiece off the sink this morning. I'll be going to the hardware store after work to get a replacement and some plumbers putty.

 

[seepy83]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYAwdoe5RTg

Just watched that. The very end where he has a leak at the same place looks similar to what I have going on (although he had a much larger leak). However, I can't unscrew the polished pipe from the other piece. I'm thinking whoever originally installed it put some kind of silicone or some other sealant on those threads before screwing it in, because I can't get it to budge at all.

replacing the whole assembly seems like the best way to go for me right now.

Thanks everyone.

 

[notposting]

Great username and subject combo

He's been planning this thread for a decade! :thumbsup:

 

[seepy83]

He's been planning this thread for a decade! :thumbsup:

Hah...yeah...this username goes back quite a ways. Even long before I joined this forum...maybe before it even existed. It was probably mid-1990's and I was on a 14.4 dial-up. Kind of wish I could change it at this point...this is the only community where I still have it.

 

[KidNiki1]

Hah...yeah...this username goes back quite a ways. Even long before I joined this forum...maybe before it even existed. It was probably mid-1990's and I was on a 14.4 dial-up. Kind of wish I could change it at this point...this is the only community where I still have it.

you can change it. make a thread in mod discussions and ask them to.

 

[iGas]

I thought it might be leaking where the pop up ball connects in the back. Unscrewed the cap/nut for the ball/popup arm and added some tephlon tape to the threads...either I did a shitty job, or the leak isn't there.

Thanks for the replies/suggestions...seems like I may need to replace the whole thing. Blah.

The leak wouldn't be at the popup arm nut threads (and Teflon tape is not needed because it is not design to be use with tape or dope), because the ball is seated against the pivot seat & gasket (some tailpiece tee is design with molded seat/gasket that do not need anything).

Put the stopper into the lavatory and fill to the overflow level, then pull the plug to see where the leak come from.

Post a picture under your lavatory, and we will help with the diagnostic.

 

[seepy83]

I rrplaced the whole drain assembly. Took about 40 mins...much easier than I expected. As I suspected, I was able to look inside the old drain once I removed it, and that bottom polished piece was threaded on the inside, but I can't get it to budge a single millimeter. I think the original installer used something (unnecessarily) that hardens on the pipe threads to seal it, and over the years it dried and racked enough to leak but not enough to let me unscrew it and see what was going on.

At any rate, the new piece is in and is leak-free.