[andyhome]

Hi,
I purchased a delta model 15999-dst bathroom faucet and drain assembly. The drain assembly pieces are all plastic. I'm doing the work by myself for the first time.

In the instructions that came it suggests using 100% silicone under the flange, but in youtube videos people always seem to apply plumbers putty.

Do they advise on 100% silicone because it's plastic parts? Is one preferable to the other?
Thanks.

 

[chandler48]

It's not so much what the drain is made of, but what the sink is made of. If the sink is cultured marble, use silicone. Otherwise plumber's putty is fine. Some on the forum use silicone at any event and that is fine.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

Years back there was a distinction on the labeling of silicone whether it be a sealant or ( adhesive sealant ) so may like to read the product label. Now i see there is even a silicone glue. We can be relatively certain there is a wider range of silicone uses than Plumber's Putty but i've used both on drains and either seem to work on that application. Although any drain flange i've removed the putty came out in brittle chunks after years of service.

 

[rjniles]

I dislike silicone for dealing a drain to a sink, too hard to clean up. I use putty. If a natural Stone or cultured marble I use a non staining putty.

Do yourself a favor and ditch the plastic drain and buy a real brass drain.

Sent from my RCT6A03W13E using Tapatalk

 

[chandler48]

Do yourself a favor and ditch the plastic drain and buy a real brass drain.

Lesson learned. We had to change the cheapo bath drains of plastic THREE times. I finally told my guys to get a better quality metal one so we could be through with it.

 

[HotRodx10]

We had to change the cheapo bath drains of plastic THREE times. I finally told my guys to get a better quality metal one so we could be through with it.

My experience has been sort of the opposite. I've had to replace several metal drains that corroded away to nothing. It probably depends on the water and what else goes down the drain. The El Cheapo plastic drains are fairly weak from the beginning, though. I've had good results with the heavier gauge plastic drain assemblies; they cost more than the cheap plastic ones, but still less than the metal, and they don't corrode.

 

[andyhome]

Thanks for all your advice. I plan on redoing the entire bathroom in the next couple of years so will have to dismantle the sink and will replace the plastic drain depending on how it look then.

For now I'll use silicone 100% sicne the manufacture recommends that. The Delco stuff i've bought in the past has held up pretty well so I'll give their plastic a try.

Thanks again.

 

[Windows on Wash]

Never had any issues with putty. The clean up part, as mentioned above, with silicone is a PITB.

 

[huesmann]

Same, never had problems with putty. You do need to make sure you work it really good before installing, to soften it up so that it's not so "crumbly."