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Many of you have faced a problem of taking care of your kitchen sink. In this situation you got to take the advice of plumber who is an expert in handling this kind of situation.
Kitchen sinks get more abuse than any of the other sinks in the house, for they are not only used more often but are affected by the composition of different foods. The easiest cleaning technique is to wash the sink immediately after every use.
You may have received a printed notice informing you that your brand-new sink is acid resistant. This does not mean it is impervious to food acids. Don’t permit fruit or vegetable juices to remain on the sink surface for more than short periods of time. An acid resisting sink should be able to withstand all citrus fruits—orange, lemon, grapefruit juices—provided these are not allowed to remain on the sink surface indefinitely. Give yourself a time limit of one hour.
That’s reasonable enough.
If your sink has a regular enamel finish, you will find it helpful to cover the work area with a rubber mat. Such sinks are susceptible to acid damage, so if you have a fruit liquid spill, mop up and wash the sink immediately.
Wet tea bags and coffee grounds will stain enameled surfaces if allowed to remain for a long time. It may be your custom to take a long, despairing look at a sink after the party has gone home, but it is better to clean before you go to bed than in the morning. By morning you will have an assortment of stains you will not be able to clean away. Soap and water won’t help. Cleanser won’t help. Bleach won’t help. And scrubbing won’t help.
Don’t use your kitchen sink for work in photography. The chemicals used for photographic development are potent and will damage the finish of a sink even more rapidly and more effectively than food stains.
If you use one of the triangular food scrap containers in your sink, mentioned earlier, make sure you empty it out after each meal. Wash the area beneath the container before replacing it. Washing doesn’t mean flicking the surface just once with a sponge. Use soap and water and clean thoroughly. It is the only way to keep that section of your sink from becoming permanently discolored.
The best way to clean a sink is to use hot water and soap. It is easier and quicker to use powder cleansers but some of these are highly abrasive and their continued use will gradually remove the finish of the sink. Washing soda is also a bit too strong to use. If you are having a new sink installed, you may get washing instructions with it. If not, drop a note to the manufacturer and get his advice. The advice given to you by salesmen selling sinks may be good or bad, depending on how much they know about the subject.
A dripping faucet can stain a sink in a way which is almost unbelievable. That is one reason, and quite a good one, for getting rid of drips as quickly as you can. Water may look clean; it may look pure and crystal clear. But its appearance is no indication of its contents. It can easily contain dissolved minerals which can and will wear away the surface coating of your sink.
There are other ways in which sinks can be damaged, usually beyond repair. Don’t drag pots or pans across the sink surfaces. If you do you will get scratch marks that cannot be washed away in any manner, no matter what you use. Don’t chop ice on the drain board. The sharp end of the ice pick can and will puncture the surface of the sink.
If, despite all your precautions, or possibly because of your failure to take precautions, you do get marks on your sink, you can buy a small bottle of porcelain touch-up. It’s a toss-up, however, as to which is less offensive looking—a mark or scratch showing through the porcelain, or a touch-up that looks obvious.
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Before You Start
Adding a sink, or a sink plus a toilet, or a complete bathroom, is a project, even for those who are determined on a do-it-yourself routine. Unless you have the tools, unless you know how your plumbing system works and have the aptitude, it is better to make use of the services of a plumber. But the more you know about plumbing, the more you will save, even if you do not so much as lift a section of pipe. I
f you can talk with your plumber in his “language,” if you can show you know what a vent pipe is, or a fitting, or a fixture, if you can indicate your awareness of what the installation problems are, you should be able to negotiate a lower cost. You should also shop, just as you would for any other high ticket item. You can get prices on all the fixtures, independently of the plumber. You can get some idea of how much piping will be needed and, with a little effort, learn just what such piping costs. Subtract all this from the bid and you will get some idea of the charge for labor.
When you come to an agreement on price, put it in writing. The agreement should include the total cost; a description, such as color and size of the various fixtures; and preferably the model numbers and name of the manufacturer. There should also be a statement that puts the liability for an unsatisfactory installation or damaged fixtures on the plumber.
You should also get a warranty on fixtures and parts for a certain length of time, preferably at least a year. If the installation works well for a year, it will probably continue to do so after that. Stay away from oral agreements. They aren’t worth the air they take up. Most of us, including plumbers, remember only what we want to remember. Someone who installs your new bathroom, knowing you have his written statement and signature, may feel you have the means for compelling him to assume his responsibility fully—as indeed you have.
Your new installation must comply with your local plumbing codes and regulations. In some areas, the local government will insist on making an inspection of the finished job. Good. Plumbing inspectors have considerable experience and will have the expertise to point out flaws which should be corrected. And in some areas you must get permission to connect your new bathroom to existing sewer lines.
A sewer can carry just so much waste, so if the sewer in your area is at or near its maximum capacity, you may be denied a building permit. But whatever you do, don’t start building a bathroom and then decide to apply for a permit later. If you do, you may have a bathroom that goes nowhere. No provision for fresh water in; no provision for waste going out. Perhaps a beautiful room; certainly a useless one.
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If your plumbing experience has been limited to turning a faucet on and off, you’ll be surprised at the simplicity of the system of pipes behind that faucet. Actually, there are three systems:
Supply, drain-waste, and vent. Before you begin any plumbing project, large or small, it’s a good idea to be familiar with these systems. Once you understand how plumbing works, you’ll find that making repairs or adding fixtures is simply a series of logical connections.
• The supply System carries water from underground water mains, a storage tank, or a well into your house and around to all the fixtures (sinks, showers, toilets) and to such appliances as the washing machine and dishwasher.
• The drain-waste system carries used water and waste out of the house into a sewer or a septic tank.
• The vent system carries away sewer gases and maintains atmospheric pressure inside the drainpipes, preventing deadly gases from entering your home.
The supply system
If you get your water from a water company, it’s probably delivered by underground water main through a water meter and a main shutoff valve. You’ll find the meter either in your basement or crawl space (to guard against freezing in cold-winter areas) or outdoors, near your property line. The main shutoff valve which turns the water for the whole house on and off is usually situated near the water meter.
If your water is provided by a water company but is not metered, the main shutoff valve is likely to be at your property line; if you can’t locate it, check with the water company. Where water comes from a private well, the shutoff valve is usually located where the water supply line enters the house, or at the wellhead or both.
As a rule, the water supply pipe that enters the house is a 1-inch- diameter pipe that’s under about 50 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi), though pressures vary in different localities. If the water in your house is softened or filtered, the treatment units will be attached near the point where the water enters the house. Usually a water softener is placed on a branch pipe that goes to the water heater, so that only the hot water used for laundry or bathing is softened. Chemical injectors or filters will be on the main pipe in the basement or crawl space.
Once inside the house, the supply pipe branches out into pipes of smaller diameters to deliver water to all fixtures and water using appliances. A separate horizontal pipe makes a stop at the water heater, and then runs parallel to the cold-water pipes to the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms throughout the house.
Hot and cold-water pipes are usually ¾ inch in diameter. Branches that feed the fixtures are generally 1/2-inch galvanized iron, copper, or plastic pipe. Local codes, practices, and the age of your house will affect the kinds of pipe and fittings you’ll find and will determine what you can use if you’re planning any changes or additions.
Pipes that run vertically from one floor to the next are called risers. Long risers are often supported at their bases by platforms and anchored to wall studs. Horizontal pipe runs are generally secured to floor joists.
Supply pipes are installed with a slight pitch in the runs, sloping back toward the lowest point in the system so that all pipes can be drained. Sometimes at the lowest point there’s a valve that can be opened to drain the system.
Shutting off the water supply. Most fixtures and water-using appliances have their own shutoff valves to enable you to work at one place without cutting off the water supply for the entire house. To be prepared for an emergency, everyone in the household should learn how to turn off the water supply, both at individual fixtures and at the main shutoff valve.
Gas and heating system pipes. If you’re planning to do a plumbing job yourself, you must be able to distinguish the water supply pipes from pipes that carry natural gas or propane into your home for a gas stove, dryer, or water heater. A gas pipe is usually a black or galvanized pipe that runs from the gas meter directly to a gas appliance or heating system. A separate shutoff valve for emergencies is required on each supply pipe. Don’t try to work on gas piping call a professional.
Heating system pipes demand equal caution. To locate your heating pipes (hot water or steam), trace them between each heating outlet and the furnace or other heat source. And by all means, leave repairs to an expert.
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