The faucet and drain are the two main components of a kitchen sink. In fact, a sink cannot function properly in the absence of either of these. But do kitchen sinks and faucets come with drains?
Kitchen sinks almost always come with drains, while kitchen faucets usually do not. The only faucets that come with drains are bathroom sink faucets. Kitchen faucets don’t include drains because of different kinds of drains and combinations. Kitchen sinks, on the other hand, can come both with and without drains depending upon the type of sink you get.
There’s a lot to know about a kitchen sink drain since it is one of the most important components of a sink. Let’s discuss what exactly a kitchen sink drain is, how it is installed and how it can be well-maintained.
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Do Kitchen Sinks Come with Drains?
Some kitchen sinks do come with a matching drain that you can either install yourself or pay a professional to get it done. These drains are designed and structured to match with their respective sinks. They save you the hassle of buying an additional component for your sink.
However, this isn’t true for every kitchen sink and a lot of brands would sell you the two products separately.
So, in this case, you can either purchase any suitable drain – which doesn’t necessarily have to belong to the same brand, or even use an old, functioning one. As long as the drain does its job, you are good to go.
I would prefer that if you do not have an already present and functioning drain, you purchase a kitchen sink with a standard paired drain. This is just to save you from the burden of pairing it up with a drain separately.
Check out our reviews of the best farmhouse sinks and best stainless steel sinks to learn more about the top products in market.
Do Kitchen Faucets Come with Drains?
While most kitchen sinks are already paired with suitable drains, kitchen faucets are not.
In fact, the only time kitchen faucets come with drains is when it is specified so. In any other case, it is safe to assume there is no drain included.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can make your faucet work without a drain. A faucet without a drain would obviously create a huge mess.
Therefore, it is necessary that when you purchase a faucet, you pair it up with a suitable drain because they are two interrelated parts of a kitchen sink and can’t function without each other.
But it’s also important to know that when your kitchen sink already has an installed drain, you don’t need to get a separate drain for the faucet.
The aim is to get yourself a suitable kitchen drain, not a specific sink or faucet drain.
Parts of a Kitchen Drain
1. Strainer
The strainer makes up for a very essential part of the kitchen drain.
It is basically a metal mesh that prevents solid food particles and other debris from going down the drain.
This is important because if these bigger particles manage to go down the drain, they can clog your pipes or in some cases even damage the blades of your garbage disposal.
So, in easier words, you could say it’s just a lid over the drainage pipe that prevents solids from going down, letting water pass easily as it is perforated for that purpose.
When you need to clean the strainer, you can simply do so by pulling it and emptying it in a trash can.
Not all strainers can be taken off that easily, so the cleaning becomes messy for such strainers.
But of course, when getting a suitable kitchen drain, you should prefer a removable one over a permanent once.
2. Strainer Body
Since the job of a sink strainer is to improve the lifespan of your drainage by preventing solid food particles from damaging it, it’s a very essential part of the drain system.
This seal is a very small yet essential component of the drain. You could also say that it acts like a connection between the sink and the drainage system attached to it.
It doesn’t have an extensive body. The basket strainer makes up the whole of it.
Other components like the tailpiece, etc., are parts of the drain pipe that are then attached to the bottom of the strainer.
Kitchen Sink Drain: Step-by-Step Installation Guide
If you plan on installing your sink drain yourself and haven’t had that experience before, I have you covered in all aspects.
- Measuring the Parts – It is necessary that you measure the needed sink drain parts to make sure nothing is too large or too small in comparison to the other parts or the sink itself.
This would even include measuring the sink hole to find a drain basket of the right size. - Get a Putty and Install the Strainer – A plumber’s putty is a certain type of paste that is used to fix a strainer to a sink permanently. It’s easily available and you don’t have to go out of your way to find one.
Once you have the plumber’s putty, knead it until it’s warm and more pliable, and form a rope out of it that measures about 4-5 inches.
This putty rope is to be wrapped around the underside of the strainer. Therefore, the length of the rope is then later adjusted according to the diameter of the strainer.
Once it’s evenly spread around the strainer, the strainer can be put in place. Don’t push it so hard that the putty rope is forced out of the hole.
This paste then simply dries forming a good, hard attachment point between the drainage sinkhole and the sink strainer.
Before it is allowed to dry, remember to clean any excessive, soft putty that might be over or around the strainer. - Fix the Rubber Washer and Friction Ring – These parts go on the underside of the sink.
The initial step is to put the rubber washer over the basket strainer, and while holding it in place, you are supposed to put the friction ring over it. These two act as watertight seals for the button of the basket strainer.
To have these both fixed in their place, take a nut – large enough for them – and screw it over in the right direction with your hand until you are sure it won’t slip away.
You can then later tighten it further with the help of right sized wrenches and pliers.
Again, if you see any excessive putty in sight, just remove it with the help of your fingers or toothpicks, or any tool that could get the job done before the putty is dry. - Attaching the Tailpiece – At the bottom of the basket strainer, attach a tailpiece by screwing it in the right direction.
It’s recommended that you get yourself a brass tailpiece as it’s the most durable option out of all.
To make the tailpiece attachment watertight, you will need to add rubber compression gaskets to its bottom as well. - Installing the Drainpipe – Take your drainpipe and hold the right end of it just below the tailpiece. Don’t push it too hard or jerk it as it might break.
You will see a connector ring on this end of the drainpipe. This ring is to be moved in the right direction and slid systematically over the tailpiece so as to have the drainpipe fixed onto the tailpiece.
Tighten it with a wrench to make sure it won’t slide off.
Once you are done installing the sink drain to your best knowledge, run the faucet to see if there are any leaks in your system.
There should not be any leaks from any point, and if there are any, you should seek help from a professional.
Do Bathroom Sinks & Faucets Come With Drains?
Unlike kitchen sinks and faucets, bathroom sinks normally do not come with drains whereas bathroom faucets almost always do come with paired drains.
So, when it comes to getting yourself a bathroom sink, you don’t necessarily have to pair it up with a drain.
Instead, you need to make sure that your sink and faucet go together so that the faucet drain is good to go with your bathroom sink.
However, this measurement issue rarely occurs as almost all bathroom faucets are universal and fit in any sink.
This arrangement also shows that if your bathroom faucet needs to be changed, you can’t just replace the spout and handle, you will also have to change the drain.
Winding it Up
Drains are an essential part of the kitchen sinks. There is no way that a sink and faucet could function normally without a drain to back them up on their job.
When purchasing one, make sure it’s the right size for your sink to avoid any inconveniences later.
If you have any questions regarding kitchen sinks, faucets and their drains, feel free to ask me!
