Q: Hi, Ed. I'm about to install a new faucet on my granite countertop. I have heard you should not use putty to seal the faucet because it could stain the granite and discolor it. There is no indication in my instructions not to use putty on a stone counter, so I wanted to ask an expert. What is the best approach, to use putty or not? If I don't use the putty, how do I achieve a watertight seal between the faucet and the countertop? -- Paul, ConnecticutA: Well, Paul, I'll tell you right from the beginning that I know a lot about working with plumbing around stone products, but by no means do I consider myself a "stone expert." All I can tell you is what I have seen and how I handle jobs when I do plumbing work that involves stone. Believe me, I'm not trying to pass the buck. But I am saying you might be wise to consult a stone expert before you do anything.
I love stone. It's a beautiful, strong product, and I like the natural look of marble bathroom floors and granite kitchen counters. But remember, too, that it is a somewhat porous material and, as a result, all the stone companies I have worked with have advised me to seal stone counters and floors with special stone sealers to cut down the chances of staining. This tells me right there that some stone may stain if conditions are right.
Also, while growing up in a plumbing business, all the old plumbers told me to avoid using wax plumbing rings when installing a toilet on a marble floor. They told me that a rubber toilet-seal ring should be used on stone floors. Since being told that advice, I have never used anything but rubber seals when working with stone, just to be on the safe side.
So my advice is this: Why take a chance? You can get faucets that use no putty at all and have built-in or come complete with all the rubber seals you need! I'm not saying it's right or wrong to use putty on stone; you need a professional stone cutter to tell you that. I'm just offering to share what has worked for me and what I have used for faucet seals when dealing with stone countertops.
With plumbing, if there is an easy way to solve a concern, go for it. This way you won't get caught between a rock and a hard place!
Q: Ed, thank you for being available to everyone! Before you there was no help for the plumbing-challenged people of this world! I have a big problem. I have a water problem in my basement. After the last big rainstorm, I experienced several inches of water in my basement after several straight days of storms. I have a sump pump, but it was unable to keep up with the rainfall! Now what? I don't want to go through this again! -- Bill, Pennsylvania
A: Bill, I have received a few letters from your area, so I know your not alone when it comes to wet basements! To keep a basement dry there are three things you need to address:
- Your gutters. Make sure they extent at least four feet from the foundation.
- The grading. Make sure your property is pitched going away from your house (but try to avoid aiming it directly towardsyour neighbors house to prevent any arguments).
- Finally, you need to keep the ground water in check with a sump pump.
If you have done all these and still you end up like you did with a flooded basement, you need a backup plan as well. The backup plan is to install a second sump pump. This does two things. First, if another big rain storm hits, two pumps should do the job of keeping up with the rain. Second, if the first pump ever fails, you have the security of the second pump.
That second sump and pump should push you over the hump.
(Ed Del Grande is a certified master plumber and hosts DIY's Ed the Plumber. Send plumbing questions to him at edtheplumber@diynetwork.com. For building-code concerns, always contact your local government office or a local licensed plumber. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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