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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Hi Ed, I love your TV show, book and column. You are a "triple threat" in the home improvement business! I'm thrilled to write you from my local New England newspaper, and I hope you pick my question because I have a triple threat of my own in the kitchen. I'm remodeling my kitchen and the counterman installed a beautiful three-bowl kitchen sink for me in the new countertop. However, now that it's installed, I'm completely lost as to how you hook up a three bowl sink. This looks like a very complicated job, and I was hoping you could help me understand it a little better before I call my plumber. Thanks, Ed, and keep up the good work! Richard (New England)
A: Thank you, Richard. Your question had the two ingredients that I look for when I write my newspaper column: A good question that many homeowners can relate to, and a nice compliment for me! (Hint, hint for anyone out there who is thinking about writing in!)
All kidding aside, Richard, this is a very good question. Simply put, if you can hook up a one-bowl sink, you can hook up a three-bowl sink. First of all, a three-bowl sink will usually require only one faucet, just like a single or double bowl sink, so the faucet installation should not change at all. However, it is a good idea to get a special-order faucet with a longer spout that will easily reach all three bowls.
Speaking of the bowls, in a triple-basin sink, the smaller middle bowl is usually for the garbage disposer, and each end bowl will have a basket strainer for normal sink use. Once you mount the disposer and basket strainers to the sink, you should hook each drain hole up with its own p-trap. This will leave you with three separate traps to hook up to the main sink drain under the sink. The job now is the same as hooking up three single-bowl sinks!
The trick is to tap into that main sink drain with "Y" fittings that will branch off the main sink drain to each trap under the sink and still leave you with a clean-out plug for future drain access if needed. Sometimes things can be a tight fit, and there are always local plumbing codes to follow, so calling your plumber is a very good idea. But at least now you know that it's not a very complicated job, it's just basically three times the work as a standard kitchen sink to install. So, the bottom line is the reason why most homeowners install just a single or double bowl sink is to keep the labor costs out of "triple" digits.
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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