While washing the dishes the front of the sink came loose from the counter top and dropped .. just grateful that the water lines are ok .. Hubby is off to the hardware store to make T-mounts or ? to secure the sink ... we looked at it from underneath and appears it was glued/adhered to counter top which is a granite-type material ... At this time it has a piece of wood bracing it up ...We have not ever looked or questioned as to how they mounted the sink ... or how it was secured ... anyone else ever had similar problem or heard of this happening ?

RoadXYZ wrote:While washing the dishes the front of the sink came loose from the counter top and dropped .. just grateful that the water lines are ok .. Hubby is off to the hardware store to make T-mounts or ? to secure the sink ... we looked at it from underneath and appears it was glued/adhered to counter top which is a granite-type material ... At this time it has a piece of wood bracing it up ...We have not ever looked or questioned as to how they mounted the sink ... or how it was secured ... anyone else ever had similar problem or heard of this happening ?Sounds like you're describing an under-mount sink. I know in our stick n' brick, the double bowl sink was secured to the underside of the countertop (Silestone) with a combination of silicone and a series of metal clips that grasped the perimeter of the sink. The clips were held tight by a groove cut in to the underside of the countertop and the head of the screw/bolt slid into the grooves. I suspect a solid surface RV countertop lacks sufficient thickness to screw any type of fastener into it.Your best option is likely to clean all the old adhesive off the underside of the countertop and sink rim by scraping it, cleaning both surfaces thoroughly with alcohol/denatured alcohol, reapplying a good silicone sealant/adhesive to the sink rim and pressing the sink to the underside of the countertop. Brace the sink in place with pieces of wood all around the perimeter and leave the bracing for at least 24 hours while the adhesive/sealant cures. You might also avoid using the sink while the adhesive/sealant cures. The weight of water in the sink might break the adhesive bond and set you up for a repeat of the problem.

Thank you for the helps ... yes, hubby says that the is the way it sounds like they mounted our travel trailer sink, EXCEPT no clips ..Oh the surprises we have as we travel in our trailer .. our unit is 10 years old this month, we purchased it in March 2004, and this is the first 'structural' type issue we have had .. the past year has been appliance repairs, but that can happen in any unit one lives in from apartment to home to RV.Anyway, hubby is going to make the wood braces and leave them in place (just for peace of mind)once we have the old glue/adhesive removed, and new silicone/adhesive work done. He is cleaning off all the silicone/adhesive now. Not going to be an early bedtime tonight that is for sure. Outside temp is 45 degrees and inside 72 degrees, so we are fortunate for that.Again thank you for the post.

As many have said before.......RV= cheesy quality.

After reading posts by others, we think we have been very, very fortunate to have had no issues with this unit until the last 12 months .. furnace, refrigerator, and ac repairs .. so 9 years of living full-time in a unit with no issues has been great!

rjxj wrote:As many have said before.......RV= cheesy quality.:h First problem in ten years with an RV (a structure best described as "an earthquake on wheels") is doin' a whole lot better than "cheesy", in my opinion. Sounds like you bought a winner, O.P.!And from one Wife to another, an important question: Have you figured out how to make this sink catastrophe Hubby's fault yet? ;)

Kitchen sink dropped while washing dishes ....

21 Replies

thomasmnile
Explorer
Feb 22, 2014
RoadXYZ wrote:
RoadXYZ wrote:
Thanx Soren .. we have "permanent" wooden supports installed across the inside front as well as center supports ... just as insurance, but otherwise did just as you wrote ... looking good

And at our age we are not going to replace this unit unless we have to go into an apartment and that means we are "off the road" .. excuse me but I did fail to point out that we have lived in this unit since May 2004, and have crossed the U.S. a couple of times from Washington State to NE Canada, and down to Jackson Florida and back across to California .. it has been a good life.

UPDATE : it is Sat., 22 Feb 2014 ... and sink is still ok.

So far looks like Hubby did a great job of re-installing, and also putting in supports for further "assurances" for me. Thank you everyone for your suggestions, helps, etc.

Glad to hear. It was probably just a matter of a less than ideal initial installation at the factory. Our Jayco has a drop in sink so unless they made the cutout too large, yours is a problem I'll never see..............Knock on particle board! :B
RoadXYZ
Explorer II
Feb 22, 2014
RoadXYZ wrote:
Thanx Soren .. we have "permanent" wooden supports installed across the inside front as well as center supports ... just as insurance, but otherwise did just as you wrote ... looking good

And at our age we are not going to replace this unit unless we have to go into an apartment and that means we are "off the road" .. excuse me but I did fail to point out that we have lived in this unit since May 2004, and have crossed the U.S. a couple of times from Washington State to NE Canada, and down to Jackson Florida and back across to California .. it has been a good life.

UPDATE : it is Sat., 22 Feb 2014 ... and sink is still ok.

So far looks like Hubby did a great job of re-installing, and also putting in supports for further "assurances" for me. Thank you everyone for your suggestions, helps, etc.
soren
Explorer
Feb 08, 2014
CavemanCharlie wrote:
If it's going to be supported from underneath has the glue dries why not figure out a way to leave the supports in permanently so this can't happen again? Might not be easy I understand. Perhaps the permanent ones would have to be added afterword and not hold the total weight but, they would help.

Nothing wrong with a bit of overkill, if it makes you feel better, but it isn't necessary. If the mating surfaces are clean, and the sink properly tensioned into position with the temporary props, it's just fine. As in, removing it will involve a, hammer, flat bar, a utility knife to cut the silicone, and a lot of sweating and swearing. Remember, they glue airplanes together, and they don't fall out of the sky due to adhesive failures. The sink will be just fine without a bunch of scrap wood screwed to the bottom of it.
beemerphile1
Explorer
Jan 31, 2014
soren wrote:
beemerphile1 wrote:
You need a pro to determine the material, the correct adhesive, and do the repair. This is not a job for an amateur. A company that does custom kitchens can either do the repair or recommend a local shop that can.

Be prepared to be told that it cannot be repaired and that a new counter and sink are needed.

Sorry, but as a "pro" I have to say that this is all pretty silly.

occasionally, I have had this happen on factory built vanity tops consisting of granite tops with undermount bowls. It doesn't take a degree in physics to fix...

So then you agree that a 'pro' should do the repair. :B
RoadXYZ
Explorer II
Jan 31, 2014
CavemanCharlie wrote:
If it's going to be supported from underneath has the glue dries why not figure out a way to leave the supports in permanently so this can't happen again? Might not be easy I understand. Perhaps the permanent ones would have to be added afterword and not hold the total weight but, they would help.

Three vertical as well as one horizontal permanent support installed .. insurance.
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Jan 30, 2014
If it's going to be supported from underneath has the glue dries why not figure out a way to leave the supports in permanently so this can't happen again? Might not be easy I understand. Perhaps the permanent ones would have to be added afterword and not hold the total weight but, they would help.
Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Jan 30, 2014
RoadXYZ wrote:
Francesca Knowles wrote:

And from one Wife to another, an important question:
Have you figured out how to make this sink catastrophe Hubby's fault yet? ;)

Yep, he was doing the dishes at the time !

Right ON, Sistah! :B
RoadXYZ
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2014
Francesca Knowles wrote:
rjxj wrote:
As many have said before.......RV= cheesy quality.

:h
First problem in ten years with an RV (a structure best described as "an earthquake on wheels") is doin' a whole lot better than "cheesy", in my opinion. Sounds like you bought a winner, O.P.!
And from one Wife to another, an important question:
Have you figured out how to make this sink catastrophe Hubby's fault yet? ;)

Yep, he was doing the dishes at the time !
RoadXYZ
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2014
Thanx Soren .. we have "permanent" wooden supports installed across the inside front as well as center supports ... just as insurance, but otherwise did just as you wrote ... looking good

And at our age we are not going to replace this unit unless we have to go into an apartment and that means we are "off the road" .. excuse me but I did fail to point out that we have lived in this unit since May 2004, and have crossed the U.S. a couple of times from Washington State to NE Canada, and down to Jackson Florida and back across to California .. it has been a good life.
soren
Explorer
Jan 30, 2014
beemerphile1 wrote:
You need a pro to determine the material, the correct adhesive, and do the repair. This is not a job for an amateur. A company that does custom kitchens can either do the repair or recommend a local shop that can.

Be prepared to be told that it cannot be repaired and that a new counter and sink are needed.

Sorry, but as a "pro" I have to say that this is all pretty silly.

occasionally, I have had this happen on factory built vanity tops consisting of granite tops with undermount bowls. It doesn't take a degree in physics to fix. Clean all the dried adhesive off of both surfaces, Cut a few furring strips to act as props to support the sink until the sealant dries, and Silicone the sink back into place, using a clear "kitchen and bath' silicone. If you use a few shingle shims under the props, You can exert serious upward pressure on the sink as the sealant dries. If done to any reasonable standards, the sink will be there for the next few decades. $15-20 bucks in supplies, an hour of work, and your golden.