What Is a Kitchen Sink Basket Strainer?
The removable metal basket in a kitchen sink drain that catches food scraps, and the flange it sits in, which seals to the sink with plumber's putty.
The drain fitting in a kitchen sink that has no disposal. The flange is a metal ring seated in the sink opening on a bed of plumber's putty and clamped from below with a locknut, and the basket is the removable perforated cup with a stopper knob that drops into it. The basket catches food so the P-trap doesn't, and the flange seal is one of the three joints that can drip under a sink once the putty dries out or the locknut loosens.
Replacing a leaking flange is a $10 to $15 part and a 30-minute job. Unscrew the locknut and the tailpiece from below, lift the old flange out, scrape off the old putty, roll a fresh rope of putty under the new flange, press it in, and tighten the locknut until putty squeezes out evenly all the way around. A sink without a basket in its strainer is a sink that clogs every few weeks.
Fixes that use this
Kitchen
How to Fix a Leak Under the Kitchen Sink in One Evening
A leak under the kitchen sink is a supply line, the faucet, a drain joint, or the dishwasher hose. A 10-minute test finds which. Most fixes are under $15.
Time30–90 min Cost$0–$25 easy
Kitchen
How to Unclog a Kitchen Sink Drain Without Calling a Plumber
A kitchen sink that won't drain is almost always grease packed in the P-trap. Plunge it right, pull the trap, and snake the line in under an hour for $15.
Time20–60 min Cost$0–$40 easy
Related terms
P-trap Pop-up stopper Drain snake Shutoff valve Biofilm PTFE tape