Sink Falling Out - Design Flaw!

[Hogladyrider]

Our RV is only 3 months old and last nite I noticed that the kitchen sink is falling out!

We have a double stainless steel sink and the epoxy used to attach the sink to the countertop (undermount) has given way.

We realize our RV is still under warranty and we will report this to Heartland to go along with our already open warranty issue with the electrical wiring of our fireplace.

Thank heavens Gary is handy and he is going to repair the sink himself and it will be repaired correctly and we won't have to wait on price quotes and warranty etc etc.

We both realize that "s _ _ t happens" but really when one pays the price they do for these homes on wheels the quality control needs to be better, just sayin!

Susan

 

[mlpeloquin]

Check under the sink to make sure that the clamps are there and tightened down. Cannot see why the adhesive would let go if the under counter sink supports were there. They screw into the counter top and the metal clamps down on the sink edge on the bottom. The adhesive is really for making a water proof seal. Well maybe an overly active assembler over tightened them and stripped them. That would make the sink come loose. Please post what you find.

 

[Hogladyrider]

Our sink does not have clamps, it has epoxied studs that go thru the corners and the centers of the front and side with washers and unusual looking threaded nuts. There is no way to tighten any as they were all covered in epoxy and the epoxy has come loose.

Gary has researched on the internet and seen pics of wood screws and clips on the front and sides of the sink, the sink in our Cyclone is not mounted in this manner.

Susan

 

[Carleen]

We were told not to use the sink covers during travel because they are heavy and will cause the sink to drop. Not sure why they provide the sink covers when it's a known issue or they should have supported the sinks better. We keep ours in a cabinet under the sink for travel and haven't had a problem. My dad used his in the sink during travel and his sink dropped like yours. That was on a Redwood with similar counters.


Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL

 

[mlpeloquin]

We use ours while traveling. I think I better think this over again! There is a 3M structural adhesive. It isn't cheep, but it won't let go. I have it at home and used a varrant of this several times during my working life. Would not use anything else when I don't want it to come apart. You actually can get it apart, but it takes a lot of heat to weaken it. This one cures quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08101-Structural-Adhesive-Tube/dp/B000KZUTCY
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/277549O/3mtm-structural-adhesive-kit-pn-08101.pdf

 

[Hogladyrider]

The 3M 5200 is what Gary used for the repair! It is also available at Home Depot.

Our sink falling out was definitely not due to travel and sink covers, we have been parked in one place since April 16th as we are workamping. We are fulltimers and we treat our RV like gold as it is our home. Dishes are washed after each meal and nothing heavy has been in the sink at all.

Gary got the repair done last evening and is using a scissors jack to support the sink from underneath for the curing period and we also used a bead clear silicone around the upper undermount between the sink and countertop.

While curing/drying we will rough it on paper plates!

Susan

 

[JohnDar]

If the sink is the same as most, it's an over the counter sink being mounted under the counter. Many of us have had to repair it. There should be six small clips (look like small L-brackets) screwed to the wood around the opening, with the ends under the sink flange.

If you search the forum, you'll find photos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bob&Patty]

Call HL service and they will send you the needed clips. It's a known issue that at times the clips were not installed.

 

[mrcomer]

This is so sad to continue to hear of this ongoing problem. This problem has been around since late 2008. We had this problem on our Landmark and when I was walking through the plant sometime in 2009 I mentioned this to upper management. We all walked over to the countertops with sinks already installed and did not find any clips to hold in the sink. I was told then that it would be dealt with and fixed.

 

[JohnDar]

Thing is, these clips are not "model specific." If it's got a double (or even single) bowl steel sink, the clips need to be installed. Adhesive caulk alone is not enough. It might stick well to the wood under the counter top, but the steel sink is non-porous and it really does not permanently bond. Seeing how some other operations are carried out, it's questionable if the bead they do apply goes all the way around the sink.

In case newer readers don't understand what the "clips" look like, here's the photo from when I repaired mine. The ones in front and one on the side were missing. Discovered when I found water in the bottom of the cabinet. Fortunately, most of it landed in a plastic wash tub. The long "bolts" you see at the rear are for an over-the-counter mounting and have no purpose for an under-the-counter mount. My S&B sink is a similar design, albeit much larger, and those bolts are used to secure it above the counter.

 

[Carleen]

Does anyone else find it scary that this is all that is holding the sink in place? Even with the clips- that doesn't seem very sturdy. Water is heavy and I can't imagine what it does when I put a stock pot in there to wash. I will need to look at mine to see if it has clips, been modified, or is just silicone. Thank you for the pictures! They really do help me to understand what the clips look like.

 

[JohnDar]

Does anyone else find it scary that this is all that is holding the sink in place? Even with the clips- that doesn't seem very sturdy. Water is heavy and I can't imagine what it does when I put a stock pot in there to wash. I will need to look at mine to see if it has clips, been modified, or is just silicone. Thank you for the pictures! They really do help me to understand what the clips look like.

With three clips on each bowl of the sink, it is pretty secure. I also ran a bead of silicone around the top of the sink where it meets the counter top. Been fine for several years now and we use a small plastic wash tub in the sink, about half full, rather than filling the sink with water.

As for the photos, any time. I've taken a lot of photos of things I've made, fixed, modified, or seen on plant tours. Hence my "moniker."

 

[Westwind]

Looks like the plant has had a change in personnel that handles sink assembly and no one told him to put clips in or maybe they ran out of clips. This shouldn't happen.

 

[mlpeloquin]

I thought I remembered seeing the clips when I replaced the faucet. The 3M structural adhesive will hold like the hubs of H*#L though.

 

[ncc1701e]

Our RV is only 3 months old and last nite I noticed that the kitchen sink is falling out!

We have a double stainless steel sink and the epoxy used to attach the sink to the countertop (undermount) has given way.

We realize our RV is still under warranty and we will report this to Heartland to go along with our already open warranty issue with the electrical wiring of our fireplace.

Thank heavens Gary is handy and he is going to repair the sink himself and it will be repaired correctly and we won't have to wait on price quotes and warranty etc etc.

We both realize that "s _ _ t happens" but really when one pays the price they do for these homes on wheels the quality control needs to be better, just sayin!

Susan

We had same thing happen out of warranty. I made brackets and used silicone around the edges.

 

[GOTTOYS]

The sinks falling out has been an ongoing problem for at least 7-8 years......You would think at some point if Heartland really cared they would have come up with a solution for this...Don

 

[John T Bettencourt]

The clamps are not strong enough to hold the sink in place for very long. Mine fell out on my Landmark. Sometimes you wonder what these guys are thinking. I made my own blocks that would catch the lip of the sink and screw into the bottom of the counter top.

 

[JohnDar]

The clamps are not strong enough to hold the sink in place for very long. Mine fell out on my Landmark. Sometimes you wonder what these guys are thinking. I made my own blocks that would catch the lip of the sink and screw into the bottom of the counter top.

It's been almost six years since I repaired mine and added the missing "J-clips". Hasn't leaked since.

 

[aknavy]

Reading this cause the sink in my Cyclone 4100 is drooping in the front. Found that the support on the side of the sink wasn't attached to anything but the countertop and has broken loose. Gonna have to reinforce it to fix.

 

[DickO]

Our 2010 BH had the same problem. We are on the road a lot. I installed extra clamps and it solved the problem.