FRANKE double sink.

[cemhlm]

A really crazy question, but..

Underneath the draining board on my FRANKE kitchen sink, is a small black square of some sort of material. The sink has been installed about 2 years. Today a part of this black material has come adrift, it is coated with a very sticky adhesive, a bit like flypaper. I cannot understand what this square of material actually does, it seems to serve no purpose, other than drop off and stick to what lies beneath. Can I remove what is left on the sink?

 

[Burnerman]

The vast majority of sinks have this bitumen patch under the drainer...as far as I can tell it gives slightly more rigidity than the pressed stainless bit would alone.
I don't think you would harm anything by removing it....most eventually come off anyway!
John

 

[footprints]

I believe they are for sound deadening to stop sound being amplified by the large metal area. They also make the panel a bit more rigid.

They are usually stuck under the bowl as well.

Mine started to fall off as well but I taped it back into place with one of the heavy duty builders tapes, to stop drumming when the water is run.
I suspect rinsing the draining board off with very hot water from the kettle loosened mine.

Perhaps worth mentioning for anyone with an old sink that they used to contain asbestos, but were considered a low risk because they were a stable material.

They shouldn't now of course, but mind you with almost everything made in third world countries that still use it, I sometimes wonder if any products sneak through!

Regards,
footprints

 

[cemhlm]

Thanks for replies, much appreciated.

 

[Charnwood]

Sound and vibration supression.

 

[ironsidebod]

As above noise prevention but I suspect it also helps to stop the base of the bowl dinting when knives and forks are chucked in.

Ours fell off, all you need to do is heat the surface with a hot air gun until it's nice and sticky and then push it back on pressing all over, if you have a wallpaper joint roller even better. Ours has been on ages now and hasn't lifted again.