sink waste

[vandelay]

I've recently fitted a kitchen. The furniture was budget but decent, and put together by a cretin at a local Travis Perkins shop.

I use "cretin" because he gave me a mismatched bath waste and trap, meaning that the trap wouldn't screw tightly to the waste. So I had to get another, which leaked, and then another, and now have a snug water-tight fit.

And I think he's done something similar when deciding on what basin I need - I think he's given me the wrong waste for the sink. THe sink is one of those with an integrated overflow (ie which is built into the porcelain).

He's given me a waste which appears to be the right one, but when it's tightened up, it leaks. Water appears to be coming from the union of the sink and the waste underneath, where the plastic bolt is which holds it in place. Before you ask, yes, I've put rubber washers on both sides, and after discovering the leak, I took it apart and put some silicon in to help too. No luck - it's still leaking.

Any ideas? I'm tempted to get a new waste and just start afresh, but I'm fed-up of wasting money.

[Gary Cavie]

I'm certainly no plumber, so I may not be giving you the best advice - but I did fit one of those sort of basins and had hell and all trouble with leaks. I eventually found in Wickes a conical rubber sort of thingy, with a hole through the centre which was a tight fit over the waste stem. This then pushed up into the porcelain, and when the nut underneath was tightened, it stopped all leaks, and has been fine for the last 5 years. I don't know whether this is the propoer way of fitting these wastes, or whether there is a better way, but it worked for me!

[vandelay]

Hi Gary

Thanks for the advice - it sounds like just what I need. Any idea exactly what this piece of rubber was called? Was it sold as some kind of "sink repair kit" or was it for something else? It sounds a bit like a compression rubber from a waste pipe, except larger (actually, I think I'll check one of my many 'spare' bath wastes to see if they fit).

Any help appreciated.

[Gary Cavie]

Sorry - I can't remember what it was called exactly, but is was something along the lines of Tapered Waste Washer, or summat like that. It was in Wickes, with all the waste stuff. I'm heading into Homebase shortly, so I'll see if they have anything like it, and report back here. Your description of it is pretty much spot on though, FWIW.

Gary

[Simon Avery]

Hello vandelay

You are using ptfe tape in the threads, aren't you?

If the threads go tight (ie, don't slip) then they're correct. If water leaks from the threads, you need tape.

As for the assembly through the sink, non-setting plumbers mastic is usually used to bed the waste on (upper side) before tightening, then wipe off any excess.

[Alex]

Sounds to me the only cretin was the one fitting the waste.

[Michael McNeil]

I remember taking a look at the new kitchen a potential customer had had fitted some months earlier. After a freeze up or something (I forget what) she'd had the devil's own with it and now (then) it was supported by a bowl that needed regular emptying.

I fiddled with it for hours befor realising that the threads were such that they only fitted one way. The piece that held the intake and outlet for the the trap seemed to be fittable in any direction but it was not.

It was obviously designed to flow one way only. The idiocy in the design was in making the threads different without altering the diameters of the connections to make the design obvious.

How she had got it to fit part way before I had a go defeats me to this day. It worked a treat after the penny dropped. But I was panicking for a while as I couldn't do with ability and common sense what they had done with ignorance and desperation.

[Christian McArdle]

I just had this problem with a Belfast sink. In the end, I did the following:

1. Fill threads of waste with Boss White.
2. Wrap loads of PTFE around threads.
3. Insert waste into hole.
4. Put big continuous bead of silicone sealant around rubber washer.
5. Push rubber washer up against bottom of sink.
6. Put big bead of sealant around metal nut.
7. Tighten nut, hard.
8. Wipe off excess sealant (i.e. loads of it)
9. WAIT FOUR HOURS.
10. Test with water.

This is a technique I've used before. If I stray from it, I always get leaks. I have no idea what the correct technique is, because the waste fittings never come with instructions. There is a wealth of information on how to do push fit, copper soldering or compression joints. There is never anything about waste fittings. It is hard enough working out which bit of a waste go which side of the sink hole. They never seem to come with instructions, or even a diagram.

Christian.

[jerrybuilt]

Sorry, I'm confused. "Bathroom basin, kitchen sink". Which is it?