Caravan tip-up sink problem

[Chris J Dixon]

I have a problem with the tip-up sink in the toilet compartment of my 2006 Lunar Stellar caravan.

The sink bowl has a waste outlet, from which a flexible pipe runs, concealed between the top and bottom sink mouldings, which are permanently glued together.

In normal use, you remove the plug to let out the water through the drain, then (when it is empty) tip the sink. There is a shallow recess to catch any remaining drips.

There now appears to be a leak, as when the sink is tipped, water gushes from between the mouldings.

Naturally, the back panel is a snug fit in the compartment, also has fittings for the shower and hot air outlet, and is liberally sealed in place.

I'm not sure if the sink pivot can be sprung from the back panel, but even if it can, I don't see that I could do much about what is going on inside the assembly.

Has anybody else had this problem, and how was it fixed?

Chris

[David WE Roberts]

Brutal bodger's fix - drill a couple of holes top and bottom (this will also drain any trapped water) then insert nozzle of foam gun. Squirt in some foam, trim the excess from the holes. This will effectively minimise any future leakage.

Presumably you can't release the flexible pipe and the waste fitting from the bowl. It is likely that the flexible pipe has failed (or at least the connection to the waste).

Sadly, it may be time for a new bowl. However, if this seems inevitable you have nothing to lose by trying a bit of brutal bodging on the old unit.

HTH

Dave R

[Dave Liquorice]

Plastic mouldings are never "permanently glued", they might be reluctant to come apart but if you can get in anywhere with a blunt broad thin flat bladed instrument(*) the joint can often be persuaded to open up.

Sounds to me as if the flexable pipe has either failed or dropped off inside. Either way you need to gain access to diagnose and/or fix it. Squirty foam is a very big bodge, domestic stuff is open cell so will fill up with dirty water over time and then the detritus/soap etc will start to go off and...

(*) 1" scrapers work well.

[Toby]

They could be sonic welded though, I assume, in which case, I assume there is no chance of separating them (or is there!?)

Toby...

[Dave Liquorice]

I wouldn't expect a big thing like a sink casing to be sonicly welded. I'd expect the moulding for a sink is fairly light and flexable, getting enough pressure and the ultrasonic vibration along a large long joint reliable I should imagine is quite tricky.

Small stuff of relatively rigid constructions is easier. But even then the joint is a "weakness". B-)

[Chris J Dixon]

The edges of the two parts appear to have been slid together rather like the lid on a box, and there is no clear way that any internal tooling could be accommodated, so some form of glue is my best guess. I haven't checked if it could have been a solvent weld.

Chris

[Spamlet]

Could it have something to do with this:

"The only problematic snags I have had have been down to dometic, carver and gas regulator and the workshop. (How many marks out of ten for replacing a sink but not connecting the waste)"

S

[fred]

In article , David WE Roberts writes

Don't do this, conventional kluge foam is not closed cell so eventually you will have a saturated smelly bit of foam trapped in the moulding.

[David WE Roberts]

Forgot to say:

good forum for asking this kind of question.

[Chris J Dixon]

Quite correct. Once I had leaned on the pivot points, it came out easily. An old knife managed to separate it with only minimal damage. Looks like it was solvent weld, which only attacked small points of contact.

Indeed it had. An interference fit, with added sealant, but worked clean off. I have renewed the sealant and added a jubilee clip. Leaving it now to go off, so that I can check all is well before reassembling it.

I think I will use silicone to rejoin the mouldings, so that a repeat process(if ever necessary) will be easier (and also because that's what I have handy).

Chris