Replaced the taps and 'push lever' waste on a bathroom sink with new monobloc tap and clicky waste yesterday, but can't get the lower seal on the waste to, um, seal. The upper seal (to the basin) is fine.
It's one of those combined waste and overflow things with a couple of notches cut out in the waste body for the overflow. Everything is fine until I allow water into the overflow, at which point the lower seal leaks. The actual seal to the bottom of the basin seems to be good, it seems to be water escaping through the threads of the waste.
What am I missing here? Surely it should be possible to get a good seal without having to bodge it with silicone?
If there's a washer of any sort involved, I'd replace that from my pack of Aldi 500 assorted washers (reducing it to 499). Seriously, the washer in waste compression joints often looks ok but isn't.
Ah, of course. The required solution for the desired outcome will be the same though. ;-)
I've been there when a guy re-doing my Mums bathroom struggled for some time with this very issue. I took it all the bits, worked out what had to be done (some sealant applied to the thread on the final nut) and left him to get on with the job. ;-)
I've also had it where it looks f'd but had to use it and it's worked fine, but then I guess there are important places and less important places.
Like, if you have a conventional waste (like on a shower) you only need to get a good seal around the back on the flange, or the waste fittings that fasten with a screw from above (so no thread to leak underneath). However, as soon as you have something like an overflow (that uses the same final outlet / fitting as an assembly) you don't need a seal under the flange at all (although you would to stop stuff getting under there) as it's not actually stopping any water getting past.
Thanks for the replies. After asking in the local plumbing supplies store a bit of goggling, this sorted it - no silicone, no plumber's mate, no PTFE tape needed. I've seen it described as a "basin mate" and a "bowl sealer".
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It's a rubber wotsit with internal ribs/threads and a conical shape. You push it onto the bottom of the waste and the conical bit forms the seal with the bottom hole in the basin. Tightening the securing nut compresses it, sealing the threads. As a bonus, it centres the plughole in the top of the basin.
2 quid from BnQ (plumber's store had no stock) and worked a treat.
I've always felt it should be possible to get a good seal without bodging with silicone or plumber's mate, especially if the surfaces are clean. A bit of washing up liquid for lubricant, that's all.
The "basin mate" rubber bung compresses and seals the threads without the need for any sealant, plumber's mate or PTFE.
A much more elegant solution, IMO. And it saves me buying a tube of sealant, of which I'll use a tiny amount for this job and waste the rest as by the time I come to use it for another job, it'll have solidified in the tube.
And I can't see how any 'rubber' (that isn't liquid) will ever fully seal what is a fairly sharp metal thread, without some additional sealant?
The only exception would be if the rubber had it's own internal thread that coincided with the thread on the waste fitting but even then it would never fully 'sync' (excuse the pun), depending on how much you compressed the rubber.
It is my prediction that it will still leak, it might just take a bit of time till it does but then may block itself with gunge as time goes on.
At least if you applied sealant to the inside of the rubber bush to seal against the threads you could still easily remove the nut at a later date.
Left all day with basin full of water. Not a drop.
Read the reviews here.
"Excellent product for under £2. Avoids need to use messy sealants."
"Got a perfect seal without the need for Plumbers Mait"
"Did exactly what was required - no leaks, brilliant"
"After three attempts at trying to stop the water seeping down the threads of the trap I opted for this. Instant success and it didn't need anything else added except a bit of soap to lubricate the thread as it's a tight fit"
So how 'rubbery' is the rubber? How much have you compressed it whilst tightening the fitting?
Fact. The fact you can't work it out doesn't make it any less so. If the rubber had a thread that matched the waste outlet at rest, then you compressed it 50% of it's original size, what pitch would the thread be then.
A) 'The same' B) 'Different'.
With the plug open?
Remove the trap, blank the end of the waste outlet off, open the plug, fill the sink with water to the brim and leave *that* for a day and get back to us. I'm not saying it *will* leak (you can get lucky with these things), I'm just saying that will be an actual test.
Amongst people who don't understand how it all works though I'm guessing (I'm not suggesting you fall into that category, you just preferred not to use any sealant). Like the guy who told me he 'had spent 3 hours trying to stop my mums new basin waste leaking' and I managed it first go in 10 mins because I *understood* what was required. He hadn't understood that the washer above the nut didn't seal the nut.
From your link above:
"The manufacturers instructions for fitting this waste was to seal around the pop up waste using silicone and then place it into position and then fit the sealing washer to the bottom and then the large plastic nut.
I did exactly as the instructions said and the waste leaked and so I removed it and tried again using even more silicone and it leaked again, then the retaining nut broke and so off I went to my local DIY store and I found a much better solution for fitting the waste."
It leaked because they weren't sealing the right thing.
You *don't* need to seal the waste fitting where it goes into the basin, other than to stop the water leaking out of the basin, past the plug when it's in place.
You don't (normally) need to seal any other rings (like a non integrated overflow connection), as long as you use appropriate (suitably soft and not split) washers on both sides.
You do normally need some sort of sealant between the lower nut but
*only* on the thread.
So, if you assembled the entire fitting, ran a small bead of sealant around the thread against the lower washer and then did the nut up (even by hand), the chances are all would be fine (and you wouldn't 'have sealant everywhere' or the nut stuck on.
I and millions of plumbers have done it this way for many many years.
Cheers, T i m
p.s. If you already have the sealant out, many people would run a smear round each of the mating surfaces 'just in case'.
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