what's the plughole called :)

[wintermute]

Hi All,

Sorry for such a dopey question, but I'd like the technical term for it. It's the bit that forms the plughole on the inner side of the bath, and a short pipe on the underside, that connects to a wee u-bend type off to the waste pipe. Mine's a bit loose and I'm not sure if it's easy to replacce (doesn't look so) or if I can simply bung some sealer around it.

Cheers! John

[L Reid]

Is it the pipe that's loose? Check to see if it has a screw going through the middle of the plughole. If so, try lifting the pipe up against the underside of the plughole so it's tight, then screw in the screw until it's tight.

[Mike Taylor]

Its called a Waste simple as that Maybe a combined waste overflow

[David W.E. Roberts]

How old is it?

If it is antique connected to lead then you may have problems. If it is more modern it should be easy to take apart and re-assemble. [If it is not leaking, just try tightening up the fixings and see if that is enough.]

Assuming it is modern:

You should be able to unscrew the trap and remove it. [Something underneath e.g. a shallow tea tray to catch the water] [Unless, of course, it sinks through a hole in the floorboards, in which case reassure yourself that the small amount of water you spill will probably not show through to the downstairs ceiling. Try stuffing an old towel round it to soak up as much as possible.]

Fixing of the bath waste is generally either by a plastic nut screwed up the threaded outside of the bath waste from underneath the bath, which pulls the plug hole bit down into the bath or a screw through the centre of the plug hole bit which pulls the bath waste up to the bottom of the bath.

You can therefore remove the waste, clean it up, apply loads of silicone sealant to top and bottom of the opening in the bath, and refit the waste and tighten everything up. Wipe the sealant from around the waste inside the bath, but don't worry about the underneath ;-)

If it is a nut around the pipe, PTFE tape also helps to create a seal between the nut and the pipe.

Refit the trap, fill the bath full of water, release plug and pray (after obviously giving the silicone sealant the recommended time to 'go off').

HTH Dave R

[BigWallop]

Hi John,

I think the bit you're referring to is called a waste grate. That's the chrome or brass finished bit the sits in the hole of the bath.

If it's really loose, and depending on which style it is, you may have to put a thicker rubber washer around the under side of it, against the bottom of the bath, and a squirt of gutter seal between the grate and the surface of the bath.

There are two style used for the clamping fit. One style uses a bolt screwed through the centre of the grate and into a threaded sleeve in the body of the spigot. These are notorious for coming loose due to the threaded sleeve pulling out and the only real way to repair them, is to put a longer bolt with a nut and washer inside the spigot and re-tighten. Make sure you get a brass bolt and nut, even if they are chromed, make sure they are actually brass.

The other style is an actual one piece grate and threaded tail, which uses a bit nut to clamp the whole to the bath. If these become loose, then it is usually a case of squirting some sealant between all the surfaces and tighten up the big nut.