Hello,

I bought a plastic bath waste from Screwfix (I didn't realise it was
plastic at the time, IIRC the catalogue is a bit misleading).
Unfortunately I screwed it too tight and the plastic cracked and the
bath leaked.

So I bought another and screwed it loosely; so loosely it leaked again


So I've now bought a metal waste from BES, so that this cannot break
if I overtighten it. The problem is that it does not come with
instructions, nor can BES supply any. They gave me the manufacturer's
email but they haven't replied.

It is a slotted metal waste that obviously drops through the plughole
but there is a plastic "thing" that fits around the waste under the
bath. This covers the slot, so that the overfow can be connected. The
only way I can describe the plastic "thing" is to say it is like a
circular one-way conduit box: a circle with a bit extending, onto
which the overflow pipe is connected.

I cannot see how I make this plastic thing make a watertight seal.
there don't seem to be enough washers in the kit. There is also a
rigid "washer", a donought of black plastic that is a few millimetres
thick and I can't see the point of that? Surely a washer should be
flexible; a thick, rigid washer will not make a watertight seal.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:44:42 +0000, Stephen
wrote:

Hello,

I bought a plastic bath waste from Screwfix (I didn't realise it was
plastic at the time, IIRC the catalogue is a bit misleading).
Unfortunately I screwed it too tight and the plastic cracked and the
bath leaked.

So I bought another and screwed it loosely; so loosely it leaked again


So I've now bought a metal waste from BES, so that this cannot break
if I overtighten it. The problem is that it does not come with
instructions, nor can BES supply any. They gave me the manufacturer's
email but they haven't replied.

It is a slotted metal waste that obviously drops through the plughole
but there is a plastic "thing" that fits around the waste under the
bath. This covers the slot, so that the overfow can be connected. The
only way I can describe the plastic "thing" is to say it is like a
circular one-way conduit box: a circle with a bit extending, onto
which the overflow pipe is connected.

I cannot see how I make this plastic thing make a watertight seal.
there don't seem to be enough washers in the kit. There is also a
rigid "washer", a donought of black plastic that is a few millimetres
thick and I can't see the point of that? Surely a washer should be
flexible; a thick, rigid washer will not make a watertight seal.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

Is this kit just the waste or is it both waste AND overflow?

I have just looked under my bath to see how I did it ,probably with
the same waste . The drain fits in to the bath hole and iirc I used
some LSX sealant .The thing that covers the slots in the drain( Banjo
fitting) goes under the bath ,again using LSX,the black washer goes
next and the backnut last .The black washer I fitted is quite thin so
I don't recognise anything a few mill thick .Is there not a thinner
washer( or two) ? in the set .

What I am not sure about looking at it is whether the "banjo" fitting
for the overflow has flanges top and bottom or whether I have put
washers above and below .Obviously I don't want unscrew it to check .
I have a funny feeling that there was a solid washer that was supposed
to go at the back of the overflow but I couldn't get it to tighten so
I cut out a round piece of rubber and fitted that to the back of the
overflow ( under the bath) and secured it with LSX then fitted the
backnut .It all sealed very well .

"Stephen" wrote in message
...
It is a slotted metal waste that obviously drops through the plughole
but there is a plastic "thing" that fits around the waste under the
bath. This covers the slot, so that the overfow can be connected. The
only way I can describe the plastic "thing" is to say it is like a
circular one-way conduit box: a circle with a bit extending, onto
which the overflow pipe is connected.

I cannot see how I make this plastic thing make a watertight seal.
there don't seem to be enough washers in the kit. There is also a
rigid "washer", a donought of black plastic that is a few millimetres
thick and I can't see the point of that? Surely a washer should be
flexible; a thick, rigid washer will not make a watertight seal.

**** aren't they? Mine is the same.
I ended up smearing silicone all over the bloody thing, there was still a
slight weep, I put a tub under it to catch the drips with a view to faffing
with it some more but it seems to have sorted itself out, I presume regular
bath waste has clogged the leak and made a seal.

Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I bought a plastic bath waste from Screwfix (I didn't realise it was
plastic at the time, IIRC the catalogue is a bit misleading).
Unfortunately I screwed it too tight and the plastic cracked and the
bath leaked.

So I bought another and screwed it loosely; so loosely it leaked again


So I've now bought a metal waste from BES, so that this cannot break
if I overtighten it. The problem is that it does not come with
instructions, nor can BES supply any. They gave me the manufacturer's
email but they haven't replied.

It is a slotted metal waste that obviously drops through the plughole
but there is a plastic "thing" that fits around the waste under the
bath. This covers the slot, so that the overfow can be connected. The
only way I can describe the plastic "thing" is to say it is like a
circular one-way conduit box: a circle with a bit extending, onto
which the overflow pipe is connected.

I cannot see how I make this plastic thing make a watertight seal.
there don't seem to be enough washers in the kit. There is also a
rigid "washer", a donought of black plastic that is a few millimetres
thick and I can't see the point of that? Surely a washer should be
flexible; a thick, rigid washer will not make a watertight seal.

Can anyone help me?


welcome to the world of crap bath fittings.

generally there is a rigid washer and a flexible rubber one on most
fittings. Perhaps you have a part missing. ts fairly common in DIY sheds
for people to nick parts they hace broken out of the bxes on the shelves ;-)

But in the end, most of thee cheap fittings are crap anyway: the answer
is a tube of silicone sealer. Smear every surface that needs to be
watertight with it, screw up finger tight, remove surplus, wait 24 hours
and then tighten fairly hard.



Thanks.

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:13:58 +0000, wrote:

Is this kit just the waste or is it both waste AND overflow?

There is waste and overflow, so some of the washers are for the
overflow, I guess.

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:53:21 +0000, Stephen
wrote:

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:13:58 +0000, wrote:

I have just looked under my bath to see how I did it ,probably with
the same waste . The drain fits in to the bath hole and iirc I used
some LSX sealant .The thing that covers the slots in the drain( Banjo
fitting) goes under the bath ,again using LSX,the black washer goes
next and the backnut last .The black washer I fitted is quite thin so
I don't recognise anything a few mill thick .Is there not a thinner
washer( or two) ? in the set .

I have had a closer look at the thick, rigid, washer. The hole is too
small to accept the waste, so it must be for the overflow. I assume it
is to be used as a spacer.

What I am not sure about looking at it is whether the "banjo" fitting
for the overflow has flanges top and bottom or whether I have put
washers above and below .

There seems to be a flange at the bottom but not at the top. Even so,
I'm not sure that the bottom would be watertight; what is to stop
water running down the threads? I think I will buy an extra washer so
that I can fit them above and below.
If you think about it the only way water will get to the threads is
from up above ( inside the bath) so the waste fitting should be
smeared with some form of sealant before you place it in to the hole
in the bath .
I guess if you turn the banjo fitting round the flange will then be
next to the bath so you can put the thin washer on the base of the
banjo then the backnut . Use LSX or similar sealant between banjo and
bath and between washer and banjo then screw the backnut up . I think
I used sealant on both ends of the overflow pipe as well just in case.
..

Obviously I don't want unscrew it to check .
I have a funny feeling that there was a solid washer that was supposed
to go at the back of the overflow

Yes, I think that's what it is for.

but I couldn't get it to tighten so
I cut out a round piece of rubber and fitted that to the back of the
overflow ( under the bath) and secured it with LSX then fitted the
backnut .It all sealed very well .

I didn't know that the part was called a banjo fitting.

It's a type of fitting used in some industries like car industry .I
think it's because of the shape . It's used to feed liquid from one
pipe along another pipe at right angles to the first .
Once I learned
that, I typed it into google. I found two sites that mentioned fitting
wastes, though they didn't help with what washer goes where. The
strange thing is that the text on the two sites was identical. Is this
plagiarism or is it one person trying to get double the audience with
the same material?

I am wondering whether in the future it might be better to get one of
those wastes where the overflow connects directly to the trap and
there is no need for banjos. Do you think they are any better/less
leaky?

Thanks,
Stephen.

Re your last point I've never used one of them .The other type ( the
type you have) should be ok but as I said you need to assemble it
carefully and use sealant.

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:18:10 +0000, wrote:

If you think about it the only way water will get to the threads is
from up above ( inside the bath) so the waste fitting should be
smeared with some form of sealant before you place it in to the hole
in the bath .

But there are two slots in the waste to allow the overflow to drain
in; when you empty the bath doesn't some water pass through these
slots and if so, wouldn't it get onto the threads that way?

Or if the overflow was used, wouldn't that put water on the threads?

Thanks.

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:31:41 +0000, Stephen
wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:18:10 +0000, wrote:

If you think about it the only way water will get to the threads is
from up above ( inside the bath) so the waste fitting should be
smeared with some form of sealant before you place it in to the hole
in the bath .

But there are two slots in the waste to allow the overflow to drain
in; when you empty the bath doesn't some water pass through these
slots and if so, wouldn't it get onto the threads that way?

Or if the overflow was used, wouldn't that put water on the threads?

Thanks.

Thats what the banjo fitting (together with the washers and sealant)
is for .Properly sealed and with the backnut tightened up water shall
not pass....Trust me ..it works OK if done properly .

"Stephen" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:18:10 +0000, wrote:

If you think about it the only way water will get to the threads is
from up above ( inside the bath) so the waste fitting should be
smeared with some form of sealant before you place it in to the hole
in the bath .

But there are two slots in the waste to allow the overflow to drain
in; when you empty the bath doesn't some water pass through these
slots and if so, wouldn't it get onto the threads that way?

Or if the overflow was used, wouldn't that put water on the threads?

Thanks.

You have bought a basin waste!

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:50:40 -0000, "John"
wrote:


"Stephen" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:18:10 +0000, wrote:

If you think about it the only way water will get to the threads is
from up above ( inside the bath) so the waste fitting should be
smeared with some form of sealant before you place it in to the hole
in the bath .

But there are two slots in the waste to allow the overflow to drain
in; when you empty the bath doesn't some water pass through these
slots and if so, wouldn't it get onto the threads that way?

Or if the overflow was used, wouldn't that put water on the threads?

Thanks.

You have bought a basin waste!


No he hasn't ......

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:09:06 +0000, wrote:

Thats what the banjo fitting (together with the washers and sealant)
is for .Properly sealed and with the backnut tightened up water shall
not pass....Trust me ..it works OK if done properly .

Hello again,

I have put it all together. Like you said, the overflow needed some
silicone to properly seal it. I think the problem there is that the
hole in the bath is wider than the overflow fitting, so without some
extra help, the fitting will slide slightly from side to side.

I really don't like plastic backnuts! Where can you get spanners large
enough to fit them? I was using a pair of pump pliers but they chew
into the plastic where you grip them. I know, I should have wrapped a
cloth around them, but I forgot. You can't see what you're doing when
the cloth is in the way!

Can you upgrade the backnut to a brass one? If so, what size do I
need? Is it a simple matter of getting a 1 1/2 inch backnut for 40mm
waste? I wasn't sure what the measurement of a backnut refers to. Is a
1 1/2 inch backnut 1 1/2 inches across the nut's faces, or is it the
diameter of the hole? IIRC this one was about 50mm af

Thanks.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:34:37 +0000, Stephen
wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:09:06 +0000, wrote:

Thats what the banjo fitting (together with the washers and sealant)
is for .Properly sealed and with the backnut tightened up water shall
not pass....Trust me ..it works OK if done properly .

Hello again,

I have put it all together. Like you said, the overflow needed some
silicone to properly seal it. I think the problem there is that the
hole in the bath is wider than the overflow fitting, so without some
extra help, the fitting will slide slightly from side to side.
I've remembered thats the problem I had and cut a piece of rigid
plasticy rubbery stuff with a suitable hole cut in it and siliconed it
to the bath overflow ( at the back of course) and allowed it to set
then fitted the overflow .That stopped it moving around and enabled it
to be tightened up.
I really don't like plastic backnuts! Where can you get spanners large
enough to fit them? I was using a pair of pump pliers but they chew
into the plastic where you grip them. I know, I should have wrapped a
cloth around them, but I forgot. You can't see what you're doing when
the cloth is in the way!
Use you hands .They don't need to be that tight .

Can you upgrade the backnut to a brass one? If so, what size do I
need? Is it a simple matter of getting a 1 1/2 inch backnut for 40mm
waste? I wasn't sure what the measurement of a backnut refers to. Is a
1 1/2 inch backnut 1 1/2 inches across the nut's faces, or is it the
diameter of the hole? IIRC this one was about 50mm af

See above reply .

Thanks.