So when I removed the old basin from my downstairs bog, I first measured the
height of the new one on its fancy cupboard, and measured the length of the
tails that came with the new monobloc tap. Allowing a couple of cm 'slack',
because I didn't want a lot of flexible tail kinking up behind there, I cut
off the old pipes, and fitted a couple of service valves. Today, I screwed
the tails into the tap, and fixed the tap to the basin. I then plonked the
basin on its cupboard to check what exactly was going to be needed to
connect the waste back up. To my horror, the bloody tails were hanging
there, a couple of cms short of being able to screw onto the service valves.
What I hadn't taken into account, is that the tails screw right up inside
the tap body, effectively shortening them by about 8 cms ... Doh !

So now, I'm going to have to go to B& bloody Q tomorrow, and buy a couple of
straight compression joints to extend my supply pipes, to the point where
the tails can screw on. What a waste of sodding time and effort. I'm the
world's worst for quoting the old "Proper Planning Prevents **** Poor
Performance" mantra, and here I am, suitably embarrassed by it d :-\

And talking of B&Q. I needed a rubber doorstop to prevent the metal handle
on the door, from smashing my nice new tiles. They now only sell them in
twos (why though?) and they are nearly a fiver !!! WTF is that about ? They
do have a cheaper one, but it's made of solid nylon or some such. Hit that
with the door a couple of times, and it'll be starting to loosen the screw
in the wooden floor ...

Arfa

On 20/02/2011 02:49, Arfa Daily wrote:
And talking of B&Q. I needed a rubber doorstop to prevent the metal
handle on the door, from smashing my nice new tiles. They now only sell
them in twos (why though?) and they are nearly a fiver !!! WTF is that
about ? They do have a cheaper one, but it's made of solid nylon or some
such. Hit that with the door a couple of times, and it'll be starting to
loosen the screw in the wooden floor ...

Aldi occasionaly sell a heavy round 3-inch door stop weight (probably
depleted uranium) with rubber bumper strips around the edges. It stands
an inch tall and doesn't require screwing down.

http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/520...or_stopper.jpg

they do thin/taller ones as well

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/351...or_stopper.jpg

Couple of quid or thereabouts.

--
Adrian C

On Feb 20, 2:49*am, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
So when I removed the old basin from my downstairs bog, I first measured the
height of the new one on its fancy cupboard, and measured the length of the
tails that came with the new monobloc tap. Allowing a couple of cm 'slack',
because I didn't want a lot of flexible tail kinking up behind there, I cut
off the old pipes, and fitted a couple of service valves. Today, I screwed
the tails into the tap, and fixed the tap to the basin. I then plonked the
basin on its cupboard to check what exactly was going to be needed to
connect the waste back up. To my horror, the bloody tails were hanging
there, a couple of cms short of being able to screw onto the service valves.
What I hadn't taken into account, is that the tails screw right up inside
the tap body, effectively shortening them by about 8 cms ... *Doh !

So now, I'm going to have to go to B& bloody Q tomorrow, and buy a couple of
straight compression joints to extend my supply pipes, to the point where
the tails can screw on. What a waste of sodding time and effort. I'm the
world's worst for quoting the old "Proper Planning Prevents **** Poor
Performance" mantra, and here I am, suitably embarrassed by it *d :-\

And talking of B&Q. I needed a rubber doorstop to prevent the metal handle
on the door, from smashing my nice new tiles. They now only sell them in
twos (why though?) and they are nearly a fiver !!! WTF is that about ? They
do have a cheaper one, but it's made of solid nylon or some such. Hit that
with the door a couple of times, and it'll be starting to loosen the screw
in the wooden floor ...

Arfa

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/40536/...8mm-Pack-of-10
Toolstation's probably cheaper


NT

Arfa Daily wrote in message
...
So when I removed the old basin from my downstairs bog, I first measured
the
height of the new one on its fancy cupboard, and measured the length of
the
tails that came with the new monobloc tap. Allowing a couple of cm
'slack',
because I didn't want a lot of flexible tail kinking up behind there, I
cut
off the old pipes, and fitted a couple of service valves. Today, I screwed
the tails into the tap, and fixed the tap to the basin. I then plonked the
basin on its cupboard to check what exactly was going to be needed to
connect the waste back up. To my horror, the bloody tails were hanging
there, a couple of cms short of being able to screw onto the service
valves.
What I hadn't taken into account, is that the tails screw right up inside
the tap body, effectively shortening them by about 8 cms ... Doh !

So now, I'm going to have to go to B& bloody Q tomorrow, and buy a couple
of
straight compression joints to extend my supply pipes, to the point where
the tails can screw on. What a waste of sodding time and effort. I'm the
world's worst for quoting the old "Proper Planning Prevents **** Poor
Performance" mantra, and here I am, suitably embarrassed by it d :-\

And talking of B&Q. I needed a rubber doorstop to prevent the metal handle
on the door, from smashing my nice new tiles. They now only sell them in
twos (why though?) and they are nearly a fiver !!! WTF is that about ?
They
do have a cheaper one, but it's made of solid nylon or some such. Hit that
with the door a couple of times, and it'll be starting to loosen the screw
in the wooden floor ...

Arfa


A bit of trivia for you.
3 local Southampton lads , Block , Quayle and Winter come out of National
Service about the same time - what to do for a living? One had some
experience of working in the USA in one of those new-fangled supermarkets
and one had worked in a hardware shop. How about setting up a hardware
supermarket ? Mr Winter happened to have some money but he considered it too
risky a project and declined to have anything to do with it - Doh!

In article ,
says...
So now, I'm going to have to go to B& bloody Q tomorrow, and buy a couple of
straight compression joints to extend my supply pipes, to the point where
the tails can screw on.

Last time I had to fit to tails, a standard compression joint minus the
olive didn't work. The sealing surface was too small and the rubber
washer in the tail just slipped inside it.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

Skipweasel ) wibbled on Sunday 20 February
2011 15:59:

In article ,
says...
So now, I'm going to have to go to B& bloody Q tomorrow, and buy a couple
of straight compression joints to extend my supply pipes, to the point
where the tails can screw on.

Last time I had to fit to tails, a standard compression joint minus the
olive didn't work. The sealing surface was too small and the rubber
washer in the tail just slipped inside it.


I had that problem - I sized the pipework to my bog cistern based on the
supplied ballcock which was plastic and expected a tap connector.

I then decided the ballcock was a piece of crap and went and bought a decent
wone with a brass thread. The brass thread. whilst protruding about the same
amount was set up for a compression joint and was as you say. Even if it had
worked the sharp end would probably have punched through the washer over
time.

Did consider filing it flat but in the end put a fancy bend in the pipework
to accomodate an elbow and a short bit of pipe...

--
Tim Watts

"Skipweasel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
So now, I'm going to have to go to B& bloody Q tomorrow, and buy a couple
of
straight compression joints to extend my supply pipes, to the point where
the tails can screw on.

Last time I had to fit to tails, a standard compression joint minus the
olive didn't work. The sealing surface was too small and the rubber
washer in the tail just slipped inside it.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

The job's finished now. I usually just screw tap tails down onto the top of
a service valve, which of course is normally chrome plated, so a bit fatter
and smoother around the top edge. I've never had a problem with these
leaking short or long term, or with them not sealing in the first place or
damaging the sealing washer, but I can see how that could occur. As it
happens, when I got to B&Q today, the bin for cheapo 15mm straight
compression joints was empty. As Wickes is right the other side of town, I
sighed, and reluctantly shelled out twice the wonga for chrome plated
compression joints (and even that was the last two they had). So in the end,
based on your story and the other poster who said the same, maybe they did
me a favour by being out of sharp edged plain brass ones.

Of course, the story didn't end there. The worst job in this house is always
reconnecting the wastes. It was originally plumbed in God knows what size
solvent weld. Nothing available today in solvent or push, mates with it.
Yes, at a pinch, you can get a connection with a compression joint, but they
are so bulky, and so difficult to get tight enough when there is a big
discrepancy between the pipe diameters that you're trying to connect.
Anyway, I bought a bog standard B&Q 32 mm two piece 'S' trap, as the new
basin was going to be a bit offset from where the original was, and the two
piece 'S' allows you swing it all around until everything lines up. I have
spare lumps of three different 'standard' sizes of plastic waste pipe in the
garage, and not one of them fitted the outlet compression joint on the new
trap. I eventually ended up using a heat gun to soften the stump of original
pipe going into the floor, until I could push a piece of 32 mm Marley inside
it. I then cut that to length, and heated its upper end until soft, and
'flared' it with the pointy pipe attachment from the workshop hoover ! That
then made it a tight fit in the trap compression joint.

And you know what ? A happy ending ! Nothing leaked anywhere. Just gotta
tidy up now, before the missus gets back ... d;-)

Arfa

On Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:43:54 -0000, "N_Cook"
wrote:

Arfa Daily wrote in message
...
So when I removed the old basin from my downstairs bog, I first measured
the
height of the new one on its fancy cupboard, and measured the length of
the


A bit of trivia for you.
3 local Southampton lads , Block , Quayle and Winter come out of National
Service about the same time - what to do for a living? One had some
experience of working in the USA in one of those new-fangled supermarkets
and one had worked in a hardware shop. How about setting up a hardware
supermarket ? Mr Winter happened to have some money but he considered it too
risky a project and declined to have anything to do with it - Doh!


Nice story to be told to greenhorns in the South Western Arms and
other Portswood pubs but misses out so much that it is misleading.
Best part of a decade between the end of National service and the
opening of the first store for a start, Mr Q worked for John Lewis
then Marley tile in a fairly high position. Bit more than a stint in a
hardware store. He was really the driver of the two,Mr B being his
Brother in law who was able raise funds against the wealth of a family
business.

G.Harman