Bath Aid (Like Live Aid but less sex, drugs and rock'n'roll)

[aidy_is]

Right then. I'm renovating my bathroom, well actually I'm ripping it up and starting it again! So far so good, but I have two questions:

1. The basins (yes, plural, 'His' and 'Her Indoors') are ceramic half spheres which sit atop a worktop. The questions is, should I use the nut on the waste to secure the basin to the work top (aswell as the basin to the waste obviously) or should I leave that to do just the job it was designed to do and find some other way of securing the basin?

2. The wall mounted taps (similar ones here ) consist of three separate parts joined together by compression fittings.....and they are leaking! Not all of them, mind. I have read almost every posting on here (sadly not BEFORE I started) and am aware that what I shouldn't've have done is tighten then up as much as humanly possibly...but i did. What can i do now? Surely, loosening them off isn't going to help? Will covering the thread in PTFE (or is it PFTE? I never bloody know) help, or is that (as has been suggested by more than one person in here) a plumbing crime? Is there any other substance i can use to help seal the connection?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Aidan

 

[keyplayer]

Don't really follow your first question - did the sinks not come with any mounting clips? The waste pipe shouldn't be used as an anchor. As regards your leaks, it sounds as though you have over compressed the olives, and though you might get away with a load of tape, you should really dismantle it all and replace the olives (I'd use copper olives rather than brass) If you have the space you can very carefully hacksaw the old ones off. And use a little plumbers jointing compound.

 

[aidy_is]

Thanks for your reply. Will try new olives and the jointing compound.

As for the basins....no they didn't come with anything to secure them, no clips, no lugs, nothing. Iheed your advice about not using the waste as an anchor, but if i used the original one to secure waste to basin (as normal) do you think i could then use a larger nut/washer on the waste to secure basin to worktop?

 

[AdamW]

Problem with doing up compression fittings as tight as you can is that it starts to squeeze the pipe quite a bit. I found that after taking the old joint off I couldn't just stick the new one on as there was a neck in the pipe where the olive was. So, it means a new bit of pipe. I really wish compression fittings were more intuitive!

Maybe it is just me though, perhaps I have been blessed with the strength of a gorilla!

 

[pb21]

if the fittings have been overtightened dont try to bodge it with compounds cut the tube back with a hacksaw after you have turned off the water supply and maybe put flexible connectors on to make up for the length and this time dont overtighten.

just finish off with some ptfe tape on the threads just before you tighten up.

 

[AdamW]

PTFE can't hurt, but you don't need it on the threads of a compression fitting: no seal is made there.

I used PTFE on all of my compression fittings and wish I hadn't now as it doesn't look as nice.

 

[ChrisR]

I bet aidy has used the pipes to secure his taps so can't use flexies. Best would be to cut the pipes back and start again. Might get away with cleaning the olive area and using a semihardening compound like Siseal which will fill a gap and hold on tight while remaining slightly flexible. Silicone would probably work too (yes sanitary stuff).

There are sometimes special fittings available for holding a given basin but just use silicone. Support or clamp as neccesary while the stuff goes off. There's always Gripfill. No do not hold the basin in by the waste pipe.

 

[aidy_is]

thanks for all your help. ChrisR you are right; I had to use copper pipe in order to get some rigidity. Replaced olives (and new pipes) with copper ones and a touch of jointing compound and they are all fine now (apart from the non-compression thread-into-fitting one, which are still proving problematic).
Basins; used the waste (sorry), but secured it to basin with one nut and to worktop with larger nut and (homemade washer). fantastic. now all i have to do is build the shower and tray, plaster the walls, relay floor, then tile it, sort out shower waste, find toilet, fit that, make mirror, veneer the worktop, fit shower, sort out the lighting, fix the window, put new skirting on, fit backboard to vanity unit.........ah well, that's every weekend from now till christmas then. hope it's a rubbish summer! @

 

[AdamW]

apart from the non-compression thread-into-fitting one, which are still proving problematic

I was having this issue with my shower mixer bar. It is mounted from the two supply pipes via a couple of wallplate elbows. The way I got the thread-into-fitting joint to stop leaking was to use ample jointing compound to fill the entire male thread, then to do it up with a spanner. I had to do it up very tight before it would stop leaking. Then I attached a couple of washing machine hoses and flushed water through so I wouldn't end up with jointing compound clogging up the inlet filters on the mixer.

I had to do it up VERY tight... which is a bit disconcerting when you have already learned that compression joints should NOT be done up so tight!

 

[keyplayer]

Dont forget the washers?

 

[aidy_is]

no washers supplied. best go and get some? or just use brute strength and jointing coompound?
@

 

[AdamW]

Dont forget the washers?

No washers came with mine either. I did think that a metal-on-metal seal was odd, but a compression fitting is just that.

Should an outside tap be screwed into a wallplate with a washer? This is the same fitting as is being described here.

 

[keyplayer]

Its been a while since I did mine(Showerforce SF901 thermo mixer, real cheapy), but if I recall correctly the copper pipes, which also support the unit are connected via olive joints to two offset adapters which pass through the wall. The slack is taken up by the large stainless plates, and then the mixer unit is screwed to the protruding flanges. 2 rubber washers with a mesh filter(like washing mach. inlets) were provided for the latter joint, and its never leaked! I'm not saying they're all like that, but I have seen a few that were.