Bath leaking from plug/waste - what to replace/fix? :S

[rthomas_uk]

Hi all,

You guys helped me out a while back with a slow filling cistern, I'm hoping you'll do so again!

I'll do my best to explain what's happening.

We've started to get a lot of water leakage when draining the bath. I've had a look around the trap and the waste pipe and it appear like the seal, or whatever it may be called, between the underside of the plug and the waste pipe/plug outlet has failed. The waste pipe in question is part of a Wirquin(sp?) combined waste/overflow stainless steel jobby with the twist-to-close mechanism.

On closer inspection of the black waste pipe attached to the bath, and what suggests to my simple brain that it's the root cause, I could see play from side/side and even up/down - the up/down movement was quite small, about 1mm, but I'm guessing that is more than enough to see the leak that I'm getting. I tightened the screw in the middle of the plug and that got rid of the play and 90% of the leak.

I've tried a few test runs i.e. drying all of the fitting under the bath with tissue and then running some water down the plug, each time it's the black plastic waste pipe that gets wet first. I can't see any leak coming from any of the nuts(?) around the trap, they only appear to get wet once the water starts running down the outside of the waste pipe.

The black waste pipe itself appears fine, I think it's just the seal/washer/join/whatever between it and the bottom of the bath/plug hole. As the drip appears drastically reduced, is it worth just sealing it up with Dow Corning? Or is it likely to be the washer? In which case, any advice on exactly how I take remove the waste pipe would be gratefully received!

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Simon F]

is it one of the tighten with a screw from the top fitting? can it be tightened more?
or if a nut fitting will it tighten up?
best to undo to inspect the washer, has it split/perished? if so renew
or as you say bung it with silicone, but probably better to clean it up and use ptfe tape to improve the washer then tighten it all back together. there is minimal pressure on these joints so shouldn't take to much to fix it.

 

[rthomas_uk]

Correct on the first one, there's something akin to a hollow screw (if that makes sense) going down through the stainless plug. I think I could possibly tighten this a bit more but I was worried of cracking something through over-tightening; is this a danger?

To check the washer, do I just disconnect the waste from the trap and undo that screw going down through the plug?

 

[AWheating]

if its a hollow screw which looks like it needs a very large flat screwdriver to turn you can use things like a steel rule or end of a wood chisel (the blunter the better) basically anything flat, wide and strong.

 

[rthomas_uk]

if its a hollow screw which looks like it needs a very large flat screwdriver to turn you can use things like a steel rule or end of a wood chisel (the blunter the better) basically anything flat, wide and strong.

Cheers for reply AW but there's no problem in how to tighten, just whether there's a danger of over-tightening and thus cracking something...

 

[AWheating]

giv it a gew, there will be a chance of overtightening it but if its the metal hollow type then its a metal to metal thread and will take a fair bit of pressure. If you feel capable of stripping the waste apart then do that first and check rubber seals and replace with new or mastic. If you apply grease or mastic to the rubber seals tho dont tighten to much as they will likely slip.

 

[rthomas_uk]

Cheers AW, if I loosen the hollow screw will that simply release the waste from the bottom of the bath? Or is there something else I have to do as well? Not including disconnecting the trap from the waste...

 

[AWheating]

if you loosen the screw and take it out you should be able to remove both the underside rubber and the top(between waste outlet and bath)

 

[leonard]

I always use plumbers mate on this occasion that will sort the problem.
make sure that you put plumbers mate on both sides of rubber ring.

 

[rthomas_uk]

Thank leonard, my initial thought was to use PM but somebody told me that I may be better off with silicone..?

 

[Simon F]

plumbers mate is the traditional stuff for waste fittings but traditionally waste fitting were chrome or brass fitted to a ceramic basin/sink or a metal bath.
if any plastic is in use either the bath/basin or the waste fitting then you should not use a product that contains linseed oils as they can degrade the plastic

 

[leonard]

That is an good point but how long does it get to degrade the plastic?