Help needed for my first solo plumbing job

[Tom]

I'm sick of waiting for other people to do things so, once again, I'm getting on with the job myself :roll:

I haven't done plumbing before but, hey, how hard can it be? I just wnat to explain what I've got and what I plan to do and see if anyone thinks I'm missing anything out or doing something wrong.

I need to sort out the waste pipe for my kitchen sink. I have a 1 1/2" waste fitted in a Belfast. I've bought this trap, as the cupboard is quite small and I want as much usable space as I can get...

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And here's the cupboard...



See next post. I'm only allowed 3 attachments per posts...

 

[Tom]

I'm guessing the little black gasket thing on the picture above goes into the threaded bit that fits onto the waste and the small white reducer thing goes on the outlet end. So, I did that and loosely fitted it like so...

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I plan on fitting a couple of bends like these to get the angle going towards the wall and then fit the pipe on that'll go through the wall...



Would all this work? Am I doing anything wrong? I know I have to use weld on the outlet pipe and I've bought some already. Is it just a case of smearing it around the pipe and pushing the two bits together? Also, I'm hiring a core drill to go through the wall but when I drill through do I drill straight through or at a downward angle? Does it need a fall on it?

I'd really appreciate any help or advice on this. I'm quite excited about doing it (I know, I'm sad ) but I'm also bothered in case I get it wrong :shock: :roll:

 

[philmac1944]

At least you`re starting with a fairly easy job !
Couple of suggestions; drill a bigger hole than you need and put a slight fall on it. Dry fit your weld joints before using the weld; you only
get one chance. On the dry fit I mark the two pieces with a felt pen across the joint to give a reference when it comes to welding.
I`m a bit concerned about what looks like a spigot for a washing machine outlet. If you are going to use this you risk a back flow
from the sink to the machine. If you`re not using it you can buy blanks which shut off that branch.
Good luck !

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much for your help. Doing a dry fit is a very good suggestion How quickly does the weld go off?

The spigot for the washing machine is already blanked off. It's just an option but I won't be using it anyway. Thanks again

Does anyone have anything to add to this, please?

 

[philmac1944]

You have about 30secs before the weld `welds`. No pressure there then !

 

[Tom]

Yikes! 30 seconds? I'd better check, check and check again before I do it then :shock:

 

[philmac1944]

another thought...to make sure the inserted pipe goes fully home ( usually about 30mm ), make a felt pen mark on it at the dry fit stage.

 

[CatherineB]

Nothing to add, Jaqy, other than admiration; you're a braver woman than I!

 

[Tom]

Catherine, compared to other work I've done on this house, it's quite minor really. My only problem is making sure I get it right :? I'm sure you'd be able to do it, too As long as you can use a drill (pretty easy, not much to go wrong) the degree of complexity is relatively non-existant, as philmac1944 said. As long as someone tells me what to do, I'm quite happy to get on with a job. I love the sense of achievement, too Mind you, I may have a different opinion this time tomorrow :lol: I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[philmac1944]

another thought about something easily done ...where does that 15mm pipe go outside ? you wouldn`t want to drill through it !!!

 

[Penners]

This sounds like a worthwhile project, Jaqy. You may never need a plumber again!

I echo everything that's been said about solvent-welded joints. You have to work quickly - in fact I would say that 30 seconds is on the optimistic side. The technique I always use is to spread the glue evenly on the male fitting, quickly and firmly push the fittings together, then very quickly give them a little twist, the one inside the other. This just ensures that the glue is more evenly spread out within the mating joint. But do work very quickly.

I hope you've ensured that all the fittings and the pipe do actually fit each other? One of the infuriating things about plastic plumbing stuff is that one manufacturer's nominal size doesn't necessarily fit another manufacturer's "identical" nominal size. :evil: So, as has already been suggested, do a dry fit of everything before you finally weld them, just to be sure.

One other thought (and forgive me if this is obvious) - you have bought the products designed to be solvent welded, haven't you? Stuff designed for push-fit or compression-fit is made of a different plastic, which won't weld.

It's difficult to see the black gasket thing in your photo. If it's just a flat, black neoprene disc, then yes - it's very probably meant to seal the mating surfaces of the waste and the trap. But if the neoprene ring has a taper on it, then I'm wondering whether that flange on the outlet means that it's a compression fit over the adaptor. Does the ribbed flange on the outlet screw on?

 

[Penners]

Incidentally, yes I would drill your hole through the wall with a slight fall towards the outside (there should be sufficient flexibility in the plastic fittings to accommodate the very slight angle). This is good practice, to help ensure that there's no water ingress if the sealing material that you use should ever crack. And making the hole slightly larger than the pipe is a good plan.

 

[robgil]

you need a core drill to go through the wall, can you not rotate the outlet from the trap to face the wall? also,is that copper pipe going through the wall ? is it in a sleeve?

when you put the glue on the fitting put it on the tube as well , push it home then rotate it a quarter turn and back into position , this will get the glue spreading evenly around the tube.

that trap looks a tad shallow for a belfast sink to me , are you sure it wont be a pain to drain? will it not restrict the flow and cause it to drain too slowly?

when i do drainage pipe work i always cut it and dry fit everything , then , before i glue a piece i try to think a few stages ahead because once its glued its glued for good.
you might need to hold the tube as you push the fitting home on the other side of the wall.
putting a fall in the hole is good practice but not critical, i just go straight through, you will get problems if you aim upwards. you can use lime mortar to seal up the hole around the tube with.

 

[Tom]

another thought about something easily done ...where does that 15mm pipe go outside ? you wouldn`t want to drill through it !!!

Do you mean the copper pipe in the cupboard? That's the water in from the mains. At the bottom is the stopcock before it joins the blue pipe. From where you can see it, it goes slightly further up the wall then turns right and heads off upstairs. Where I plan drilling through, there are no pipes, cables etc. hidden or visible, inside or out. I've made sure by looking back over the pictures of the kitchen before it was plastered But, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Tom]

This sounds like a worthwhile project, Jaqy. You may never need a plumber again!

I'm not too sure about that, Penners. But the thought is good

One other thought (and forgive me if this is obvious) - you have bought the products designed to be solvent welded, haven't you? Stuff designed for push-fit or compression-fit is made of a different plastic, which won't weld.

The only bit that needs welding is the reducer thing from the trap to the bit of pipe inbetween that and a bend. This is the pipe I bought...

It's difficult to see the black gasket thing in your photo. If it's just a flat, black neoprene disc, then yes - it's very probably meant to seal the mating surfaces of the waste and the trap. But if the neoprene ring has a taper on it, then I'm wondering whether that flange on the outlet means that it's a compression fit over the adaptor. Does the ribbed flange on the outlet screw on?

The gasket is flat and black but it has a little 'noggin' on the inside. I assumed that was to close off the screw thread on the bit that fastens to the waste. Is that wrong? I can get a better picture of it if it would help. The package instructions say nothing about where it should go :roll:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

jaqy - well done.

You seem to have it covered, and I can't add to anything above. I've only ever used push-fit or compression plastic plumbing for waste stuff. I like to be able to undo it all.

Either way, even if you make a complete Horlicks of it all, it's fairly cheap to get a new set of bits. Although that trap looks unusual and expensive! I've has similar shower traps that were eye-wateringly pricey for a bit of Chinese moulded plastic!

 

[Tom]

you need a core drill to go through the wall, can you not rotate the outlet from the trap to face the wall? also,is that copper pipe going through the wall ? is it in a sleeve?

I'm hiring a core drill tomorrow to do the job. I can rotate the outlet to face the wall but it only leaves a gap of about 10mm between it and the wall. Also, it would be impossible to get the drill in there at the right angle to go through the wall. That's why I'm bringing it all down a bit with the angles.

that trap looks a tad shallow for a belfast sink to me , are you sure it wont be a pain to drain? will it not restrict the flow and cause it to drain too slowly?

Is that likely to be a problem? It says on the packet it's for a single sink, which mine is. Why would a Belfast drain any differently to another type of sink?

Thanks for your other tips and help

 

[Tom]

jaqy - well done.

You seem to have it covered, and I can't add to anything above. I've only ever used push-fit or compression plastic plumbing for waste stuff. I like to be able to undo it all.

Either way, even if you make a complete Horlicks of it all, it's fairly cheap to get a new set of bits. Although that trap looks unusual and expensive! I've has similar shower traps that were eye-wateringly pricey for a bit of Chinese moulded plastic!

It all seemed pretty cheap to me so, yes, I can easily redo it if I make mistakes....thank goodness!

I can't remember the price of the trap but hubby seems to think it was about £14. I would have said £10ish. But massaging figures comes natural to me now, after all the years working on the house :lol: I just saw how small it was and thought it would be ideal inside my tiny cupboard

 

[Penners]

The only bit that needs welding is the reducer thing from the trap to the bit of pipe in between that and a bend.

Oh, OK. Then, so long as he instructions tell you to solvent weld it, that's fine. Blimey - a pot of solvent just to weld one joint! It's not cheap stuff!

As that's definitely a solvent welded joint, then I guess the neoprene disc must definitely be to seal the waste to the trap. Does it fit the diameter of that joint nicely? If so, that must be it.

 

[MdB]

I think plumbing was one of the easier jobs I have done. It is worth reading up on how to do stuff first though and the internet is a good resource.

As it sounds like you want to do this properly, it is probably worth reading the following. I can assure you that they are very exciting reads....

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/partg/approved
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/parth/approved

(oh and I have been known to lie...)