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Fixing drips in plastic pipes under a sink..
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I came back Monday to find a bad drip under the sink originating from the waste pipe . These are made of plastic and are about twenty five years old
Tightening up the locking thread made no difference so I went to Wickes and bought two new rubber washers .
Changing the washers made no difference and I am curious as to why the pipe should start leaking at the join . And why replacing the washers made no difference .
I booked a plumber to do the repair but he cannot come for two weeks .
Should I try a sealing compound or PTFE tape as it is a long wait for the plumber to come .
In the meantime , a waah basin will have to emptied in the outside drain |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Waterproof outdoor sealant worked temporarily for me. When in say temporarily I mean it lasted the entire 6 months that I forgot to buy new pipe and joints!
If it's not under any pressure I dare say it could last indefinitely. |
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By *odareyouMan
over a year ago
not far from iceland,,,,,, tescos is nearer though :-) (near leeds) |
"I came back Monday to find a bad drip under the sink originating from the waste pipe . These are made of plastic and are about twenty five years old
Tightening up the locking thread made no difference so I went to Wickes and bought two new rubber washers .
Changing the washers made no difference and I am curious as to why the pipe should start leaking at the join . And why replacing the washers made no difference .
I booked a plumber to do the repair but he cannot come for two weeks .
Should I try a sealing compound or PTFE tape as it is a long wait for the plumber to come .
In the meantime , a waah basin will have to emptied in the outside drain "
Which joint is it on .. the basin waste or one of the other joints ? |
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Check for cracks in the tightening rings make sure they aren't over tightened as this will squeeze the rubber seals out of place. All plastic fitting should be hand tight only. Check the leak is really coming from where you think and not above and finally if all else fails silicone is your friend  |
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Why? Maybe it was knocked or blocked or recent cold weather led to thermal movement.
Washers? I doubt modern washers would be the same diameter, metric vs imperial, wear, differing brands.
Temp fix? Personally I'm never without a tube of Fernox Ls-x for emergencies. Can be found in most good hardware stores.
Technically PTFE tape is a lubricant, not a sealant.
Mr ddc |
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"I came back Monday to find a bad drip under the sink originating from the waste pipe . These are made of plastic and are about twenty five years old
Tightening up the locking thread made no difference so I went to Wickes and bought two new rubber washers .
Changing the washers made no difference and I am curious as to why the pipe should start leaking at the join . And why replacing the washers made no difference .
I booked a plumber to do the repair but he cannot come for two weeks .
Should I try a sealing compound or PTFE tape as it is a long wait for the plumber to come .
In the meantime , a waah basin will have to emptied in the outside drain
Which joint is it on .. the basin waste or one of the other joints ?"
. The one that connects into the U Trap |
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"Waterproof outdoor sealant worked temporarily for me. When in say temporarily I mean it lasted the entire 6 months that I forgot to buy new pipe and joints!
If it's not under any pressure I dare say it could last indefinitely."
. Thanks . Good advice . I might try that . |
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"Why? Maybe it was knocked or blocked or recent cold weather led to thermal movement.
Washers? I doubt modern washers would be the same diameter, metric vs imperial, wear, differing brands.
Temp fix? Personally I'm never without a tube of Fernox Ls-x for emergencies. Can be found in most good hardware stores.
Technically PTFE tape is a lubricant, not a sealant.
Mr ddc"
. Thanks . Good advice . I have had a really busy week and have just got round to thinking about it now . |
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These are notoriously difficult to fix without leaks. Everything needs to be aligned, washers seated properly etc and tightened. I'll tell you what I use - not pfte tape dont think it'd work very well - I use a tube of LS-X sealant which sort of like bathroom sealant but specially for plumbing joints - I've used it on compression joints too. I used for all sorts just coat all the places that might leak.. you'll get it at a plumbers merchant or something similar at B and Q. Your waste is not under any pressure so you should be able to stop the leak yourself and it's not so serious - even bathroom sealant might do it. It's just working in awkward places is a shit...xxx |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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By the time you've fannied about getting all the sealants , stripping it out, applying said sealants and reassembling it, itd much easier to just replace all the pipework. PVC waste pipe and fittings is readily available and dirt cheap against cost of a plumber. Job sorted! |
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"By the time you've fannied about getting all the sealants , stripping it out, applying said sealants and reassembling it, itd much easier to just replace all the pipework. PVC waste pipe and fittings is readily available and dirt cheap against cost of a plumber. Job sorted!"
with LS X you dont need to disassemble the joint. With a sink waste you'd just coat all round the gaps and threads because there's no pressure...job done. |
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"If it's the trap that's leaking just switch it out for a new one. can pick them up for between £5 - £10 from screwfix. "
. Thanks for the advice ..I was going to do that but could not find the exact size . It is quite an old fitting ..
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"These are notoriously difficult to fix without leaks. Everything needs to be aligned, washers seated properly etc and tightened. I'll tell you what I use - not pfte tape dont think it'd work very well - I use a tube of LS-X sealant which sort of like bathroom sealant but specially for plumbing joints - I've used it on compression joints too. I used for all sorts just coat all the places that might leak.. you'll get it at a plumbers merchant or something similar at B and Q. Your waste is not under any pressure so you should be able to stop the leak yourself and it's not so serious - even bathroom sealant might do it. It's just working in awkward places is a shit...xxx"
. This sounds to be the best option to me . Do all the joints have to be completely dry before applying it ?.
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"If it's the trap that's leaking just switch it out for a new one. can pick them up for between £5 - £10 from screwfix. . Thanks for the advice ..I was going to do that but could not find the exact size . It is quite an old fitting .."
yes, it can be really hard matching pvc waste pipes LSX will do the job and you can get that at screwfix too. |
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"These are notoriously difficult to fix without leaks. Everything needs to be aligned, washers seated properly etc and tightened. I'll tell you what I use - not pfte tape dont think it'd work very well - I use a tube of LS-X sealant which sort of like bathroom sealant but specially for plumbing joints - I've used it on compression joints too. I used for all sorts just coat all the places that might leak.. you'll get it at a plumbers merchant or something similar at B and Q. Your waste is not under any pressure so you should be able to stop the leak yourself and it's not so serious - even bathroom sealant might do it. It's just working in awkward places is a shit...xxx"
. Hi . Thanks for the advice. I bought LS from screwfix plus a similar part to use the spare washers .
When I first tightened it up it still leaked an seemed very loose .
I then added an additional round washer to the pipe and it sealed perfectly .
It may be that I forgot a washer when I did the first replacement . At the leaking end there was a red washer / gasket but I may have forgotten to slide. a rounded rounded black washer over the pipe .
Once I slid the new rounded black washer on , it sealed perfectly first time ..
I did not realise you had to use the large black rounded waaher over the pipe plus two gaskets .
Anyhow job done and thanks to everyone for the advice |
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