Indy Total Construction

When fitting the new taps or mixer, unscrew the back-nuts, press some plumber’s putt round the tail directly below the tap body a fit a plastic washer onto the top.

Push the tails through the holes in the base. Slip flat plastic washers over the tails where they protrude from beneath the basin. screw on the back-nuts and tighten them up. Make sure that the taps or mixer are secure, but don’t overtighten them. To make tightening easier, (and undoing, if ever necessary) use top-hat washers.

All that remains to be done is to conned the swivel tap connectors to the tails of the new taps or mixer. You will see that a tap connector consists of a lining — with a flange — that is inserted into the tap tail and is then secured by the coupling nut. This nut provided with a washer to ensure a watertight connection. When renewing taps you may well need to renew this small washer.

It is possible that when you come to connect the water supply pipes to the taps you will get an unpleasant surprise. The tails of modern taps are slightly shorter than those of older ones and the tap connectors may not reach. If the water supply pipes are of lead or of copper it is quite likely that they will have enough ‘give’ to enable you to make the connection but, if not, there are extension pieces specially made to bridge the gap.

If you’re replacing existing bib taps with those of a more modern design. it’s a relatively simple matter of disconnecting and unscrewing the old ones and fitting the new taps in their place. However, it’s quite possible that you’ll want to remove the bib taps altogether and fit a new sink with some pillar taps. This will involve a little more plumbing work. To start with, turn off the water supply and remove the taps and old sink.

If the pipework comes up from the floor, you’ll need to uncover the run in the wall to below where the new sink will go. You should then be able to ease the pipes away from the wall and cut off the exposed sections. This will allow you to join short lengths of new pipe, bent slightly “if necessary, to link the pipe ends and the tap tails.

Alternatively. if the pipes come down the wall you’ll have to extend the run to be,row the level of the new sink and use elbow fittings to link the pipe to the tap tails. In either case it’s a good idea to fit the taps to the new sink first and to make up the pipe- work runs slightly overlong, so that when the new sink is offered up to the wall you can measure up accurately and avoid the risk of. cutting off too much pipe.

Rather than having to make difficult bends you can use lengths of corrugated copper pipe. One end of the pipe is plain so that it can be fitted to the 15mm supply pipes with either a soldered capillary or compression fitting: the other end has a swivel tap connector.

When you look at the gooseneck shape of the trap under a sink or basin, it looks as if someone put it there to catch dirt and clog the drain line. It does trap everything from hair to wristwatches. But the real purpose of the trap is to keep sewer gas and germs from getting back into the house. Water runs through the trap, but there is always enough left behind in the bottom of the trap to make an airtight seal.

There are four basic ways to clear a clogged trap:

• With a plunger

• With a small plumber’s snake

• By removing the cleanout plug if the trap has one

• By removing the trap

The best and safest way of clearing a trap is with a plunger. Chemicals sometimes work, but when they don’t, you have a trap full of a toxic and dangerous substance besides

Every plumbing fixture—sink, basin, bathtub, toilet and floor drain—has a trap. The trap prevents sewer gas and germs from entering the home. a clogged drain. If the sink has an overflow, as most bathroom basins do, you will have to cover the overflow with a sponge or a rag while you are plunging. Double sinks or laundry basins present a similar problem. Water will be forced through the sink you are not plunging. Where a plunger won’t work, a plumber’s snake will sometimes clear the drain. Turn the crank to work it around bends in the pipe.

To use a plunger put a little petroleum jelly around the force cup to make a tighter seal. Place the plunger over the clogged drain and run two or three inches of water into the sink. Press down firmly on the plunger. As you pull up, a vacuum is created to loosen the clog. If the plunger doesn’t work, try a plumber’s snake (auger).

Every plumbing fixture—sink, basin, bathtub, toilet and floor drain—has a trap. The trap prevents sewer gas and germs from entering the home.

Some traps have a cleanout plug. Put a pail under the trap and remove the plug. Use a piece of stiff wire to clean out the trap. Replace the washer and plug. If that doesn’t work or if there is no cleanout plug, remove the trap. An old trap may be corroded or even fall apart when you remove it. Replace it with a plastic lasts longer, and is less expensive. If the trap is still usable, run a wire through to clear it.

A little petroleum jelly will help the ends go back together. Tighten the slip nuts by hand and then slightly more with a wrench. Run some water through to make sure there are no leaks.

A trap with a cleanout plug is fairly easy to clean. Use a piece of wire to break the clog.

Double sinks are connected to the same drain. This may also be true when sinks are back-to-back with a wall between. It is useless to plunge one without blocking the other. One solution may be a plumber’s snake (auger).

To remove a trap, put a pail or pan under the trap. Loosen the slip nuts and pull the trap loose. If the trap is not clogged, the problem is farther down the line. Run an auger through the pipe that enters the wall.