mcerd1
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| posted on 14/11/18 at 04:57 PM |
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OT - plumbing fittings
any plumbing experts here?
Got a bit of an issue with a flush pipe - it keeps working its way loose and the best suggestion so far is to replace it with a flexi (worked a treat
for the soil pipe)
only issue is the original is one of these:
https://spares.thomasdudley.co.uk/concealed-cistern-spares/vantage-cistern-spares/pspfwh322326.html
which tappers from 51mm OD to 41mm OD
it actually measures more like 49.9mm OD (45.7mm ID) at the cistern end which is a push fit
and at the pan end it measures 43mm OD (39mm ID) which is a fairly tight fit into the rubber connector - which it seems to be lifting off the bottom
of the seal off the pan and working / walking its way loose..
so the plan was to use something like this:
https://mcalpineplumbing.com/plastic-chrome-fittings/flexible-fittings-non-return-valves/flexcon5c-flexible-fitting-universal-x-plain-spigot
https://mcalpineplumbing.com/sites/default/files/uploads/drawings/Flexcon6.pdf
but as to the best way to connect it at the cistern end and which size is which (some sites are quoting different sizes for the same fittings  )
I'm pretty sure too short get the flex on the end of the smaller diameter of the existing flush bend - so the best bet would seem to be using
the flex to do the bend, then use some sort of adaptor onto the larger diameter coming down from the cistern
any thoughts / suggestions of what to buy ?
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slingshot2000
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| posted on 14/11/18 at 05:30 PM |
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Hi,
You shouldn't need any sort of flexi-pipe between the cistern and the pan. It sounds more like something is miss-aligned. The pipe into the pan
/ rubber should be a really tight fit, should need lots of Fairy Liquid and pressure to get it to enter. It only has water in there during the actual
flush, it doesn't hold water at any-other time. Has your cistern dropped or the pan moved and caused the alignment of the flush pipe to move ? A
new flush pipe, with new washers and seals, should be all you need. The few mill difference between manufacturers and cisterns will easily be taken
up. If you still not sure // confident, a make an extra "washer" from some well kneaded Plumbers Mate and apply that.
If you do go for an alternative to the fixed / solid flush pipe I can thoroughly recommend McAlpine fittings, they were the first manufacturers whose
fitting would "fit" any other makes / material of waste pipe. Since discovering them 35years ago I have refused to use anything else.
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SteveWalker
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| posted on 14/11/18 at 10:08 PM |
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Might a block of wood or plastic between the pipe and the wall prevent it moving back and coming out of the toilet end?
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mcerd1
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| posted on 14/11/18 at 10:40 PM |
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Sorry should have said, its a wall hung toilet, so its definitely moving a tiny bit every time its used
I've stiffened it massively already, so the flex is as small as possible, but it'll never be 100% solid
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kj
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| posted on 15/11/18 at 12:47 PM |
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It's not from Victoria Plum is it? i had problems with leaks and a dodgy seal, i wouldn't use any washing up liquid, only water or
saliva.
Check the length of pipe as it may be slightly longer or shorter and when you use the pan it moves the pipe from the seal slightly.
Think about it, think about it again and then do it.
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mcerd1
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| posted on 21/11/18 at 02:54 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by kj
It's not from Victoria Plum is it? i had problems with leaks and a dodgy seal, i wouldn't use any washing up liquid, only water or
saliva.
Check the length of pipe as it may be slightly longer or shorter and when you use the pan it moves the pipe from the seal slightly.
No its not a Victoria plum, better bathrooms / ebay special - the pan is an iflo (city plumbing) and the cistern + pipe is a Dudley one (so easy to
get spares for, just a bit of a pain that they use tapered pipes )
Anyway it now appears to be fixed 
as it turns out the fat end of of the flush pipe won't fit any of the 2" fittings (its probably closer to a 1.75" ), but that
didn't matter as it turns out I've not got enough height under the cistern anyway...
on the other hand the 1.5" flexi pipe is pretty much perfect for the skinny end of the flush pipe and the pan connector 
but the length was just about 1" too long for the space I've got, so in then end I cut the new flush pipe down at both ends as short as I
dared and cut about 1" off the plain spigot on the flexi, and cut the lip off the end of the pan connector for good measure and it worked
(probably with less than 5mm to spare)
the main thing is that I was able to fit the pan connector (sealed it up and left to cure for a bit) then fit the new flexi into that and confirm it
was sitting right before pushing it back onto the wall - so I'm about 100x more confident this time
Also after stripping it down again (this was the 3rd time in 5 years) I have a new theory as to why it was an issue (kj pretty much called it above)
- the pipe had actually been left about 1" too long by the 1st plumber when he fitted it (he was totally useless and he's never coming
back)
that wouldn't be an issue as such as the pan has a stepped hole with space to accommodate this.
Previously me and the much better plumber thought that the flex might have caused the seal to 'walk' loose, hence the sealant, but
I'm not sure this was actually happening after all.
The pan connector has a lip around the end which will not slide over the end of the flush pipe (presumably to help push it into the pan and stop it
walking out / make sure it goes right in)
however with the stepped hole in my pan holding the outside, and with the overlong pipe pushing the centre though - it managed to twist / stretch
the connector part way through the smaller hole in the pan - leaving it so deformed that is had less than a snowballs chance in hell of doing its job
- all because the 1st plumber was to lazy / incompetent to measure the pipe properly 
anyway I'm totally sold on flexi pipes now for this stuff, if nothing else its so much easier to connect up before fitting the pan to the wall
than connect it while trying mount on the wall at the same time
[Edited on 21/11/2018 by mcerd1]
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