Caravan tip-up sink problem
Chris J Dixon
of my 2006 Lunar Stellar caravan.
The sink bowl has a waste outlet, from which a flexible pipe
runs, concealed between the top and bottom sink mouldings, which
are permanently glued together.
In normal use, you remove the plug to let out the water through
the drain, then (when it is empty) tip the sink. There is a
shallow recess to catch any remaining drips.
There now appears to be a leak, as when the sink is tipped, water
gushes from between the mouldings.
Naturally, the back panel is a snug fit in the compartment, also
has fittings for the shower and hot air outlet, and is liberally
sealed in place.
I'm not sure if the sink pivot can be sprung from the back panel,
but even if it can, I don't see that I could do much about what
is going on inside the assembly.
Has anybody else had this problem, and how was it fixed?
Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
ch...@cdixon.me.uk
Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.
David WE Roberts
"Chris J Dixon" <ch...@cdixon.me.uk> wrote in message
news:tv8h26d3sbs3dftmm...@4ax.com...
Brutal bodger's fix - drill a couple of holes top and bottom (this will also
drain any trapped water) then insert nozzle of foam gun.
Squirt in some foam, trim the excess from the holes.
This will effectively minimise any future leakage.
Presumably you can't release the flexible pipe and the waste fitting from
the bowl.
It is likely that the flexible pipe has failed (or at least the connection
to the waste).
Sadly, it may be time for a new bowl.
However, if this seems inevitable you have nothing to lose by trying a bit
of brutal bodging on the old unit.
HTH
Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
Dave Liquorice
> The sink bowl has a waste outlet, from which a flexible pipe runs,
> concealed between the top and bottom sink mouldings, which are
> permanently glued together.
Plastic mouldings are never "permanently glued", they might be
reluctant to come apart but if you can get in anywhere with a blunt
broad thin flat bladed instrument(*) the joint can often be persuaded
to open up.
Sounds to me as if the flexable pipe has either failed or dropped off
inside. Either way you need to gain access to diagnose and/or fix it.
Squirty foam is a very big bodge, domestic stuff is open cell so will
fill up with dirty water over time and then the detritus/soap etc
will start to go off and...
(*) 1" scrapers work well.
--
Cheers
Dave.
Toby
"Dave Liquorice" <allsortsn...@howhill.com> wrote in message
news:nyyfbegfubjuvyypb...@srv1.howhill.co.uk...
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:30:50 +0100, Chris J Dixon wrote:
>
>> The sink bowl has a waste outlet, from which a flexible pipe runs,
>> concealed between the top and bottom sink mouldings, which are
>> permanently glued together.
>
> Plastic mouldings are never "permanently glued",
They could be sonic welded though, I assume, in which case, I assume there
is no chance of separating them (or is there!?)
Toby...
Dave Liquorice
>> Plastic mouldings are never "permanently glued",
>
> They could be sonic welded though, I assume, in which case, I assume
> there is no chance of separating them (or is there!?)
I wouldn't expect a big thing like a sink casing to be sonicly
welded. I'd expect the moulding for a sink is fairly light and
flexable, getting enough pressure and the ultrasonic vibration along
a large long joint reliable I should imagine is quite tricky.
Small stuff of relatively rigid constructions is easier. But even
then the joint is a "weakness". B-)
--
Cheers
Dave.
Chris J Dixon
>I wouldn't expect a big thing like a sink casing to be sonicly
>welded. I'd expect the moulding for a sink is fairly light and
>flexable, getting enough pressure and the ultrasonic vibration along
>a large long joint reliable I should imagine is quite tricky.
>
The edges of the two parts appear to have been slid together
rather like the lid on a box, and there is no clear way that any
internal tooling could be accommodated, so some form of glue is
my best guess. I haven't checked if it could have been a solvent
weld.
Spamlet
Could it have something to do with this:
"The only problematic snags I have had have been down to dometic, carver and
gas regulator and the workshop. (How many marks out of ten for replacing a
sink but not connecting the waste)"
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Uk/uk.rec.caravanning/2006-08/msg00967.html
;-)
S
fred
<davidwe...@spamtrap.invalid> writes
>
>Brutal bodger's fix - drill a couple of holes top and bottom (this will also
>drain any trapped water) then insert nozzle of foam gun.
>Squirt in some foam, trim the excess from the holes.
>This will effectively minimise any future leakage.
>
you will have a saturated smelly bit of foam trapped in the moulding.
--
fred
FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's bollocks
David WE Roberts
Chris J Dixon
>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:30:50 +0100, Chris J Dixon wrote:
>
>> The sink bowl has a waste outlet, from which a flexible pipe runs,
>> concealed between the top and bottom sink mouldings, which are
>> permanently glued together.
>
>Plastic mouldings are never "permanently glued", they might be
>reluctant to come apart but if you can get in anywhere with a blunt
>broad thin flat bladed instrument(*) the joint can often be persuaded
>to open up.
>
Quite correct. Once I had leaned on the pivot points, it came out
easily. An old knife managed to separate it with only minimal
damage. Looks like it was solvent weld, which only attacked small
points of contact.
>Sounds to me as if the flexible pipe has either failed or dropped off
>inside.
Indeed it had. An interference fit, with added sealant, but
worked clean off. I have renewed the sealant and added a jubilee
clip. Leaving it now to go off, so that I can check all is well
before reassembling it.
I think I will use silicone to rejoin the mouldings, so that a
repeat process(if ever necessary) will be easier (and also
because that's what I have handy).