problem removing old basin waste

crates

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Apr 24, 2012, 7:33:07 AM4/24/12

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Having replaced all my other taps/wastes without a problem - I am stuck
on the bathroom basin as have so far been unable to seperate the plug
hole section from the under basin housing (It is the usual metal thread
screw-in). Any suggestions as to how to loosen it would be appreciated.

--
crates

newshound

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Apr 24, 2012, 10:07:20 AM4/24/12

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More info needed, what are you actually trying to replace? The plug hole
bit, the connector from the overflow to the waste (if there is one), the
trap? Is it a plastic trap? How much are you trying to save, and why?

alamaison

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Apr 24, 2012, 10:26:06 AM4/24/12

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Be very very careful!

I was trying to do exactly this yesterday and ended up tearing the ceramic around the waste with the turning force I was putting on the nut. If you're determined to do this, I suggest you use two wrenches and apply an opposite force to the body of the waste to balance the force on the nut. This should reduce the stress you put on the ceramic.

The Medway Handyman

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Apr 24, 2012, 10:31:04 AM4/24/12

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On 24/04/2012 12:33, crates wrote:

Angle grinder.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Nthkentman

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Apr 24, 2012, 11:15:54 AM4/24/12

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"The Medway Handyman" <davi...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:HOylr.135949$4z7....@fx08.am4...

> On 24/04/2012 12:33, crates wrote:
>> Having replaced all my other taps/wastes without a problem - I am stuck
>> on the bathroom basin as have so far been unable to seperate the plug
>> hole section from the under basin housing (It is the usual metal thread
>> screw-in). Any suggestions as to how to loosen it would be appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>>
> Angle grinder.

Noooooooooooooooooooooo !

Gas axe.

And it would work as all you'd need to do is warm the compound that is
sealing it without melting the lot. :-p

harry

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Apr 24, 2012, 1:41:20 PM4/24/12

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Angle grinder. (Provided you don't want to reuse it.)

YAPH

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Apr 25, 2012, 6:57:49 PM4/25/12

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If you mean the getting the basin waste itself (a sort of large hollow
nut & bolt affair) off the basin then if you can't unscrew the nut then
you can saw down the middle of the bolt part i.e. the threaded tube
protruding beneath the basin until you also saw the nut in half. The
halves of the nut can then easily be split apart off the bolt bit.

It can still be hard to remove the bolt and its flanged head from the
basin: if it's been set in with Plumber's Mait that can have set rock
hard ad be gluing the brass fitting to the porcelain. Repeated moderate
hammering on the below-basin end of the thread can break the adhesion and
eventually free it.

Or break the basin :-(

--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

No Rules OK

crates

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Apr 26, 2012, 9:20:45 AM4/26/12

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Apologies for lack of correct information. Should have made clear all
old and new replacements are lever pop-up. So no central bolt. The basin
plug hole section screws directly into the under-sink lever housing.

Have removed many before by holding plug hole section tightly in place
and using wrench or large screwdriver in the aperture for the pop-up
lever and applying counter-force to unscrew.

In this instance cannot start the seperation using full force.

crates

--
crates

alamaison

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Apr 26, 2012, 6:12:50 PM4/26/12

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Can you grab it round the bottom using a stilson wrench? It mashes up the thread a bit but not enough to stop you getting the nut off.

That said, the angle grinder approach might be better.