Choosing a Bath Waste Kit

by

Rick at ClassicalBaths

For the purpose of this article, and generally in the bathroom retail industry the term bath waste kit is taken to mean all the above ground plumbing required to plumb in a bath except the taps and the water feeds (although it may include decorative covers for the water feeds). Sometimes the term just refers to the plug and overflow mechanism, sometimes it is this and the trap and outlet waste pipe and with freestanding baths with exposed waste kits it may also include pipe shrouds. All this terminology is explained fully below.

All waste kits are either concealed or exposed. A concealed waste kit is one where the plumbing under the bath will not be visible. An exposed waste kit is one which is used when the plumbing under the bath will be visible, these are usually only needed with freestanding baths.In most cases of choosing a waste kit for a bath you will need a concealed waste kit. This is because most baths that are fitted are panel baths of some sort, that is, they have a side and/or end panel which hides all the plumbing that is under the bath. If you are fitting a panel bath in your bathroom then under normal circumstances you can leave everything hidden inside it or under it to your plumber. If however you are fitting a freestanding bath where the pipework will be visible then all those visible parts must have a decorative finish, usually this is chrome but other popular finishes are gold and brushed or polished nickel, also called bright nickel. Many plumbers may not know where to source these so if you need this kind of waste kit you would be well advised to go online and buy direct from a specialist who is able to advise you.Plug and ChainA plug and chain waste kit is the familiar traditional style where a chain attaches the plug to the overflow and the plug is put in and out of the plug hole by hand. Better quality chain wastes allow the plug, when not in use, to fit neatly into the overflow which has a recessed grill for this purpose, these are known as retainer or stowaway chain wastes. The chains come in two kinds a ball chain or link chain, link chains are a little stronger than ball chains but both are fit for purpose. Pop UpA pop up plug usually has a chrome dial over the overflow with which the plug can be lowered or raised into or out of the plug hole. The dial stands a little proud of the bath, so it does not affect the way the overflow itself works. This kind of pop-up waste uses a cable to transfer the movement of the dial to a lever which pushes the plug up or lets it down when the dial is turned. For panel baths or any bath where its appropriate to use a concealed waste kit this cable will not be visible, for freestanding baths where the overflow pipe is visible the cable will also be able to be seen. For some bathrooms with freestanding baths, especially those with a minimalist style the cable may be considered clutter in which case you might prefer a click-clack waste (see below). Click ClackThe click-clack waste is the perfect choice for the most modern and minimalist bathroom designs. The click-clack waste plug is operated by reaching into the bath and pushing the plug with your finger, the plug is sprung and alternately shuts and opens when pushed. The overflow is usually either a chrome grill or a convex chrome plate that is raised off the surface of the bath so as not to interfere with the overflow. With the click clack bath waste no cable is needed as part of the mechanism to the plug. The only drawback with the click clack is that if you fill your bath with red hot water by accident, then you’ll need a stick to poke the plug with to let some out to get some cold in.Trap and Outlet PipeThe trap is essentially a U-bend that traps some water and provides a lock so that air from your drain won’t come up through your plug. The outlet pipe attaches to the trap and takes waste water out either through the floor or through the wall. For exposed waste kits on freestanding baths these are usually chrome or gold or nickel, for concealed waste kits these parts are usually all plastic or unchromed metal.Pipe ShroudsAlthough not strictly part of the waste kit, these parts are often included as they are a standard part of the above ground plumbing for some bath installations. Pipe shrouds are required only for exposed waste kits and so are not required for panel baths, but may be for some freestanding baths in some circumstances. When you have taps mounted through tap holes on the edge of the bath you will have two water feed pipes usually copper or flexible braided metal hosing that come up from the floor and to the taps, one bringing hot water and the other cold. If these pipes will be visible then they need to be covered with chrome (or gold or nickel) sleeves so they look appropriately decorative, these decorative pipes are called pipe shrouds. Standpipes and pipe shrouds are often confused, in both cases they cover copper or similar piping to make it look pretty but standpipes are used when the taps are freestanding and not on the edge of the bath and so must be strong enough to support the weight of the taps. Pipe shrouds, on the other hand, are used when the taps are mounted on the edge of the bath through tap holes and in this case the bath itself supports the weight of the taps.Other Issues – Thickness of BathWhen fitting a waste kit to a bath you must be aware of the thickness of the bath. Most plug and chain wastes will fit on almost any thickness of bath, in these waste kits the front and back of both the plug and overflow grills connect by a threaded bolt, as long as the threaded bolts are long enough both parts of the waste kit can be fitted. Some pop up waste kits have a wide bore plastic threaded tube that fits through the overflow from the back of the bath and onto which the overflow cover is tightened, this threaded tube is usually rather short and may have trouble being fitted to a thicker bath. Bath waste kits of different kinds typically fit onto baths of up to 3mm, 10mm, 20mm, 35mm or similar thicknesses. Some manufacturer can supply extension kits that modify their standard waste kits to fit thicker baths.Other Issues – Baths with Little Clearance between Floor and BathIf you are fitting a freestanding bath with clearance of 120mm or less then you may find that you have to fit a ultra shallow trap, such traps may have a depth of only 50mm, but to achieve the outward end of the trap may rise up above the inward end. In such a case the outlet waste pipe cannot be run out the same way that the overflow pipe comes in as they will try to occupy the same space, instead the outlet pipe must be led away such that it does not interfere with the overflow pipe.

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Choosing a Bath Waste Kit}