New sink uphill waste and earth bonding

[Driver23]

Hi,

A kitchen worktop installer has put a sink waste in that slopes slightly *uphill* for a few inches before going horizontal and then sloping downhill. It drains OK, there's no leak and no gurgling, etc. Can it be left or should we insist he re-do it? (er... again!)

He's also left the old earth bonding cable/tags hanging down loose - is that no longer a building reg if you have new consumer board or is he a muppet x 2?

Many thanks,

Andy

 

[Deleted member 105431]

he is a muppet; it must be redone as will be prone to blockages.

 

[Driver23]

Sorry, should have said: the uphill section is only about 6 or 7 inches long and rises by about 1 inch over that distance. Then it's a 90degree bend to horizontal length (about 40cm?) that takes it out through the wall, then 45degree down to the ground/drain.

 

[dextrous]

dangermouse has summed it up quite adequately.

Regardless of whether you have a new consumer unit or not (17th edition so everything is RCD protected and thus bonding is not necessary - but check this on the electrics forum), it wouldn't have taken much effort to either reconnect them or remove them.

Both instances you cite inidicate laziness on his part.

 

[Driver23]

You sum up my suspicions exactly!

 

[dextrous]

You sum up my suspicions exactly!

I would also check that when he installed the sink (assuming it's a drop-in one), he sealed the edges of the cut-out with, for example, silicon. To do this, feel and visually inspect the chipboard or MDF edge from beneath, where he has cut the opening out. It will be fairly obvious whether this hase been coated or not. If not, then water will damage this in no time whatsoever, regardless of whether there's a silicon bead around the edge of the sink itself.

 

[Driver23]

It's 4k of quartz with an undermounted Franke. Hence the disappointment at this sort of hassle. To be fair the worktop was put in very well (on the 2nd attempt - first was cut in the wrong place!), but they are clearly no good at plumbing.

 

[dextrous]

You definitely want it done properly for that sort of money. Of course, the problem may now be that to have a continuous downward flow, it may be necessary to re-drill an exit hole in the wall, which isn't really a major difficulty. But what will be will be having to drill/cut a hole to match in the back of your base cabinet, which will look untidy, since the original cutout will still be there. (Even if it's not a hobby of yours to sit there gazing at it endlessly )

 

[electronicsuk]

Regardless of whether you have a new consumer unit or not (17th edition so everything is RCD protected and thus bonding is not necessary - but check this on the electrics forum), it wouldn't have taken much effort to either reconnect them or remove them.

What sort of bonding are we referring to? Certainly, there are now circumstances when supplementary bonding is no longer required, but it is vitally important that main protective earth bonds on incoming gas and water supply are NOT removed. If this is what your kitchen fitter has done, I suggest you don't bring him back and call a competent electrician instead - who knows what other horrors he might uncover.

I assume you were issued the relevant paperwork for any new electrical work he has carried out? If he installed the new CU then you should at least have received an EIC and completion certificate to show compliance with part P of the building regs?

 

[Nige F]

It's 4k of quartz with an undermounted Franke. .

He sounds like one who rhymes with Franke

 

[Driver23]

He didn't do the consumer unit - no way! The bonding looks like it was both tap tails to a copper 15mm pipe behind the cupboard's backboard. It's next to the incoming mains, think it might be hot water supply that it was bonded to.

I reckon the new sink is deeper than the old one and rather than re-do or try and bend (and risk breaking) the existing solvent welded waste he's just joined up to it from the sink/u bend using compression - which copes with the slight new angle. He now claims it was like that before and I have no photo to prove he's wrong - which I'm sure he is!

I'm disappointed by the work, but pretty angry at his attitude to putting it right. Never mind, we'll be spreading the word about the 'quality' of their work.

Hey ho.

Thanks for all the input.