Plumbers Mait

[ijc]

Folks

Would this stuff damage an acrylic bath if used to bed the waste? If so how badly?

There was no mention on the bath instructions, but i noticed a warning on my resin shower tray that silicone should be used...

Would rather not dismantle if possible!!

Grateful as ever..

Ian

MOD

moved as posted in wrong forum ( title says it )

 

[ChrisR]

No, but in my opinion it's useless muck. Use silicone. I know PM has been used for decades but that's what I've looked at. It often leaks (not that it matters on a shower waste flange - think about it), and doesn't stand any movement, and doesn't stick, and you have to mix the whole tub to get the oil taken up (randomly).

It's useful for blocking exit pipes on f/e tanks, and throwing at people; that's about it.

 

[ijc]

Thank you ChrisR. I was worried it might corrode the plastic or something horrible like that.

In that case I think I'll leave it place as it's not going to get very heavy use.

Agree that that it is nasty to use - but it aint half cheap!


Ta

Ian

 

[ijc]

PS - aoplogies for posting in the wrong forum. I meant for it to be plumbing - where did it end up? D'oh!

MOD

your projects

 

[Paul Barker]

Plumbers mait doesn't stick? does after 30 years, when you are trying to get the old taps off a naf old basin because your customer has been to b&q again. I wish they'd stay out of b&q all together, or fit their own new taps to their fragile old basins just waiting for me to come along and crack them.

Silicone has a limited life, it breaks down. Not sure how long, maybe 10 years, but a lot sooner than the stuff the Victorians were using. Anyhow I'm using silicone where I have to, and whenever ther'e a good rubber seal I trust that on it's own. Non of the bath waste manufacturers seem to understand plumbing, we have to support their pathetic effort at seals with silicone.

When the back is against the wall, good old hemp and boss white, which of course we don't use any more, can always be relied on to get the job done.

 

[Nige F]

victorians used red lead putty...

 

[Paul Barker]

Is that the stuff I can't get off?

 

[kevplumb]

putty i would think judicious application of heat usually does the trick

 

[ChrisR]

Anyone still using putty mixed with paint?

Silicone breaks down? Haven't seen it yet. PM certainly does once it has dried out and gone brittle.

 

[Paul Barker]

I'm also a radio ham, and it may well have been from that side of my life that I picked up about silicone. They used it perfusely on antenna connections at first and then so many years later found the connections all failing so had to rebuild antennas.

I use it on shower trays, bath sides back of basins and in bath wastes, but I don't expect it to last as long as the old methods. I just wish manufacturers would provide the correct grade and thickness of rubber gasket to seal bath and basin wastes properly.

Of course if you want to be really nasty to the next plumber who comes along to your job you can use cow gum as used to glue washing machine parts together. That sticks like **** to a blanket.

 

[ChrisR]

It does appear that silicones have been refined considerably over the last several years. Some of the Unibond ones are guaranteed for 30 years!

I used a medical grade Dow Corning one on my bath about 23 years ago, and it was still as clean, white, shiny and elastic as the day it was put in, when I took the bath out. Okay it may be 6 quid instead of £1.50, so what.

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

I'm also a radio ham.

Me too .... Well got the bit of paper and the call sign [M1CDR] but never used it. Found the course handy for finding my way round pcb's though. Sorry for going off topic but seeing as it came into the conversation are there any more hams on here???