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S

Sandtree

Hi all

I am trying to fit out a room for doing some pottery and struggling a little on the sink trap to ensure that we aren't putting clay down the waste pipe.

There is a popular solution in the USA which can be found Gleco Trap (gt43) but naturally comes with a USA standard of connectors/piping which I understand from desktop research is different to the UK. To buy from the US and ship it here & paying taxes is going to be about £100 whereas to buy from their single UK distributor remodified for the UK plumbing is over £200 :annoyed:

Is there an easier/cheaper solution to attaching this thing to UK plumbing? I see in Australia you can get convertors between the two standards but couldnt spot anything here. Alternatively does anyone else know of a similar cheap but not homemade solution for trapping notable amounts of clay/plaster from a sink?

Many thanks
 
Sandtree said:
Hi all

I am trying to fit out a room for doing some pottery and struggling a little on the sink trap to ensure that we aren't putting clay down the waste pipe.

There is a popular solution in the USA which can be found Gleco Trap (gt43) but naturally comes with a USA standard of connectors/piping which I understand from desktop research is different to the UK. To buy from the US and ship it here & paying taxes is going to be about £100 whereas to buy from their single UK distributor remodified for the UK plumbing is over £200 :annoyed:

Is there an easier/cheaper solution to attaching this thing to UK plumbing? I see in Australia you can get convertors between the two standards but couldnt spot anything here. Alternatively does anyone else know of a similar cheap but not homemade solution for trapping notable amounts of clay/plaster from a sink?

Many thanks
Click to expand...

Could you not make up a dirt pocket out of 4" soil pipe with access cap on bottom and tappings on top and high on side, then running trap to side.
 
People do make solutions with a large plastic container (eg bucket) with the sink's drain pipe going into it, small holes in the side wall at the top and then put that whole thing in a larger plastic container with the outflow pipe connected to the top of that.

The thing has to be emptied of sediment relatively often and so deconstructing the whole thing is a bit of a pain -v- the Gleco trap where you simply unscrew the bottle, empty it and screw it back on.

I did wonder about just using rubber connectors as I believe the outer diameter is almost the same and its the threading thats the issue and then just support the thing from underneath as the sink has a shelf and the larger bottles are recommended to be supported anyway by the UK distributor
 
Gasmk1 said:
these are in uk so they should know what to do
Click to expand...
Yes, they're the ones selling it for £250 (larger size) where as the USA charge £88 for the same size so under £120 landed after shipping & import taxes. They say it's adapted for the uk plumbing but an over 100% uplift in price it felt that there should be a more cost effective solution even if it's less pretty
 
so make one yourself then if it is purpose made for the job the importer is probably paying somewhere near the £88.00 plus shipping and import duty(VAT) plus the adaptors to uk plumbing so whats wrong with them making a profit.
 
Gasmk1 said:
so make one yourself then if it is purpose made for the job the importer is probably paying somewhere near the £88.00 plus shipping and import duty(VAT) plus the adaptors to uk plumbing so whats wrong with them making a profit.
Click to expand...

No, £88 is retail not wholesale and they are an official importer so arent getting grey market import prices that are close to retail, adapting and then adding margin above. Based on a little underhanded conversation they are paying circa £40 for them wholesale so £50 landed and then adding £150 to adapt them and profit margin plus then VAT

Now I may have miss understood the nature of this forum but to charge 3 times the price of an item simply to change its thread does seem a little excessive and that maybe there are other ways to resolve the issue.

If actually a 300% profit margin is considered more than reasonable then I clearly posted the thread in the wrong place
 
Replacement parts for a Tri-Lobe pump were @ 300% mark up when I worked on an assembly line, supply and demand and all that after all it`s business.
 
I have worked for companies making 400% profit margin but that was dependent on the naivety of its customers. If they had a small amount of knowledge they could have gotten the identical product at less than half the price.

Hence thinking that 300% margin is excessive but aware that I don't have enough knowledge to know the best alternative solution and hopefully asking those that do have that level of knowledge to share it just as I help others on other forums not to pay 400% profit margins that my former employer charges.
 
I think you had your cheap answer in post 2, but you can't be ar$ed to empty it.

So either stump up for the real I am or put a bit of effort into it.

And just for the record profit is not a dirty word.
 
the point is that they are charging what they are because they are going to the trouble of importing the waste and converting it for use in this country. if you don't want to pay their price, import it yourself then try to convert it for use here.
 
SimonG said:
I think you had your cheap answer in post 2, but you can't be ar$ed to empty it.

So either stump up for the real I am or put a bit of effort into it.

And just for the record profit is not a dirty word.
Click to expand...

Whatever the solution it will still have to emptied but its not me that does the emptying so I have to consider who will be doing the job.

I have no issues with profit, I am happy to pay $88 to the retailer which give them their profit plus £30 for rubber connectors which gives their retailer their profit and have a reasonable solution that works.

If demand was the only criteria then PPI wouldn't be a dirty word because based on this thread any level of profit is acceptable.

Not being someone that works in the plumbing trade I am not aware of exactly how different the US and UK standards are and what my options are for connecting mismatched items. Clearly this is appears to be a horribly complex thing to do, despite Australian companies selling solutions for under $10, and that I should thank my luck that a company only charges £150 for a solutions.
 
steveb said:
the point is that they are charging what they are because they are going to the trouble of importing the waste and converting it for use in this country. if you don't want to pay their price, import it yourself then try to convert it for use here.
Click to expand...

And this is, on a non-commercial scale, exactly what I am asking for advice on.... what is the best way to convert a single unit for personal use? How can 2 USA pipes be connected to 2 UK pipes?
 
Sandtree said:
No, £88 is retail not wholesale and they are an official importer so arent getting grey market import prices that are close to retail, adapting and then adding margin above. Based on a little underhanded conversation they are paying circa £40 for them wholesale so £50 landed and then adding £150 to adapt them and profit margin plus then VAT

Now I may have miss understood the nature of this forum but to charge 3 times the price of an item simply to change its thread does seem a little excessive and that maybe there are other ways to resolve the issue.

If actually a 300% profit margin is considered more than reasonable then I clearly posted the thread in the wrong place
Click to expand...

The importer did market research to identify a need.
Then they did the research to find the product.
Then they bought the product at their own expense to check suitability.
Then they developed the adaptations.
Then they went through the WRAS approval process.
Then they established a relationship with the US supplier/manufacturer.
Then they stumped up the cash (risking their own money) to buy in sufficient quantity to make it worthwhile for the supplier to give them wholesale prices.
Then they paid shipping, import duty, VAT, absorbed the cost of breakages, returns administration.
Now they pay rent, rates, wages, postage, heating, lighting, etc etc.
Now they have a load of stock sitting on the shelf - it's a niche product and I doubt they sell very fast, yet the importer needs to have enough stock to fulfil orders quickly.

That "300%" profit is nothing like 300%. You're comparing purchase price to sales price without factoring any of the above costs in, let alone their reward for their innovation and risk.

And snarky comments about profit on a forum full of self-employed people who give away their knowledge for free is unlikely to win you many friends.
 
Masood said:
The importer did market research to identify a need.
Then they did the research to find the product.
Then they bought the product at their own expense to check suitability.
Then they developed the adaptations.
Then they went through the WRAS approval process.
Then they established a relationship with the US supplier/manufacturer.
Then they stumped up the cash (risking their own money) to buy in sufficient quantity to make it worthwhile for the supplier to give them wholesale prices.
Then they paid shipping, import duty, VAT, absorbed the cost of breakages, returns administration.
Now they pay rent, rates, wages, postage, heating, lighting, etc etc.
Now they have a load of stock sitting on the shelf - it's a niche product and I doubt they sell very fast, yet the importer needs to have enough stock to fulfil orders quickly.

That "300%" profit is nothing like 300%. You're comparing purchase price to sales price without factoring any of the above costs in, let alone their reward for their innovation and risk.

And snarky comments about profit on a forum full of self-employed people who give away their knowledge for free is unlikely to win you many friends.
Click to expand...

In all fairness, thats a big assumption, it could be the manufacturer that has actually adapted the unit.

As to "stumped up the cash to get wholesale prices", "paid shipping, absorbed costs of breakages, returns administration", "they paid rent, rates, wages, postage, heating, lighting, etc, etc" and "have a load of stock sitting on the shelf" that would go to any retailer of the product at £88 not just those at >£200

I don't intend to come across as snarky but being a self employed professional that gives away their advice for free on other forums its a tad frustrating that instead of finding a forum of professionals that are willing to help someone find a cost effective solution to their issue the recommendation is simply buy the most expensive option out there or build from scratch yourself rather than any middle ground or comment that actually rubber connectors are a non-starter or that you can actually bond the pipes or rethread them or such.
 
Sandtree said:
Whatever the solution it will still have to emptied but its not me that does the emptying so I have to consider who will be doing the job.

I have no issues with profit, I am happy to pay $88 to the retailer which give them their profit plus £30 for rubber connectors which gives their retailer their profit and have a reasonable solution that works.

If demand was the only criteria then PPI wouldn't be a dirty word because based on this thread any level of profit is acceptable.

Not being someone that works in the plumbing trade I am not aware of exactly how different the US and UK standards are and what my options are for connecting mismatched items. Clearly this is appears to be a horribly complex thing to do, despite Australian companies selling solutions for under $10, and that I should thank my luck that a company only charges £150 for a solutions.
Click to expand...

So if you don't work in the plumbing trade how about leaving the nitty gritty to somebody who is?

Ever heard of overheads?

I could go on but it's wasted.
 
SimonG said:
So if you don't work in the plumbing trade how about leaving the nitty gritty to somebody who is?

Ever heard of overheads?

I could go on but it's wasted.
Click to expand...

I am paying a plumber to do the fixing... but he too hasnt dealt with USA standards and so didnt have a solution hence coming here to ask others.

Now if someone has a cost effective solution and wants to deliver it to the SE14 area then I am happy to receive a quote but that normally goes outside of the rules for forums and using them purely as an mechanism to score business rather than share knowledge
 
Sandtree said:
I don't intend to come across as snarky but being a self employed professional that gives away their advice for free on other forums its a tad frustrating that instead of finding a forum of professionals that are willing to help someone find a cost effective solution to their issue the recommendation is simply buy the most expensive option out there or build from scratch yourself rather than any middle ground or comment that actually rubber connectors are a non-starter or that you can actually bond the pipes or rethread them or such.
Click to expand...

The build it yourself solution you were given is simple, robust and can be built for well under £30. But instead of being open minded you dismissed it out of hand. Maybe listen to the advice of the professionals you're consulting?
 
Sandtree said:
I did wonder about just using rubber connectors as I believe the outer diameter is almost the same and its the threading thats the issue and then just support the thing from underneath as the sink has a shelf and the larger bottles are recommended to be supported anyway by the UK distributor
Click to expand...

To quote a well now phrase..........
Just Do It.
 
Last edited:
rpm said:
You tried USA Plumbers forum?
Click to expand...

Not yet, past experience has said that the UK are better dealing with the USA than the other way around. I did speak to a US official stockist of the product whos words, if the curse words are removed, was roughly "what a rip off, sorry, dont know about UK plumbing"
 
Masood said:
The build it yourself solution you were given is simple, robust and can be built for well under £30. But instead of being open minded you dismissed it out of hand. Maybe listen to the advice of the professionals you're consulting?
Click to expand...

I fully accept there are robust self build solutions for under £30 and if it was for me then I would take the advice and do it but its not for me. She who must be obeyed gets stressed enough that in the UK there is more than one type of white sugar and flour when she wants to bake a cake let alone dealing with multiple pipes and containers to detach when emptying the sediment collector let alone the risk of overflow etc by it not all being sealed or visible.

A clear plastic bottle where the current level of sediment can easily be seen that simply screws and unscrews is a nice solution. I had hoped that based on this solution someone could tell me how to connect USA 1.5" pipes with nuts at both ends could connect to UK 1.5" piping with a screw thread on one end (sink) and yet to be laid (so flexible) at the other end....

I only have vague awareness to the options of threaded, compression, bonded, rubber interconnects etc
 
Masood said:
The build it yourself solution you were given is simple, robust and can be built for well under £30. But instead of being open minded you dismissed it out of hand. Maybe listen to the advice of the professionals you're consulting?
Click to expand...

I fully accept there are robust self build solutions for under £30 and if it was for me then I would take the advice and do it but its not for me. She who must be obeyed gets stressed enough that in the UK there is more than one type of white sugar and flour when she wants to bake a cake let alone dealing with multiple pipes and containers to detach when emptying the sediment collector let alone the risk of overflow etc by it not all being sealed or visible.

A clear plastic bottle where the current level of sediment can easily be seen that simply screws and unscrews is a nice solution. I had hoped that based on this solution someone could tell me how to connect USA 1.5" pipes with nuts at both ends could connect to UK 1.5" piping with a screw thread on one end (sink) and yet to be laid (so flexible) at the other end....

I only have vague awareness to the options of threaded, compression, bonded, rubber interconnects etc
 
Sandtree said:
I fully accept there are robust self build solutions for under £30 and if it was for me then I would take the advice and do it but its not for me. She who must be obeyed gets stressed enough that in the UK there is more than one type of white sugar and flour when she wants to bake a cake let alone dealing with multiple pipes and containers to detach when emptying the sediment collector let alone the risk of overflow etc by it not all being sealed or visible.

A clear plastic bottle where the current level of sediment can easily be seen that simply screws and unscrews is a nice solution. I had hoped that based on this solution someone could tell me how to connect USA 1.5" pipes with nuts at both ends could connect to UK 1.5" piping with a screw thread on one end (sink) and yet to be laid (so flexible) at the other end....

I only have vague awareness to the options of threaded, compression, bonded, rubber interconnects etc
Click to expand...

The suggested solution would remain permanently fixed. Only one cap would need to be unscrewed to empty the collected clay.
 
PlumbersShopLee said:
Try speaking to a company called Clayman supplies, they used to be a Gleco distributor but I believe they now have an alternative range of products designed for the UK market. Very knowledgeable and helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion, when I looked the other day the only one I could see they had was a £480 beast of a thing but they now have one almost the same as the Gleco and under £100 :smilewinkgrin:
 
One problem with buying an American one is if anything goes wrong it becomes much more problematic to get replacement parts. Before buying into any of these think how much clay might go down the drain and will some of it be as fine slip.

The water flow wants to end up slow enough to allow clay to settle out which is why a larger trap can be better and it can be even better having two traps in line. Might also look at some of the grease traps.
 
One problem with buying an American one is if anything goes wrong it becomes much more problematic to get replacement parts. Before buying into any of these think how much clay might go down the drain and will some of it be as fine slip.

The water flow wants to end up slow enough to allow clay to settle out which is why a larger trap can be better and it can be even better having two traps in line. Might also look at some of the grease traps.
 

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