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Discuss BSP male to Metric fine thread female in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

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As a novice I apologise in advance for any misunderstanding in the description of my issue.

I have to make some amendments to a bath tap with a brass fine threaded pipe. This involves cutting the pipe in two and finding a way to connect the two halves again after circumventing a bath overflow, for example using a simple 22mm flexihose.

I am therefore looking for 2 reducers that will reduce a BSP 20mm male pipe to a Metric 16mm female fine thread pipe (the pitch = 1 i.e. 1 thread per 1mm, hence ‘fine thread’).

I established the pipe size and thread type by matching it to an MF 16x1 fine thread tapping drill.

I have looked on line and found many reducers, some of which go from 20mm BSP to Metric 16mm but not with fine thread (1 thread per mm).

If anyone can point me in the right direction then I would be most grateful.

Many thanks,

Paul.
 
Could we get some pictures of your problem as I can’t see why you’d possibly need to cut it and rejoin it
 
Hi
Could we get some pictures of your problem as I can’t see why you’d possibly need to cut it and rejoin it
Riley, many thanks for your reply. I do have some pictures on another device so will try and get them over to this one. However, to try and add some more colour...a hole was drilled through the bath for my new tap (not by me :)), but when putting the brass pipe coming from the tap through the hole It is obstructed by the overflow of the bath, so the tap sits at an angle. The bottom of the pipe has an important tee-piece figment so we can’t loose that. I needed to find a way to navigate round the overflow. Note there is very little room above it. Thanks for your time Riley, I will get some pics on here ASAP.
 
Also if that’s not doable then who drilled the bath wrong? Surely they should be sorting it?
 
As a novice I apologise in advance for any misunderstanding in the description of my issue.

I have to make some amendments to a bath tap with a brass fine threaded pipe. This involves cutting the pipe in two and finding a way to connect the two halves again after circumventing a bath overflow, for example using a simple 22mm flexihose.

I am therefore looking for 2 reducers that will reduce a BSP 20mm male pipe to a Metric 16mm female fine thread pipe (the pitch = 1 i.e. 1 thread per 1mm, hence ‘fine thread’).

I established the pipe size and thread type by matching it to an MF 16x1 fine thread tapping drill.

I have looked on line and found many reducers, some of which go from 20mm BSP to Metric 16mm but not with fine thread (1 thread per mm).

If anyone can point me in the right direction then I would be most grateful.

Many thanks,

Paul.
I had a similar problem in the summer Paul a am guessing it is as the pictures attached I got over the problem by changing the bath waste to a clicker waste by Insinct from Plumbcity hope this helps . Cheers Kop

Screenshot_20190203-082330_Photos.jpg


Screenshot_20190203-083251_Drive.jpg


Screenshot_20190203-082553_Photos.jpg
 
Ok I’d be more inclined to look for an overflow with less depth rather then cut your tap about
Hi Riley, I have attached some photos.

Unfortunately the overflow was provided by the company that sold us the bath without telling us it wouldn’t fit (they were useless). We left it too long to return the product because it took me a while to do the bathroom with my limited skills. I have learned the hard way on lots of things.

The overflow comes with posh pop up silver plugs and overflow fittings that match the rest of chrome in the bathroom so we were keen to maintain the finish. I did investigate other overflow options and I found that given the very narrow edge on the bath there was only one very cheap looking set that would allow the tap to fit in the centre without hitting it.

Could we have located the tap elsewhere?...yes indeed but I didn’t know all of this until the hole was drilled and we fitted the overflow.

I have had a few people in with experience to look at the situation and they all arrive at the same conclusion I.e. we need to cut the pipe. I have been in touch with Crosswater (the manufacturer) to see if they could help, but they have been useless and after nearly a month they couldn’t even provide me with the product specifications for the pipe on the tap.

So here I am, stinking of ‘school-boy error’ and being a professional pain on a professional forum :).

A1713DAB-AC10-4AF4-940D-88986FDB4DA4.jpeg


18E87D1B-84F3-4557-BE6F-C72FAB7A3467.jpeg


0F122EBD-76A0-4858-8056-D2DA4A97A2C7.jpeg


089C56E9-3757-4459-B233-6BE5B368EC87.jpeg


2177788D-64BA-40D9-AAC6-654AE7A79EE3.jpeg


6FAA7E72-F917-441E-82BC-0F7997E4EC26.jpeg
 
Did the hole come pre drilled for the tap ?
 
We left it too long to return the product because it took me a while to do the bathroom with my limited skills.

Unless it's taken you six years, if you were sold the tap overflow and bath as single 'system' you can probably claim that it is unfit for its intended purpose and send it back for a refund using contract law as the basis for the claim. Consult your solicitor or the CAB if you want ot pursue this avenue.

If you're stuck with it, what you are proposing as a solution seems a bit marginal to me. If the other suggestions above don't suit, can you close the central hole with a nice chrome blanking plate and install a couple of traditional separate hot and cold taps on either side? They'll be much less trouble in the long run that any 'designer' mixer.

Don't forget to repace the window with obscuring glass BTW.
 
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Did the hole come pre drilled for the tap ?
Hi Shaun, no it didn’t. I was sold the stuff and having not been through the process of buying/fitting a bathroom I did not consider the possibility that they would’nt be compatible. A friend helping me with the bathroom asked me where I wanted tap and I said centre...not knowing that when we added the overflow and waste that it would obstruct the tap. So my naive inexperience maybe cost me here. I just need to find a solution cause it’s cost even more time and energy. I like what I have so if I can adapt it then I would like to try.
 
I’d still bite the bullet and change the overflow
I hear you mate, it’s been emotional. But I still can’t believe that the isn’t a simple way of joining two pieces of pipe...especially after seeing all of the workmanship and clever plumbing that went in to my new bathroom under the floors, in the walls and to the boiler that we moved to the loft.
 
There will no doubt be a way but I bet if it fails and leaks your warranty will be kaput or if you damage the tap you will be pig sick
 
I am therefore looking for 2 reducers that will reduce a BSP 20mm male pipe to a Metric 16mm female fine thread pipe (the pitch = 1 i.e. 1 thread per 1mm, hence ‘fine thread’).

I have looked on line and found many reducers, some of which go from 20mm BSP to Metric 16mm but not with fine thread (1 thread per mm).

If anyone can point me in the right direction then I would be most grateful.

Many thanks,

Paul.

If I had access to a lathe I think I could do it, try any small engineering company. These kind of places probably wont have a webpage so you might have to drive around small industrial estates knocking on doors.
 
If I had access to a lathe I think I could do it, try any small engineering company. These kind of places probably wont have a webpage so you might have to drive around small industrial estates knocking on doors.
It’s a good option at least if it were done by an engineer they would likely not knacker the taps integrity
 
It’s a good option at least if it were done by an engineer they would likely not knacker the taps integrity
I`m talking about the reducers as the OP wants, nothing else would be machined.
 
Ohhhhhhhhhh sorry I thought you meant the engineer to alter the existing thread
 
Well yes but I’m still inclined to think that based on his pics he’s either going to have to cut down the thread on the tap too or get a smaller overflow
 
I`m not even sure where these reducers he wants are going to be in the pipework, just saying it can be done.
 
Firstly I hope you've got good mains pressure Hot water otherwise the bath will be cold before it's half full.
All of the water is going through the 16mm outside diameter brass pipe.

The problem with what you're trying to do is it would involve non standard U.K plumbing fittings and would need to be fitted after the tap spout was installed. And there's not much room to play with.
The end of the 16mm pipe will need cutting down rethreading to a thread to match any fitting you can get and an elbow fitted on it to miss the overflow.
 
Unless it's taken you six years, if you were sold the tap overflow and bath as single 'system' you can probably claim that it is unfit for its intended purpose and send it back for a refund using contract law as the basis for the claim. Consult your solicitor or the CAB if you want ot pursue this avenue.

If you're stuck with it, what you are proposing as a solution seems a bit marginal to me. If the other suggestions above don't suit, can you close the central hole with a nice chrome blanking plate and install a couple of traditional separate hot and cold taps on either side? They'll be much less trouble in the long run that any 'designer' mixer.

Don't forget to repace the window with obscuring glass BTW.
Can't you get a low profile overflow?
hi Mike, think I mentioned somewhere after your suggestion but thought best reply to you cause I don’t want you think me rude and I appreciate your suggestion...

I did investigate other overflow options and I found that given the very narrow edge on the bath there was only one very cheap looking set that would allow the tap to fit in the centre without hitting it. Also we kind of liked the nice fittings that came with the one we had so we were keen to find a solution with the plumbing of the tap.
 
Unless it's taken you six years, if you were sold the tap overflow and bath as single 'system' you can probably claim that it is unfit for its intended purpose and send it back for a refund using contract law as the basis for the claim. Consult your solicitor or the CAB if you want ot pursue this avenue.

If you're stuck with it, what you are proposing as a solution seems a bit marginal to me. If the other suggestions above don't suit, can you close the central hole with a nice chrome blanking plate and install a couple of traditional separate hot and cold taps on either side? They'll be much less trouble in the long run that any 'designer' mixer.

Don't forget to repace the window with obscuring glass BTW.
Hi Chuck thanks for educating me on the 6 year rule and CAB and solicitor. It is useful to know this exists. It just seems like an antagonising path that could be littered with ill feeling. Great idea about filling the overflow hole. But the taps we bought were pricey and match other taps and fitments in the bathroom so we are trying to find a way to work around them. Many thanks for your time.
 
Something has to give mate and I would not be doctoring a “pricey” tap as it will throw any warranty comeback you have out the window
 
I`m not even sure where these reducers he wants are going to be in the pipework, just saying it can be done.
Hi RPM, I managed to find something very nearly what I needed on eBay, a simple reducer with 1/2” BSP on the male side to a Metric M16 female. The only problem is it wasn’t fine enough thread to be M16x1 I.e. 1 thread per 1mm. I also found one with 1/2” BSP male to M16x1.5 female. So I am close, perhaps I can get something engineered. I still can’t believe that with all these taps flying around that they don’t exist aplenty.
 
As I keep saying the tap manufacturer will give you everything they believe you need they won’t take into account that it may not fit with the overflow. They won’t expect you to be buying parts to change it
 
Firstly I hope you've got good mains pressure Hot water otherwise the bath will be cold before it's half full.
All of the water is going through the 16mm outside diameter brass pipe.

The problem with what you're trying to do is it would involve non standard U.K plumbing fittings and would need to be fitted after the tap spout was installed. And there's not much room to play with.
The end of the 16mm pipe will need cutting down rethreading to a thread to match any fitting you can get and an elbow fitted on it to miss the overflow.
Hi Snowhead, you clearly bring a lot of experience to the table compared to me, however rather than look to rethread I would either look for a product that already exists with this thread (a small vertical reducer eg see photo) or have one engineered.

I just replied to someone below that I managed to find a small reducer with 1/2” BSP on the male side to a Metric M16 female. The only problem is it wasn’t fine enough thread to be M16x1 I.e. 1 thread per 1mm. I also found one with 1/2” BSP male to M16x1.5 female. So I am close. These things are in total about 12mm long so would fit in the space I have available and I would just attach a BSP 1/2” flexihose. Your suggestion of an elbow I think is the same. Sincere thanks for taking the time to consider my problem. If you know anywhere that provides these products then please do let me know.

E59DC281-2534-43DB-9768-3B829E2D738F.jpeg
 
Get the clicker waste in my post then you will be sorted Paul the tap will then fit with no alterations . Cheers kop
 
Hi RPM, I managed to find something very nearly what I needed on eBay, a simple reducer with 1/2” BSP on the male side to a Metric M16 female. The only problem is it wasn’t fine enough thread to be M16x1 I.e. 1 thread per 1mm. I also found one with 1/2” BSP male to M16x1.5 female. So I am close, perhaps I can get something engineered. I still can’t believe that with all these taps flying around that they don’t exist aplenty.
The thing you seem to forget is that it didn`t come as a whole thing in a box did it plus you had the hole drilled in the bath for the tap postion. That is why these bushes do not exist aplenty as you put it.
 

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