Connecting up a Victoria Plum vanity unit

[Vicdiy]

My daughter and son in law recently bought several vanity units from Victoria Plum or Victorian Plumbing. To make things easier they also bought the traps and pop up wastes.The first problem I had was the outlet from the trap was too small to take a standard 32mm waste pipe, I therefore bought some traps from Screwfix which solved that problem but I then found that the Screwfix traps would not tighten up on to the pop up waste, they would tighten so far but then pop off the thread. I therefore bought some pop up wastes from Screwfix and all fitted OK . I have since found out that I could have fitted a McAlpine EU to UK adaptors to the bottom of their pop up waste which would have enabled me to fit to the Screwfix trap. They are obviously supplying EU fittings without any advice about their compatibility to UK fittings and my questions are 'why do they do this' and 'how was I supposed to fit a standard 32mm waste pipe to the trap they supplied when the outlet to the trap was just not large enough to take it'. I would be grateful for any views/ comments on this.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Let me guess chrome trap ?

 

[Riley]

Victoria plumb mate unfortunately says it all. Will fill any respectable bathroom installer with dread as it’s not just the thread size l it’s the casting of ceramics, vanity unit finishes, flushes. I kid you not I had to return one of their loos three times because the spigot was egg shaped rather than round. Cheap, poor quality stuff in my opinion

 

[Vicdiy]

Let me guess chrome trap ?

No,plastic trap

 

[ShaunCorbs]

No,plastic trap

Normally fit the metal chrome waste pipes so normal plastic pipe won't fit

 

[Vicdiy]

Normally fit the metal chrome waste pipes so normal plastic pipe won't fit

They were inside vanity units so not on view. Am I correct in thinking that I would have had to use a chrome pipe to fit in to the outlet of the plastic trap they supplied as the standard 32mm plastic pipe would not fit. If so shouldn't they be telling people this?

 

[Riley]

Thing is they don’t care. Where it’s all online they hide behind their computer screens and will just apologise and probably sell you an adapter

 

[Vicdiy]

Thing is they don’t care. Where it’s all online they hide behind their computer screens and will just apologise and probably sell you an adapter

I spoke to them and explained the problem, unfortunately the person that I spoke to clearly did not understand anything about plumbing. In fairness to them they did refund the cost of the traps and wastes as my daughter had spent a lot of money with them on two baths, taps, four vanity units and taps etc etc.Surely this must be a problem that others keep coming up against.

 

[Riley]

I don’t think many pros would shop at or recommend their customers shop at VP. Sorry I sound like I’m being very negative but all my experiences of them have been poor and it’s not just one occasion. I am guessing that customers will buy the gear and a fitter in the know will just cost in the additional parts required

 

[Vicdiy]

I don’t think many pros would shop at or recommend their customers shop at VP. Sorry I sound like I’m being very negative but all my experiences of them have been poor and it’s not just one occasion. I am guessing that customers will buy the gear and a fitter in the know will just cost in the additional parts required

Not negative at all, you are just being honest and telling it like it is.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I add a day on if it's vp or soak

 

[Scott_D]

It's junk but it's the for sale at the price people want to pay

 

[townfanjon]

I do a “forest gump” if anybody asks me to fit any of it .

 

[Christopher buzzard]

Had the same yesterday with the trap not able to take our 32mm waste pipe and the nut slipping when I tightened on a different trap. Ended up binning it and starting again with waste and trap from local suppliers. She paid for the trap and waste from Victoria Plumbing but can't send it back as I used silicone to try and seal it.

 

[Vicdiy]

Can anybody explain to me just how are you supposed to connect a trap which has an outlet that is too small to take a 32mm waste pipe to an existing 32mm waste. Why on earth are they selling something that is different to all the other traps you can buy?

 

[Riley]

A lot of it will come down to no plumbing knowledge. They are in sales not installation, additionally I’d imagine there is an element of not caring. They probably work on the assumption that the installer will know how to get round it.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

European to UK Waste Fitting Adapter 32mm to 1.1 4 - 38000001 - Plumbers Mate Ltd

Something like that but in a different size

 

[Vicdiy]

Wouldn't you think that they would provide an adapter because everybody that buys one of their 32mm traps must come up against the same problem. I am a reasonably competent diyer who will have a go at most things ( except central heating boilers ) but I still don't know exactly what I could have used to overcome the problem.

 

[Scott_D]

Most people will throw it in the bin, they still made a sale.
Some will try and return, if they don't give up they may get a refund.

 

[Chewitt]

I am a manager of a plumbers merchants. We deal with both installers, diy'ers and retail on a daily basis with the same problems non compatible fittings. Some of the traps will take a McAlpine Eu to UK adaptor rubber to the outlet on the trap.
We used to be a couple of hundred yards from a Bath store and were there unofficial customer service counter.
We get people in who get the hump with us because we don't stock the parts to fit parts bought via the Internet. Most of the products are a pile of crap.

 

[Vicdiy]

I originally started this thread to try and find out just how I was supposed to connect a standard 32mm push fit waste pipe to a Victoria Plum trap where the outlet was too small to take the pipe. All the replies have been very interesting but none of them answered my question. Does anybody have the answer please.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

The answer is above back to suppliers for an adapter if they don't do one change the trap for a uk one

 

[Vicdiy]

The answer is above back to suppliers for an adapter if they don't do one change the trap for a uk one

I changed the trap for a uk one but then had to change the waste also as the new trap wouldn't tighten on to it. I later found out I could have used a McAlpine EU to UK adaptor to connect the UK trap to the VP waste outlet. I still don't know how VP expect you to connect a 32mm standard waste pipe to their trap which has an outlet which is too small to take it.