Seeking advice on plumbing job

casper_gutman

If you're dead set on replacing all the white waste pipework, the kit needed would be something like this: McAlpine Double & 1 1/2 Bowl Sink Kit White 40mm - Screwfix. I'd agree with everyone else that there won't be any issue there that can't be fixed by disassembling what's there, cleaning and reassembling it, but if you aren't confident doing it yourself then the replacement parts probably won't cost much more than a competent plumber's time taking it all apart and cleaning it up.

I very much doubt you're find a metal equivalent. Certainly I've never seen such a thing. If you did find one, it would be a rather unusual (and probably expensive) item. Few plumbers would be familiar with installing such a thing, and I'd be concerned this could lead to more problems down the road. Stick with a conventional plastic waste from a reputable manufacturer.

Eldi_Dos

Daisy_84 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Daisy_84 said:

Hi,

I have booked in a local plumber to come in next week with the view to replace the piping underneath my sink. I hate the piping so much because it produces such horrible gunky stuff. 

I sent him a picture of it (attached) and he has said the valve needs changing. Apart from the valve needing changing is there anything else that stands out that people notice?

I just want the whole unit gone and replaced with a better quality one. It’s given me such nightmares of gremlins.

Would people have recommendations on the type of replacement units I should be asking for? I’m willing to pay a lot if it’s going to stop these annoying issues we see in this picture.

Hi Daisy.
The 'valve' referred to by your plumber is - I think - a Pressure Reducing Valve, and is the leaking object that can be seen just beyond the blue stop valve at the bottom-left. Yes, that needs replacing.
Then you have a simple weep from a couple of compression joints on your waste plumbing, and what looks like tape glue residue on the exit pipe, as 2'penny says. 
A new PRV will be around £40 or so, and a new sink plumbing kit around £25 for a good make like McAlpine. Depending on how straight forward it is to do - and it looks issue-free - it should all be doable in around an hour, tho' it might go over.
As said by others, tho', the existing white waste setup is absolutely fine, and such seeps are very common after a few years of use. In most cases all that's needed is a quarter-turn tightening of the collars, or perhaps a dismantle, clean, smear of silicone grease, and reassembly. The existing stains/glue residue can be completely removed using Jif or similar.
To sort rather than replace would be the sensible option, but if you want it brand spankin', then fill your boots - it's entirely your choice, tho' your plumber may raise their eyebrows at this suggestion.
As it stands, you have a perfectly neat setup, far better than most, especially with these lever valves, and with no unusual or unexpected issues that aren't a complete doddle to sort. 

Oh thank you. Your response has been so helpful and I appreciate it.

Yes I am dead set on getting a brand new one. I do have OCD and this has created so much anxiety for me. I just want to start afresh. I’ve budgeted up to £300 for it.

I’ll check out the sink kits you recommended. My preference would be metal rather than plastic.

Find a company that do work in a health care environment, they should have experience of installing that type of equipment.

GDB2222

Daisy_84 said:

Hi,

I have booked in a local plumber to come in next week with the view to replace the piping underneath my sink. I hate the piping so much because it produces such horrible gunky stuff. 

I sent him a picture of it (attached) and he has said the valve needs changing. Apart from the valve needing changing is there anything else that stands out that people notice?

I just want the whole unit gone and replaced with a better quality one. It’s given me such nightmares of gremlins.

Would people have recommendations on the type of replacement units I should be asking for? I’m willing to pay a lot if it’s going to stop these annoying issues we see in this picture.

Is it leaking from where the trap joins the sink? It looks like a drop of water hanging from the horizontal pipe underneath - where the grimey grey ring is. This definitely all needs attention from a good handyman or plumber.  I am not OCD, but I wouldn't want to live with that.

  

ThisIsWeird

Daisy_84 said:

Oh thank you. Your response has been so helpful and I appreciate it.

Yes I am dead set on getting a brand new one. I do have OCD and this has created so much anxiety for me. I just want to start afresh. I’ve budgeted up to £300 for it.
I’ll check out the sink kits you recommended. My preference would be metal rather than plastic.

You are welcome, and I did wonder...

As said by others, a metal waste pipe system is completely unnecessary, as it won't add anything valid to the operation or cleanliness of your waste system. In fact, if the pipes were made of copper, they would tarnish very quickly, and look quite dull - even unclean. Chromed fittings would really cost! 

Plumbers would most likely have to buy in pipes and fittings for what would be a one-of job for them, and very possibly cutting tools to suit, both adding further to the cost. But, this is your call, and there's no harm in asking the plumber to provide two quotes.

Casper above has linked to a high-quality plumbing kit from a reputable maker. With this fitted, your undersink environment should be transformed; perfectly white, fully hygienic, drip-free.

If you are insistent on going 'metal', please let your arranged plumber know in advance, as he's likely to need to do some research.

Daisy_84

ThisIsWeird said:

Daisy_84 said:

Oh thank you. Your response has been so helpful and I appreciate it.

Yes I am dead set on getting a brand new one. I do have OCD and this has created so much anxiety for me. I just want to start afresh. I’ve budgeted up to £300 for it.
I’ll check out the sink kits you recommended. My preference would be metal rather than plastic.

You are welcome, and I did wonder...

As said by others, a metal waste pipe system is completely unnecessary, as it won't add anything valid to the operation or cleanliness of your waste system. In fact, if the pipes were made of copper, they would tarnish very quickly, and look quite dull - even unclean. Chromed fittings would really cost! 

Plumbers would most likely have to buy in pipes and fittings for what would be a one-of job for them, and very possibly cutting tools to suit, both adding further to the cost. But, this is your call, and there's no harm in asking the plumber to provide two quotes.

Casper above has linked to a high-quality plumbing kit from a reputable maker. With this fitted, your undersink environment should be transformed; perfectly white, fully hygienic, drip-free.

If you are insistent on going 'metal', please let your arranged plumber know in advance, as he's likely to need to do some research.

Thank you. I’ll go for the plastic then. 

Do you think it may exceed £300?

Daisy_84

GDB2222 said:

Daisy_84 said:

Hi,

I have booked in a local plumber to come in next week with the view to replace the piping underneath my sink. I hate the piping so much because it produces such horrible gunky stuff. 

I sent him a picture of it (attached) and he has said the valve needs changing. Apart from the valve needing changing is there anything else that stands out that people notice?

I just want the whole unit gone and replaced with a better quality one. It’s given me such nightmares of gremlins.

Would people have recommendations on the type of replacement units I should be asking for? I’m willing to pay a lot if it’s going to stop these annoying issues we see in this picture.

Is it leaking from where the trap joins the sink? It looks like a drop of water hanging from the horizontal pipe underneath - where the grimey grey ring is. This definitely all needs attention from a good handyman or plumber.  I am not OCD, but I wouldn't want to live with that.

  

Thanks. I got the sense that people think I’m being fussy for nothing. 

Daisy_84

casper_gutman said:

If you're dead set on replacing all the white waste pipework, the kit needed would be something like this: McAlpine Double & 1 1/2 Bowl Sink Kit White 40mm - Screwfix. I'd agree with everyone else that there won't be any issue there that can't be fixed by disassembling what's there, cleaning and reassembling it, but if you aren't confident doing it yourself then the replacement parts probably won't cost much more than a competent plumber's time taking it all apart and cleaning it up.

I very much doubt you're find a metal equivalent. Certainly I've never seen such a thing. If you did find one, it would be a rather unusual (and probably expensive) item. Few plumbers would be familiar with installing such a thing, and I'd be concerned this could lead to more problems down the road. Stick with a conventional plastic waste from a reputable manufacturer.

Thank you!

ThisIsWeird

Daisy_84 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Daisy_84 said:

Oh thank you. Your response has been so helpful and I appreciate it.

Yes I am dead set on getting a brand new one. I do have OCD and this has created so much anxiety for me. I just want to start afresh. I’ve budgeted up to £300 for it.
I’ll check out the sink kits you recommended. My preference would be metal rather than plastic.

You are welcome, and I did wonder...

As said by others, a metal waste pipe system is completely unnecessary, as it won't add anything valid to the operation or cleanliness of your waste system. In fact, if the pipes were made of copper, they would tarnish very quickly, and look quite dull - even unclean. Chromed fittings would really cost! 

Plumbers would most likely have to buy in pipes and fittings for what would be a one-of job for them, and very possibly cutting tools to suit, both adding further to the cost. But, this is your call, and there's no harm in asking the plumber to provide two quotes.

Casper above has linked to a high-quality plumbing kit from a reputable maker. With this fitted, your undersink environment should be transformed; perfectly white, fully hygienic, drip-free.

If you are insistent on going 'metal', please let your arranged plumber know in advance, as he's likely to need to do some research.

Thank you. I’ll go for the plastic then. 

Do you think it may exceed £300?

It shouldn't. Parts - £40 + £25. Add 1-2 hours labour.
Unless you are in London, this should surely be comfortably under £200 in total, I'd have thought.

Don't forget to show us the outcome :-)

GDB2222

Daisy_84 said:

GDB2222 said:

Daisy_84 said:

Hi,

I have booked in a local plumber to come in next week with the view to replace the piping underneath my sink. I hate the piping so much because it produces such horrible gunky stuff. 

I sent him a picture of it (attached) and he has said the valve needs changing. Apart from the valve needing changing is there anything else that stands out that people notice?

I just want the whole unit gone and replaced with a better quality one. It’s given me such nightmares of gremlins.

Would people have recommendations on the type of replacement units I should be asking for? I’m willing to pay a lot if it’s going to stop these annoying issues we see in this picture.

Is it leaking from where the trap joins the sink? It looks like a drop of water hanging from the horizontal pipe underneath - where the grimey grey ring is. This definitely all needs attention from a good handyman or plumber.  I am not OCD, but I wouldn't want to live with that.

  

Thanks. I got the sense that people think I’m being fussy for nothing. 

I think that the general consensus was more that it probably just needs a bit of tightening up. However, the valve (towards the bottom left)  needs replacing, and it would not be a humungous job to replace most of the white plastic pipe with new.

I can't see anything wrong with the existing solvent weld pipework. That's the white pipe coming straight up out of the bottom of the cupboard, with the right angle bend at the top. So, I would tend to leave that. It needs a bit of cleaning, once all the leaks have been sorted out.

ThisIsWeird

GDB2222 said:

I think that the general consensus was more that it probably just needs a bit of tightening up. However, the valve (towards the bottom left)  needs replacing, and it would not be a humungous job to replace most of the white plastic pipe with new.

I can't see anything wrong with the existing solvent weld pipework. That's the white pipe coming straight up out of the bottom of the cupboard, with the right angle bend at the top. So, I would tend to leave that. It needs a bit of cleaning, once all the leaks have been sorted out.

That's a very good point re that vertical pipe. To replace that might require the base unit to be removed first, and that would become a very major task - disruptive and costly.
Possibly it can be accessed from behind the plinth, and possibly it goes into a secure 'push' or compression fitting there - both scenarios would really be needed for easy replacement.
An alternative would be to cut the pipe just above the base unit floor, fit a connector there, and start with new pipe, but you'd have to be fully confident that this fitting won't leak in future, as a seep there could be hard to notice, and could carry on unseen.

Daisy, your plumber will likely be reluctant to replace that pipe - it won't make sense to him to do this, and he'll likely have lots of reasons for not wishing to do so - so I hope you can explain to him your reasons, and will also take his 'practical' advice on board if you can.

Consider cleaning up that vertical pipe instead - you can get it perfect.