Basin wrench

[cmsally]

Anyone seen these for sale in Chiang Mai ??

 

[hml367]

I bought one many years ago. I don't remember where, but I am sure they are available.

 

I think it was HomePro.

Edited November 27, 2016 by hml367

[lopburi3]

It is very seldom that I have ever found them in Thailand - I brought back from USA decades ago and a plumber made off with it.  They are now available here.

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=Basin+wrench

[cmsally]

Thanks for that, I will try HomePro and if not will order on Lazada.

I did a search on Lazada yesterday and all it brought up were pages of printer cables! 

[lopburi3]

Lazada search seems to be made by the folks who bring you

[hml367]

HomePro Mae Hia just now

[KhonKaenKowboy]

that's a faucet wrench....just use a cut-off tool to remove the old one....

[KMartinHandyman]

that's a faucet wrench....just use a cut-off tool to remove the old one....

How do you put on the new one?[emoji848][emoji849]

[lopburi3]

It is a basin wrench as posted and not sure of what a "cut off tool" looks like that will fit up into a space barely large enough for the nut.  The tap will not pull out of sink with nut attached so needs to be removed and new on tightly attached.  This wrench can perform that operation in tight places (although Thai may be even too tight) as most are handmade counters and may have originally depended on jamming nut to hold position as tap turned to tighten (and hope can get into somewhat normal position).

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I stand corrected...however, most of the Delta, Moen's, Pfister I've seen lately use plastic wingnuts.  Cutoff tool is just a cutting disk on an angle grinder....you can cut it from the top...removing the sink is another option.  Some use a Dremmel type tool if the angle grinder won't fit underneath.

[cmsally]

Taps mostly plastic nuts. Water hoses are the tough ones as they are mostly metal.. No way am I going to take the sink off - it's a set of 4 bench sinks !! All need the hoses replaced but taps are OK. I will report back on how easy/hard it is with the sink wrench !

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

I stand corrected...however, most of the Delta, Moen's, Pfister I've seen lately use plastic wingnuts.  Cutoff tool is just a cutting disk on an angle grinder....you can cut it from the top...removing the sink is another option.  Some use a Dremmel type tool if the angle grinder won't fit underneath.

Yes but as said the connector hose if plastic with metal nut and that is normally very hard to access as the taps threaded shaft does not extend below basin and normally would not be room to easily cut even with a Dremmel tool (which I have never seen in local toolkits).

 

Indeed removing sink is often the choice made - normally quite easy to do but require drain removal which can be a bear to get working right again and have to make sure they line it up correctly when they re-install.  

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

It is a basin wrench as posted and not sure of what a "cut off tool" looks like that will fit up into a space barely large enough for the nut.  The tap will not pull out of sink with nut attached so needs to be removed and new on tightly attached.  This wrench can perform that operation in tight places (although Thai may be even too tight) as most are handmade counters and may have originally depended on jamming nut to hold position as tap turned to tighten (and hope can get into somewhat normal position).

 

After all my years in hundreds of houses, condos, hotels, bars and restaurants all over Thailand, now I know why the bloody sink taps are always loose.

 

Thank you for today's epiphany 

Edited November 28, 2016 by NanLaew

[eyecatcher]

Yes basin wrenches are becoming more available now. Global sell them.

also this the traditional basin wrench; check one of these also,

[opalred]

i have been looking along time for left handed one

[KhonKaenKowboy]

7 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Yes but as said the connector hose if plastic with metal nut and that is normally very hard to access as the taps threaded shaft does not extend below basin and normally would not be room to easily cut even with a Dremmel tool (which I have never seen in local toolkits).

 

Indeed removing sink is often the choice made - normally quite easy to do but require drain removal which can be a bear to get working right again and have to make sure they line it up correctly when they re-install.  

cut the plastic water line with a knife, close to the nut, then slip a socket over it.

[lopburi3]

54 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

cut the plastic water line with a knife, close to the nut, then slip a socket over it.

That might work - but most lines these days are metal shielded rather than the old white plastic - and even the plastic type have a long metal cover to actual nut so most sockets would probably not be deep enough unless made for spark plugs.  But how would you get a knife into an area you can not get you hand or a wrench into?

Edited November 28, 2016 by lopburi3