Anyone recommend a good plumber?

[giddyup]

I need a bathroom sink replumbed, the guy who did it a couple of years ago made a mess of it, and it continually blocks. Not as simple as pouring hot water, drain cleaner etc. down the drain, it needs a proper U bend put in. Want someone who really knows what he's doing, not a "handyman" who does more damage than good.

[thaibeachlovers]

Having been subjected to the rubbish work the paid guys did on the wife's house, the only "plumber" I trusted to do a good job was myself. Any DIY guy could probably do a better job that the cowboys that pretend to be tradesmen.

I no longer live in Pattaya, so I'm not offering to come around myself.

 

Have you tried unscrewing it and checking to see if it's full of wall putty or similar?

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Having been subjected to the rubbish work the paid guys did on the wife's house, the only "plumber" I trusted to do a good job was myself. Any DIY guy could probably do a better job that the cowboys that pretend to be tradesmen.

I no longer live in Pattaya, so I'm not offering to come around myself.

 

Have you tried unscrewing it and checking to see if it's full of wall putty or similar?

The sink doesn't have the normal U trap, but a cylinder at the bottom of the outlet. This seems to regular fill with gunk, which I assume id mostly toothpaste, as the sink only gets used for brushing teeth and washing hands. I have unscrewed the cylinder many times to empty it, but now the blockage seems to be somewhere else.

[thaibeachlovers]

^^ That is a standard trap as sold in Thailand. Unless the rubber washers have been lost there should be no need for all that thread tape.

I can't get the angle from the photo, but if the horizontal pipe is not higher at the trap end than the wall, the vertical pipe needs shortening to allow the water to flow out more quickly. If it is lower at the trap end that will be allowing your "toothpaste" to accumulate.

 

First thing I'd do would be to remove the trap entirely and check it and the horizontal pipe for any blockage.

 

If you think there is a blockage inside the wall, remove the entire fitting from the wall, and stick a hose down it on full flow. Wrap a plastic bag around the hose where it enters the wall to prevent back flow and produce more pressure on any blockage.

If there is a blockage in the wall, there should be flexible pipe unblockers for sale at big hardware shops. If in doubt, check U tube for VDOs on how to do it. Otherwise, the good folk on the DIY subforum of TVF will be happy to help.

[giddyup]

26 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

^^ That is a standard trap as sold in Thailand. Unless the rubber washers have been lost there should be no need for all that thread tape.

I can't get the angle from the photo, but if the horizontal pipe is not higher at the trap end than the wall, the vertical pipe needs shortening to allow the water to flow out more quickly. If it is lower at the trap end that will be allowing your "toothpaste" to accumulate.

 

First thing I'd do would be to remove the trap entirely and check it and the horizontal pipe for any blockage.

 

If you think there is a blockage inside the wall, remove the entire fitting from the wall, and stick a hose down it on full flow. Wrap a plastic bag around the hose where it enters the wall to prevent back flow and produce more pressure on any blockage.

If there is a blockage in the wall, there should be flexible pipe unblockers for sale at big hardware shops. If in doubt, check U tube for VDOs on how to do it. Otherwise, the good folk on the DIY subforum of TVF will be happy to help.

I think the rubber washers have either gone or stuck up inside somewhere. There is a plastic sleeve that runs up inside the vertical part of the trap, putting a finger up inside I can't feel the hole for the exit into the horizontal pipe. I need to have a look at a new one at Homeworks or somewhere to see how the thing works.

[petermik]

7 hours ago, giddyup said:

I think the rubber washers have either gone or stuck up inside somewhere. There is a plastic sleeve that runs up inside the vertical part of the trap, putting a finger up inside I can't feel the hole for the exit into the horizontal pipe. I need to have a look at a new one at Homeworks or somewhere to see how the thing works.

Its called a bottle trap,common everywhere and if out of sight a cheaper plastic one is available

[johng]

A good dose of  caustic soda ( AKA soda fai) sold in bags at the hardware stores  would be the  first thing to try.

its much more violent than the liquid drain cleaners and quite nasty to handle so wear some gloves at least.

Pour as much of the dry crystals as you can down the plug hole    then   boil the kettle  and the next bit is quite dangerous so be very careful,   at arms length and  with head turned away ( unless you have  rubber gloves apron and eye protection )

pour about half the kettle of boiling water into the sink  do not breath in the fumes leave the room as soon as the water is poured  wait for the air to clear  and see how the water drains if no success repeat a couple of times.

if the blockage is just soap,  oils and hair  soda fai will almost certainly clear it.

 

if you are in a condo  the blockage could be anywhere in the pipe bellow your floor, all the pipes are linked  so if someone has been doing their washing up ( or heavy upchuck session ) in the bathroom sink 2 floors down it can very easily block the pipe  with food waste making your sink drain slowly or not at all  everyone below the blockage is fine.

 

[topt]

Not wishing to hijack giddyup's thread but I also need a plumber as have just discovered a leak where a pipe connects into the wall for a shower - and it looks like they completely screwed up the installation when it was originally done as the metal seems bent out of shape going into the mixer unit.

 

So as per his original post anybody know a plumber?

[wpcoe]

Also, not wanting to hijack, but I need to have a temporary bathroom sink installed for a few months (before a renovation).  Is that a job for a plumber (the plumbing is all in place already) or some other class of laborer?   If it's a plumber's job, then I'll be watching for recommendations.

 

(There is a large sink there now which I'm going to remove because I need to put a washing machine next to it but there's not enough room.  I just want to buy a cheap sink to install until I totally redesign the bathroom.)

[KittenKong]

Places like HomePro and HomeWorks have tradesmen that they use for installations of equipment that they sell. Might be worth asking them about it?

 

Though when I asked them for someone to remove an old round embedded ceramic bathroom basin and fit a new square one (bought from them) on top of the hole, there was a phone call followed by "cannot". No idea what they thought was so complex about it though, and in the end I just bought a stone chisel and some mastic and did it myself in about an hour.

[raro]

The Jack of all trades at home pro are only installing stuff you bought there.

Be VERY careful with caustic soda. Definitely wear safety goggles and gloves as minimum protection. A rubber apron is highly advisable. This stuff with hot water is extremely aggressive and you would easily loose your eyesight if a drop splashes in.

Same problem here BTW, bought already a plumber snake but cannot really get around the corner. They also have installed the horizontal pipe rather flowing backwards and it is fitted into the wall with several cartouches of silicone. A masterpiece in plumbing...

[onemorechang]

17 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Having been subjected to the rubbish work the paid guys did on the wife's house, the only "plumber" I trusted to do a good job was myself. Any DIY guy could probably do a better job that the cowboys that pretend to be tradesmen.

I no longer live in Pattaya, so I'm not offering to come around myself.

 

Have you tried unscrewing it and checking to see if it's full of wall putty or similar?

 

1000000000000000000000000000 % correct

Do it yourself ,    if you can.

I refuse to have Noi and he's mate Ting Tong.

Turning up with a hammer with a busted shaft , a bent screwdriver a drill with no plug on it,    and a silly grin.

My place needs to be on fire,   before I let anyone in.

Sorry i cant help with a recommendation, i have not found a good tradesman yet.

Maybe home pro have guys that cant do stuff,   but not sure.

at least if you use a store,  you can go back to them if there is a problem.

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2016 by onemorechang

[joepattaya1961]

I could recommend EPS 

www.eps.co.th 

 

Although the construction under your sink is a standard one (as said in previous posts), the main cause of the issue may be the lack of hot water. 

The warm water that's usually being drained dissolves toothpaste, grease and other stuff, but most sinks in Th. use only cool water. 

 

Edited December 2, 2016 by joepattaya1961

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, joepattaya1961 said:

I could recommend EPS 

www.eps.co.th 

 

Although the construction under your sink is a standard one (as said in previous posts), the main cause of the issue may be the lack of hot water. 

The warm water that's usually being drained dissolves toothpaste, grease and other stuff, but most sinks in Th. use only cool water. 

 

That indeed may be the problem. I poured some boiling water down the sink and it has cleared it for now.

[petermik]

Simply unscrew the trap (bucket underneath to catch the small amount of water) from the horizontal and vertical pipes give it a good clean out and "jobs a good un" re-connect afterwards............SIMPLE

 or p.m. me and for 1000 baht I will call round

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, petermik said:

Simply unscrew the trap (bucket underneath to catch the small amount of water) from the horizontal and vertical pipes give it a good clean out and "jobs a good un" re-connect afterwards............SIMPLE

 or p.m. me and for 1000 baht I will call round

Now why didn't I think of that?

[craigt3365]

I've got a fantastic plumber.  Been working with him for years.  Really knows his stuff, electrical also.  Reasonable, but no English.  If interested, send me a PM!

[wpcoe]

On 12/1/2016 at 7:30 PM, KittenKong said:

Places like HomePro and HomeWorks have tradesmen that they use for installations of equipment that they sell. Might be worth asking them about it?

 

Though when I asked them for someone to remove an old round embedded ceramic bathroom basin and fit a new square one (bought from them) on top of the hole, there was a phone call followed by "cannot". No idea what they thought was so complex about it though, and in the end I just bought a stone chisel and some mastic and did it myself in about an hour.

 

I might just do that:  remove the current (too large) sink and then buy a small, basic bathroom sink at Home Pro/Thai Watsadu/HomeWorks and ask for an installer.

 

As I not-so-gracefully age, I find my DIY intentions too often exceed my DIY abilities.  e.g. I love to paint walls and used to paint friends' apartments for free.  I find painting to be mindless and mentally/emotionally therapeutic.  These days, though, being thoroughly out-of-shape and with a lower back injury, I physically can't do much painting.  :-(

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, petermik said:

Simply unscrew the trap (bucket underneath to catch the small amount of water) from the horizontal and vertical pipes give it a good clean out and "jobs a good un" re-connect afterwards............SIMPLE

 or p.m. me and for 1000 baht I will call round

He did say before that he has done that already.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, wpcoe said:

 

I might just do that:  remove the current (too large) sink and then buy a small, basic bathroom sink at Home Pro/Thai Watsadu/HomeWorks and ask for an installer.

 

As I not-so-gracefully age, I find my DIY intentions too often exceed my DIY abilities.  e.g. I love to paint walls and used to paint friends' apartments for free.  I find painting to be mindless and mentally/emotionally therapeutic.  These days, though, being thoroughly out-of-shape and with a lower back injury, I physically can't do much painting.  :-(

If the problem is in the wall, or lower, I doubt those guys would fix that, so you need to find the problem before going to the store.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎01‎.‎12‎.‎2016 at 7:14 PM, wpcoe said:

Also, not wanting to hijack, but I need to have a temporary bathroom sink installed for a few months (before a renovation).  Is that a job for a plumber (the plumbing is all in place already) or some other class of laborer?   If it's a plumber's job, then I'll be watching for recommendations.

 

(There is a large sink there now which I'm going to remove because I need to put a washing machine next to it but there's not enough room.  I just want to buy a cheap sink to install until I totally redesign the bathroom.)

Can do that yourself. Big hardware stores sell stand alone sinks. Get one along with a correct length pressure pipe ( or use the one on the existing sink ), and a flexible drain pipe to connect sink outlet to wall drain. Should be able to use existing tap, but if not lots of cheap ones out there.

You may also need a fitting to block the water pipe when you remove the old sink, if the one on the new pipe isn't suitable.

[thaibeachlovers]

Can I suggest to any more that want to ask about plumbing, that you do so on the DIY sub forum. The experts hang out there.

[wpcoe]

Thanks.  I think I'm done here.  Back to original topic:  @giddyup is still waiting for someone to recommend a good plumber.  

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, wpcoe said:

Thanks.  I think I'm done here.  Back to original topic:  @giddyup is still waiting for someone to recommend a good plumber.  

I received a PM today giving me the number of a plumber who was recommended by a forum member. So thanks to all, I'm good to go and topic can be closed.

[craigt3365]

22 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I received a PM today giving me the number of a plumber who was recommended by a forum member. So thanks to all, I'm good to go and topic can be closed.

Let's leave this open in case others have a need.  Can't hurt.

 

Best of luck with your recommendation!

[joepattaya1961]

20 hours ago, wpcoe said:

Thanks.  I think I'm done here.  Back to original topic:  @giddyup is still waiting for someone to recommend a good plumber.  

 

Check post #13

[wpcoe]

14 hours ago, joepattaya1961 said:

 

Check post #13

 

Wow, the irony of that stings.  Guess who I'm (probably) going to use for my upcoming condo renovation?