Why are sanitary fittings so badly designed?

[flanagaj]

Being a competent DIYer who has installed a fair few bathrooms in his time, it always amazes me just how poor the fittings are to connect the hardware to the sanitary ware.

1. Having to install a rubber gasket over the nut between the cistern and the pan. Surely, there is a better design than this?

2. Nice to see Bristan now have taps which you can part install, fit the sink and then connect the tap body. Ideal, as it means you can get a silicone gun in to seal the sink. Fitting taps from underneath is such a ball ache.

Now don't get me started on how hit and miss it is to not having a leaking sink waste!

 

[dancinplumba]

well, if you were good then the wastes wouldn't leak

 

[petercj]

Being a competent DIYer who has installed a fair few bathrooms in his time, it always amazes me just how poor the fittings are to connect the hardware to the sanitary ware.

1. Having to install a rubber gasket over the nut between the cistern and the pan. Surely, there is a better design than this?

2. Nice to see Bristan now have taps which you can part install, fit the sink and then connect the tap body. Ideal, as it means you can get a silicone gun in to seal the sink. Fitting taps from underneath is such a ball ache.

Now don't get me started on how hit and miss it is to not having a leaking sink waste!

Yes, know what you mean!

One of the biggest design disasters of all time must be shower door rollers!!!

How difficult can it be to design a shower track that doesn't get bunged up with scale and gunge, and a roller that doesn't fall apart after a few years?

There must be hundreds of different shower tracks and rollers around the world, surely one day someone will invent a simple but efficient track and roller that does the job at a reasonable price that becomes a standard fit by the majority of shower cubicle manufacturers?

Thomas Crapper did his bit for developing sanitary ware, and ironically these days his surname is often adapted to describe the work of those that have failed abysmally to emulate his flair for simple and effective functionality.

The goal of many modern manufacturer's seems to be to design something that is as cheap as possible to produce, with the minimum amount of life expectancy built in. One of the safest investments around the world must be the recycling industry. Their only worry is whether they can keep up with the millions of tons of junk that is produced every day across the globe.

 

[snowhead]

And why when we had 1 proven syphon flush design do we now have multi million, (with non interchangeable parts) different varieties.

It used to be, carry a piece of 1000 gauge polythene and you could cut any syphon washer to fit.

Now it's a 48hr wait to get spares for the "Hi tec" water saving valves

 

[mountainman]

Now it's a 48hr wait to get spares for the "Hi tec" water saving valves

You don't carry spare parts then?

 

[snowhead]

You don't carry spare parts then?

For which ones of the 1/4 million made?

My work is Commercial, so it includes the various electrically operated ones as well.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Totally agree the amount of different syphons and float valves around now is ridiculous . Having to goto merchants to merchants trying to find a bottom entry valve thats long enoughshank to match existing just so you dont have to smash tiled boxing off .

Problem after god knows how much time wasted you may may not find one and then with all the time wasted you have to try to explain to cust that its now £120 labour to change float/trap/waste or whatever .

these type of jobs usually turn out to be more hassle than its worth

 

[lame plumber]

Totally agree the amount of different syphons and float valves around now is ridiculous . Having to goto merchants to merchants trying to find a bottom entry valve thats long enoughshank to match existing just so you dont have to smash tiled boxing off .

Problem after god knows how much time wasted you may may not find one and then with all the time wasted you have to try to explain to cust that its now £120 labour to change float/trap/waste or whatever .

these type of jobs usually turn out to be more hassle than its worth

just suck through your teeth when you see it and smile when you hand over the invoice, nothing is to much hassle!

 

[sam51]

nothing wrong with designs.
its those who dont know what there doing.
and if you do have a bit of a problem. good plumbers get round it.

 

[erpkid]

Bit of a mixed bag for those who install every day as it means a revenue stream in the future. We are in a hard water area and so all of the plastic bits in a toilet suffer as well as other fittings. The hard water and poor fittings have been paying my mortgage for the last 2 decades.

 

[flanagaj]

nothing wrong with designs.
its those who dont know what there doing.
and if you do have a bit of a problem. good plumbers get round it.

Lol. There will be a great many who don't share your sentiment

 

[stevetheplumber]

i never get leaks on sink or basin wastes you must be doing something wrong

 

[flanagaj]

i never get leaks on sink or basin wastes you must be doing something wrong

Need I say more. It's the ability of the water to work it's way down the outer threaded face of the waste fitting. So you buy a sink waste, but the standard fittings that come with the waste are thrown away and you either use silicon or plumbers gold ....

How to install a basin waste - YouTube

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i'm leak free as well. talk us through how you put things together and we'll see if there is anything you are doing wrong.

 

[Kimou]

The market do produce non maintenance fittings but most companies don't promote them exactly because of that- no maintenance no return business. Things like flapper valves are sold because they need replacement. And that's ok by me.