Tuesday, 28 April 2015

On leaking sinks and SMEV traps

Clipped from a Classic Hymers Facebook thread 

I have a leak under the sink which appears to be a perished O-ring.Where can I find an approx 6.5cm O ring to replace it,just returned from trawling the shops to no avail? Thanks

  • George Burrowes likes this.
  • Mike Backhouse Have you got a picture? I get my stuff off eBay.
  • Samantha Barfoot It is just a black rubber O ring, its the size thats awkward.Going to look on e bay now though, thanks.
  • Mike Backhouse I only asked because 6.5cm equates to 2.5 inches that's a large diameter pipe for a motorhome sink.
  • Neil Geldart If you cannot find the right one in any hardware store try somewhere that fixes washing machines or a plumbers merchant. The important thing about o-rings is to get the right material thickness for a seal, if you have to buy much bigger diameter but similar thickness cut out whats needed with a very sharp knife and re-join with super glue
  • Terry Martin Bearing factors or engineers supplier
  • Samantha Barfoot Thanks for your help, its for the waste under the sink. I can find them on e bay but all sent from Hong Kong so a long while to wait.........
  • Steve Cooper Try pertex the hydrolic people
  • Andy Healey I have just ordered some for my car and used this chart to get the right size. The BS reference can then be used to search ebay

    supaseal.co.uk/datasheets/bs_or_sizes.pdf
  • David Sanderson when i worked in the steel industry we had * O * ring kits long length of * O * ring material razor blade and super glue get the right dia but larger and cut to size and superglue works every time.
  • David Olley Because I was unable to source a 60mm 'O' ring locally last week, the local tractor supplier gave me a length of the rubber of the correct diameter so that I could make a couple using the method explained by David Sanderson. Always useful to have some in the ditty box!
  • Ron Bentham Do you mean the O ring that seals the plastic trap under the sink plug - the one that has a plastic screw off cover? If so it's a Smev part, as it's an integral part of the trap.
  • Mike Backhouse Picture worth a thousand words 
  • Samantha Barfoot Yes Ron Bentham, thats it. Smev, do they supply it?Or do I have to order through Brownhills or somewhere?
  • Samantha Barfoot Just googled it Ron Bentham, and still none the wiser! I am assuming thats why water is leaking from under the sink, have taken it apart and it looks worn.I am hoping that is the answer! Now I just need to find how to buy a replacement! Cheers
  • Samantha Barfoot Its under the sink, a plastic trap with a screw off bottom, its leaking from there.
  • Ron Bentham does your screw off bottom look like the one in this photo?
    http://leisurelines.net/smev-2-outlet-trap-sink-waste...
    Motorhome Camper Caravan Accessories Spare Parts...
  • Samantha Barfoot Yes, the very bottom white screw off part, the O ring sits inside and is about 65mm with a 2.5mm thickness.
  • Samantha Barfoot I have ordered some on Amazon, just general O rings, hopefully will do the trick.Just have to put a pan under it until they arrive!
  • Ron Bentham I had this problem, years ago....I couldn't find the seal then either. And it kept leaking no matter what I did. I ended up sealing the whole thing back on with silicone. Now it is fixed in place, and I have a spare waiting for when it eventually needs replacing. I think you have two choices - either carry on trying to source an O ring, or make one from a kit, or just replace the whole thing - as you can see the whole thing is under a tenner....the one I linked was the first I found - it has a double outlet, but I am sure we can find another What do you think?
  • Samantha Barfoot I cant quite understand why it is leaking. I noticed it as water had seeped under the lino ! I have ordered the O rings so hopefully they might do the trick.I have tried to use PTE plumbing tape as well, no luck .... I will have a look tomorrow.I think maybe I have to replace it, or as you did, seal it up, might be the easiest as it looks a fiddly bugger to replace! I am assuming this is the cause of water between the old lino layers.Unless there are other places I need to check for leakages.......I cant replace the flooring until I find out exactly where the leak is.....
  • Ron Bentham well make sure you know where its coming from - it could also be the compression fittings that clamp the whole thing to the sink hole. Wipe it bone dry with a tissue, fill the sink, and then get in there with a strong light and pinpoint the leak. It could also be the waste pipe fittings....and unless you are sure where it is coming from, take a look at where the waste pipes drop into the waste tank - they are all press fittings and can vibrate loose. I had a leak there last year - took me ages to track it down.
  • Neil Elliott Got the same problem here but couldn't source a new smev trap, until now thanks to Ron Bentham .
    If your problem is the same as mine, its not the "O" ring as i found a hairline crack across the middle of the actual disc itself. Have a good look and try prodding around with your fingers.
  • Samantha Barfoot Hello Ron Bentham, thanks for your help.Do I need to get under the van to locate where the waste pipe drops into the tank or get the floor up?
  • Ron Bentham Well I don't know your van - the pipes drop into the waste tank on the top front edge of the tank. The pipes from the bathroom and the kitchen are routed, usually with other wires and pipes etc, and then they go through a hole in the floor, through a standard plastic push fit elbow and down into the tank. So the place to look is along where the front of the tank is level with. It is usually covered by a piece of wood, which needs unscrewing. But before you do that, look for signs of wet - if it's bone dry with no signs of seepage, look elsewhere.

    Mine was a crazy leak - it only ever happened when the van was parked nose down, which is rare - any other time the leak just dribbled harmlessly outside down the front of the tank. I am not saying this is your problem Samantha...just work logically back from the sink! Check the bathroom waste as well - if you have wet patches under your floor coverings igt could be creeping from anywhere.
  • Ron Bentham Neil yes I was going to mention that. The old style Smev traps are getting hard to find. The new ones don't have a trap, and let the waste go straight down to the tank. They must have done this for a reason....I would suspect that it must have been due to feedback from dealers and customers - the traps easily get gunged up and can smell. It's a disgusting job. So doing away with the trap, and letting the bits go straight into the tank is sort of logical, as it will take an age for it to become a problem in a big tank, and when it does you just blast it with chemicals and loads of rinse water.
    Anybody else close to the trade know why?
  • Samantha Barfoot Hi Ron Bentham, I am also wondering if it is when parked at a certain angle! I will investigate soon, just waiting for my rubber O rings in the hope it may be that simple(ha,ha)! I am also dreading lifting off the floor coverings, they are pretty gross, layer upon layer! Will let you know of progress.
  • Samantha Barfoot Aha, this was the thread! Appears the new washer has stopped the leak......fingers crossed.
    2 hrs · Like
  • Christian Skeels All things are relative. One of my boat repair jobs was replacing a vital valve in a blocked marine toilet on a passing German cruising yacht. Sink traps hold no fear for me!! The name of the valve - a joker valve! I wasn't laughing!
    1 hr · Like
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