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How To Fit A New Basin

Installing a bathroom sink or basin doesn’t necessarily have to mean a call to the plumber. By following some simple instructions, a confident and capable DIYer can easily master the task.

 - Firstly, and perhaps obviously, ensure your water supply is turned off before you begin any work on your sink or basin (either via the main stopcock or the isolating valves under the sink which are fitted to the cold and hot supply pipes). You may also need to turn off the immersion heater and boiler prior to draining hot water depending on the type of hot water system you have. Remove your old sink, making sure you don’t go near the earth wire straps from the pipes below the sink. If you have any doubts, give your local electrician a call and ask them to check the earth bonding.

 - Using a spirit level, line up the new sink against the wall and mark its intended location.

 - If you’re in luck, it may be possible for you to directly connect the water supply pipes and waste pipes back to the taps and sink trap. If you’re fitting new taps, or if it’s not your lucky day, you’ll need to go to your local plumbers’ merchants and get some waste pipe parts and connector pipes in order to make the connections. These are usually 1/2″ or 15 mm for basin water pipework and 1.1/4″ or 32 mm for waste pipework – in the UK. For a watertight seal around new taps and fittings use the gaskets and washers supplied. Do your best to fit as many parts as possible at this stage (before fitting the basin to the wall or worktop) so that once the basin is in place you only need to make as few connections as possible.

 - If necessary, and using the parts supplied, link the overflow to the waste pipe. Either: screw the sink to the wall using Fischer bolts; or hang it on wall hanging brackets (if appropriate); or put it into (or onto) the worktop, and make sure all pipes can be easily connected.

 - Using a waterproof sealant, seal around the back and if appropriate the lip and sides of the unit. You will need two adjustable spanners and/ or a tap spanner which will be used to tighten the joints on the tap connectors, the locating nuts on the taps and the Fischer bolts holding the basin to the wall. Ensure there are no kinks or stretches in the flexible tap connector pipes.

 - Turn the water back on, test all of the connections and fittings for leaks. Re-tighten and reseal where necessary.

 - Now enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you fitted your own sink or basin!!