Health and Safety
- On Jack King Drive next to Sandy Bay Gated entrance Security Hut.
- On Jack King Drive outside Main Thorney Bay office.
Plumbing
Under the kitchen sink.
What does a click clack waste pop up do? If you have plumbing or DIY knowledge, then you may already know. However, for those that don’t know, it is the pop-up waste, that conveniently lifts when pressed to empty the water out of your bathroom or ensuite sinks.
As many of you may have already experienced, all is not well on the click clack scene, particularly for residents who may have lived in their bungalow for a couple of years or more.
The click clack mechanism in the waste pipe is spring loaded to provide the push down to seal, and the push down and pop up and open action to fill and empty your sink. There is a locking function at the end of the spring which holds the plug top down and is overridden when the plug top is pushed again to allow it to pop up.
Unfortunately, through use, and as the click clack waste is not sealed, it will accumulate debris such as soap scum, rotting hair and skin, and small particles of sand and dirt from washing your hands, etc. Also, the substances that make our Essex water hard; the bicarbonates, sulphates, and chlorides of calcium and magnesium add to the black gunge eventually turning click clack to just click!
All three of the wastes in our bungalow had started to jam in the closed position and I had previously taken them out and cleaned/lubricated them. However, this week the springs decided to break when I was reassembling them, so replacements were needed.
On Amazon, you are spoilt for choice with many different makes to choose from, it’s difficult to know which is a direct replacement. Ultimately when I found one that I thought was the one, the decision was made due to it being available the next day.
Luckily, I guesstimated correctly, and the new click clacks were soon screwed into the sink wastes, job done.
For more details and how to complete the repair. Please see the attached YouTube video for more information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-pxq64pu6g
Why is it called a click clack waste, well that’s the noise it makes when it goes down and then pops up!
Be careful when choosing a replacement, make sure it is the correct size and that the thread that screws it into the waste is in the same position as the broken one. At the bottom of my ones, some variants have the thread in the middle of the body.
If Omar has used the same waste click clacks throughout the park, you could order the following part from Amazon that I used. Please check the measurements before ordering. The two old parts are shown in the picture, the piece at the bottom left of the picture travels up and down to perform the click clack action.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B083S6N9G1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
The two I purchased cost £9.80; they are available on Amazon for as little as £6.99 for six! In fact, it is hardly worth spending time cleaning them, as it is easier and probably more cost effective to fit a new one. You can prolong their life by cleaning and lubricating them, however they will eventually fail, so be prepared to send them to the clackers yard.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to clean out the rest of the black gunge hiding inside the top of the waste pipe, before refitting the replacement!!
I did see one article on the subject warning against the use of a hammer to make the jammed plug top open, the result of such an action is normally a broken sink. Mind you, I can't believe a Sandy Bay resident would ever do that......