A basin waste helps water drain away from your sink, an essential component that connects the waste (or plug hole) of your basin to the discharge waste pipe allowing water to drain away safely.
When buying a basin, most people don’t realise that different basins require specific types of basin wastes, knowing which one is suitable for your sink can be confusing. Many basin taps come complete with a waste but this may not be the right one for you or your sink. In this article, I will explain the different types of basin wastes to help you choose the right one.
Slotted or Unslotted Basin Waste?
The first thing to consider when deciding on a basin waste is if you require a slotted waste or unslotted waste. If your basin does not have an overflow then you need an unslotted waste. If you have an overflow in your basin, you will need a slotted waste. Slotted wastes are more popular as most basins do come with an overflow, but not all do so it is important to check. The overflow is a small hole in the basin, normally at the back of the bowl, it allows excess water to drain should the basin become overfilled. It is important to fit the correct type of waste to make sure that the overflow is able to work and prevent water from flowing over onto the floor. Slotted wastes allow water from the overflow to drain through the waste pipe even if the waste/plug is closed, whereas unslotted wastes are completely watertight.
Types of Basin Waste
Once you have determined whether you require a slotted or unslotted waste for your basin you can then decide on which design of waste you would like, each design has different operational features and forms to suit traditional and contemporary bathrooms and most come in both slotted and unslotted versions.
Plug & Chain Basin Waste
A plug and chain is one of the most popular and well know basin wastes and most people are familiar with them and how they function. Although one of the most basic wastes available, they remain a popular choice because they drain water faster than any other type of waste and are easy to use and maintain.
A plug and chain waste is usually slotted for use with an overflow and is most often found in a traditional style bathroom, though it has undergone vintage and contemporary makeovers which suit most styles of bathrooms found today. However, a plug and chain waste will require a ‘chain stay’ - a small hole in the basin where the chain can be secured at the opposite end to the plug. If you are considering this design it is worth checking as a lot of modern basins do not have the extra hole available for this.
Click Clack & Push Button Basin Wastes
Click Clack, Push button or Sprungbasin wastes are currently one of the most popular designs of basin waste. They are operated by simply pushing down the stopper to close and pushing down again to open. The simple design of the click-clack makes it easy to install, use and maintain, they don't drain as quickly as plug and chain wastes but are easy to operate and look clean and smart.
Flip Top and Spinner Basin Wastes
Flip Top or Spinner wastes are not seen as commonly but are a great design and look sleek, particularly in modern and minimalist bathrooms.The disc in the centre of the waste is spun or flipped to either open or seal the waste. Although the central disc cannot be removed, they allow the basin to be filled or drained with a little pressure on one side of the spinner.
Pop Up Manual Lever Basin Wastes
Pop Upbasin wastes are normally supplied with basin taps. They use a bar or lever, normally located at the back of the basin tap to activate the waste. The lever or bar is pulled up to block the waste so the sink can be filled and pushed down to open the waste and allow the sink to be drained. Pop-up wastes are a popular choice as they are convenient and there is no need to put your hand in dirty water to drain the sink but you do need to bear in mind that you will see the activation lever behind the tap.
Free Flow basin wastes keep your waste permanently open. Free flow wastes look similar to the click-clack waste although they do not close so there is no ‘plug’ function to be able to fill up your basin. As the waste is free-flowing and water is not able to be contained, free flow wastes are most often used in smaller bathroom basins or in cloakrooms to prevent the overfilling of small basins or basins with no overflow feature.
Installing/Changing a Basin Waste
Here is a really helpful video to help you if you a struggling to fit a waste.
