PLUMBING. KITCHEN SINK DRAIN PLUG.

MY FORGETFUL 91 YEAR OLD MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS TWICE FLOODED HER KITCHEN
BY ALLOWING THE SINK TO OVERFLOW. THE SINK HAS NO OVERFLOW DRAIN
FITTED!

QUESTION - WHERE CAN I SOURCE AN AUTOMATIC PRESSURE SENSITIVE DRAIN
PLUG DESIGNED TO OPEN WHEN THE SINK WATER REACHES A CERTAIN LEVEL
(DETERMINED BY PRESSURE AT THE SINK PLUG)?    A UK BASED SUPPLIER IS
PREFERRED.

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 07 Oct 2005 06:52 PDT

Well, this is not a drain plug but it may actually suit your purposes
much better since there's very little installation and it works on ANY
sink or tub:

Water Overflow Alarm, available for purchase online from Maplin
Electronics (UK) for only £4.99

"An easy to fit and use alarm that emits a loud warning signal or
plays music when water reaches the sensor, which can be placed almost
anywhere, making this an ideal product for people that forget to turn
taps off, or just want to know when their bath is ready to use. The
sensor is supplied on a 2 metre cord, which is placed inside the bath
or sink, while the main unit can be fixed to a nearby wall using the
fixings provided. Powered by 1 x 9V battery...)"

MAPLIN ELECTRONICS
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=44468&C=Froogle&U=44468&T=33397

Just attach it to the sink and and whenever your elderly mother-in-law
accidentally leaves the water running it will alert her to the problem
BEFORE it becomes a disaster (again). Simple, huh?

Does this work for you as an convenient alternative solution?

tutuzdad-ga

SEARCH TERM

WATER

OVERFLOW 

SINK

ALARM

MONITOR

FROOGLE UK
http://froogle.google.co.uk/froogle

Dear flooded7-ga;

Since my initial clarification request I have found other solutions
similar to what you are looking for in addition to some other
alternatives besides the alarm I posted earlier:

Bath combined waste overflow plug
Manufacturer: Amber
Edirectory.co.uk
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/index.asp?cid=880

Price: ? 8.28 (£5.90)
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1730898&cid=880&afid=88888

Price: ? 3.30 (£2.35)
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1730979&cid=880&afid=88888

Price: ? 14.12 (£10.05)
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1730250&cid=880&afid=88888

Price: ? 10.04 (£7.16)
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1730249&cid=880&afid=88888

Price: ? 22.04 (£15.70)
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1730248&cid=880&afid=88888

Edirectory also offers a control solution. This water block monitors
the water and only allows a pre-set limit to fill the basic before
intervening and turning the water off:

Water Block
Price: ? 14.72 (£9.96)
?An automatic safety overflow device that controls the flow of a
volume of water between 5 and 50 litres. Its function is to measure
intervene and stop a flow if it exceeds a preset limit. No external
energy is required to power the water block as it is operated by water
flowing through it. Max. Operating Temperature: 10 Bar (150PSI) Flow
Capacity: 2-30 Litres/Min Water Temperature: 2°C - 70°C?
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=1632124&cid=880&afid=88888


. . . . . . . .

Bath1959
Price: £6.40
http://bath1959.com/productResultsByCode?btc_product_code=E347

. . . . . . . .

You will find a number of solutions here as well. I particularly liked
the ?pop-up? overflow plug called a ?Slotted Spung Plug Basin Waste?
plug that allows the water to reach a certain depth before draining:

SMR BATHROOMS
http://www.smrbathrooms.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Bath_Filler.html

. . . . . . . .
Here is another solution that attaches to the side of the sink to
provide a means of draining excess water. There is some installation
and pipe fitting with these though.

B&Q ONLINE
Price: £ 2.00
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?PRODID=149509&affid=13881

Price: £ 3.00
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?PRODID=149473&affid=13881

. . . . . . . .


And again, as I mentioned earlier, there is the alarm solution:

Water Overflow Alarm, available for purchase online from Maplin
Electronics (UK) for only £4.99

"An easy to fit and use alarm that emits a loud warning signal or
plays music when water reaches the sensor, which can be placed almost
anywhere, making this an ideal product for people that forget to turn
taps off, or just want to know when their bath is ready to use. The
sensor is supplied on a 2 metre cord, which is placed inside the bath
or sink, while the main unit can be fixed to a nearby wall using the
fixings provided. Powered by 1 x 9V battery...)"

MAPLIN ELECTRONICS
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=44468&C=Froogle&U=44468&T=33397

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

GOOGLE 
://www.google.com

FROOGLE UK
http://froogle.google.co.uk/froogle


SEARCH TERMS USED:

WATER

OVERFLOW 

DEPTH

CAPACITY

FLOW

SINK

BASIN

BATH

ALARM

MONITOR

PLUG

DRAIN

FOR - tutuzdad-ga.

Thank you for your work and for your answers to my problem. They are
much appreciated.

I want to avoid plumbing solutions if I can, so have held them back
for possible future use.

The alarm scheme will, I think, not be workable as Mother-in=Law is
also somewhat deaf (I regret I failed to mention that).

I have yet to check out the the 'Slotted Spung Valve' , but I believe
that it will be a manually operated spring-up plug with which I am
familiar.

Another response suggested a plastic bowl, and confiscation of the
sink plug. I cannot think why this solution did not occur to me as it
is our own system at home. Mother-in-Law has been given a new blue
bowl, and says that she is using it every day. What the truth is I do
not know, but there have beeen no more floods as yet.

Regards,

Flooded7

I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a shot....
Drill a small-ish hole (1-2 cm in diameter) through the exisiting
drain plug. Then insert a piece of pipe that is shorter than the depth
of the sink into the hole. Insert the new pipe-adorned stopper in the
drain, and you should have a short-term fix at least.

1) Purchase a plastic washing up bowl that fits in the sink

2) Confiscate the existing drain plug

If you want to retain the plug, then go to a large DIY store and have
a look at the bath fittings (yes bath - not kitchen) find a bath
overflow fitment and apply electric drill.
If you do that then make sure you get some reliable sealant.
The best I've found comes in a yellow and blue tube, and supposedly never sets.

All you need is a cylindrical pipe, shorter than the tub is deep, that
makes a water-tight fit when inserted in the drain.
The pipe will serve as a plug until the water reaches its top, at
which point the water will flow over the top and down the drain.

These things already exist, used in sinks in bars (don't know about
the UK, but in the US and Germany, at least).

Look at the first two items on this site.  The second from right photo
above can be clicked to enlarge.

http://www.zesco.com/products.cfm?subCatID=44&pGroupID=ZP99042002

Not very elegant, rubber stopper with a plastic pipe, but that
suggests that you could make your own without doing any metalwork.

Good luck