Useless foam washer on waste outlet

[Vincent UK Plumber]

I think I have a similar problem on my bath in my new flat. Whatever cowboy installed the bath before I bought the place didn't level it or secure it to the wall, applied a super thin silicon bead with the bath empty (split immediately after I filled the bath the first time) or put runners down so two of the feet were over holes in the floor.

I removed the bath, fixed the issues, and sealed up properly but the waste keeps leaking after a while. The foam washer that goes between the plughole and bath is something like the picture below but made of soft white foam and not plastic. Very thin and I have to tighten the plughole screw to stop seepage more often than I'd like. Don't want to end up over-torquing it.

Only spare I could find was made of medium plastic like the picture (bendy but not soft) so I don't think that's going to conform to the bath any better than the original foam piece.

Since any leaks will be concealed once the bath panels are on, I ended up using low modulus silicon. It's messy and not ideal but provides the most robust solution even if it is semi-permanent. Was considering plumbers mait but heard the movement of the bath could cause leaks down the line and it stains acrylic/fibreglass.

 

[Stigster]

Sometimes the old way is the best way. Plumbers Mate won't let you down here. Get a tub of that, pinch off a blob and roll it into a sausage shape. Use that in place of the seal. Any excess putty will squish out as you tighten the waste down. Then use something like a matchstick or fine plastic scraper to clean up any putty that doesn't just pull away from around the edge of the waste flange.

 

[Vincent UK Plumber]

Sometimes the old way is the best way. Plumbers Mate won't let you down here. Get a tub of that, pinch off a blob and roll it into a sausage shape. Use that in place of the seal. Any excess putty will squish out as you tighten the waste down. Then use something like a matchstick or fine plastic scraper to clean up any putty that doesn't just pull away from around the edge of the waste flange.

It's the upper seal between the plughole and bath, I'm guessing the Plumbers Mate wouldn't stain the inside on the bath, and even if it does, it'll be covered by the plughole but would movement from the bath as you get in and out or fill it for a bath not cause the Plumbers Mate to leak over time?

I'm not a plumber despite my forum name (messed up the signup
process, thought there would be a separate display name option later).

 

[Clint B]

The foam washers you refer to have been around for years and there's been no improvement, completely useless not sure why they waste their time supplying them. Only work on a stainless steel kitchen sink.
Plumbers mait as previously been said fail proof. Silicone a pain in the backside when the waste has to be removed for whatever reason and it does happen ie click clack do fail and its a right struggle getting the waste out when it's been siliconed. Who said we didn't care for the next plumber who comes along.

 

[Harvest Fields]

The foam washers you refer to have been around for years and there's been no improvement, completely useless not sure why they waste their time supplying them. Only work on a stainless steel kitchen sink.
Plumbers mait as previously been said fail proof. Silicone a pain in the backside when the waste has to be removed for whatever reason and it does happen ie click clack do fail and its a right struggle getting the waste out when it's been siliconed. Who said we didn't care for the next plumber who comes along.

Still haven’t had a picture?

 

[Stigster]

It's the upper seal between the plughole and bath, I'm guessing the Plumbers Mate wouldn't stain the inside on the bath, and even if it does, it'll be covered by the plughole but would movement from the bath as you get in and out or fill it for a bath not cause the Plumbers Mate to leak over time?

I'm not a plumber despite my forum name (messed up the signup
process, thought there would be a separate display name option later).

It doesn't stain and it really isn't visible once everything is tightened down and cleaned up. Plumbers made those waste seals, top and bottom for decades past. It's one of those cases where the "old way" is still a very good way. It really is the solution to your problem I think and it's what I would do if you asked me to come and fix this.

 

[Bogart]

Still haven’t had a picture?

Me thinks you know what foam washer we are talking about.