Completing a bathroom project in a fully occupied family home requires careful planning, particularly when it’s the only operational facility, and service disruption isn’t an option.
For installer Stanley Tabersham – the plumber and content creator behind @snl.plumbing – a recent bathroom refurbishment meant working around a busy five-person household, where downtime wasn’t an option. Careful planning and the right product choices were critical to keeping everything running.
Leading plumbing and drainage manufacturer Wavin caught up with Stanley to discuss how he approached the job and how specifying Wavin Osma’s HepVO waterless trap made all the difference – helping to simplify this install, while overcoming space and layout constraints.
What was the brief for this bathroom install?
“I’m working on a small bathroom in a very busy, high-traffic household where five people rely on just one functioning toilet. Because of this, time is absolutely critical – we have to work quickly, efficiently, and with as little disruption as possible. At the same time, it’s essential that we maintain a working toilet throughout the project, so careful planning and sequencing of the work is key to making sure the household can continue to function as normally as possible.”
Where did HepVO come into its own on this job?
“We used HepVO on the bath because we needed to keep the installation as low as possible within a tight space.
“HepVO – a waterless waste valve – uses a self-sealing membrane instead of a traditional water trap, which removes the need for a bulky U-bend beneath the bath. This allowed us to maximise the available height and avoid one of the common constraints in tighter installs like this.
“From an installation point of view, it was really straightforward – just two simple connections, and everything can be done hand tight, which is more than strong enough, making the whole process quick and efficient.”
Why go waterless? What does HepVO do that traditional traps just can’t?
“Shallow – that’s the biggest benefit. You need very little room under the bath to fit one compared to older-style bath traps, which can be quite bulky and restrictive in tighter spaces. HepVO gives you much more flexibility when installing, especially when working with low-profile setups.
“Another key advantage is that there’s no glugging sound, even if the pipe run is further away than ideal, which helps deliver a smoother, quieter performance overall.”
Would you opt for HepVO again?
“I’ll definitely use a HepVO trap again in the future. Not just for installs like this where space and layout are a challenge, but across a wide range of other jobs too. It’s a really versatile solution that makes installs easier and cleaner, so it’s definitely something I’d look to use wherever it fits.”
Wavin launched its updated HepVO waterless trap last year which builds on its self-sealing membrane, with a sleeker design, directional flow arrows for easier alignment, and a 15-year guarantee – helping installers achieve quicker, more reliable installs.
Want to keep up with Stanley? Follow his Instagram account @snl.plumbing to keep up to date with his latest content.
To find out more about Wavin’s HepVO range, please visit: https://qr.fm/S1dRtK
