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26 August 2020
Incompatible with U.S. plumbing dimensions
The connection assembly, the part that you connect to your PVC drain pipe, is sized for plumbing dimension standards in the UK, which are not the same as in the United States. A standard US 1.5-inch plastic sink drain pipe does fit inside the Wirquin waste trap drain assembly and can be tightened, using a slip-joint washer, for water tightness. Then you can connect that standard US-sized plastic drain pipe to 1.5-inch PVC, using the same type of fitting, a schedule 40 adapter with slip joint washer, that is used to connect your sink drain to the PVC or steel waste pipe in your wall or floor.
That works, but standard US plastic (or metal) sink and tub drain piping is thin walled, not even close to schedule 40 PVC, and pretty flimsy to use in a space, like under a shower, where access to monitor for leaks and to make repairs is difficult. I doubt it meets code, either.
The instructions that come with the Wirquin are terrible, as usual, and don't disclose any of this, as the product is manufactured for British standards. It probably works just fine if you have standard British PVC piping, 40mm or 50mm. But don't make the mistake of assuming that 40mm is schedule 40. It is not.
To avoid using thin-walled piping, one could saw off the adapter nut on the Wirquin and connect schedule 40 PVC drain pipe using what is commonly called a rubber boot coupling. It has compression bands at each end and comes in various sizes to fit one size pipe at one end and a different (or same) size pipe at the opposite end. These are widely available and durable. This might be a better alternative, but it might not meet code and again you are putting something that needs to be monitored and might have to be adjusted or replaced in a place, under a shower, where access is difficult or impossible.
Sellers should demand that Wirquin make or supply this product in dimensions that work with U.S. pipe dimension standards, primarily schedule 40 PVC, or provide a conversion kit with the product. Either that or cease selling it in the US market entirely, or honestly label and describe the product with a warning that its dimensions are not compatible with plumbing piping used in the U.S.
I will not hold my breath as I wait for this to occur.