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Materials: To install a new plastic drain under a washbasin you don't need any special tools or materials. You can thread and unscrew the parts yourself. But keep on hand pliers or a monkey wrench, a small saw to cut hard plastic, fine sandpaper and a cloth rag. If you put a new valve in the mouth of the drain, you will need a screwdriver.

If you've never tried to fix things around the house this is a good chance to get over any wariness you might have. There is no simpler task. Here we take you through it step by step.

Before starting
- If your house is old and the drains and pipes are made of lead, this might be the time to change them. But this is a job that should be done by a professional plumber; you may need to open up walls and install new pipes that must be properly welded if they are copper or properly sealed if they are plastic.

- Remember that a quality siphon drain that is well installed will avoid foul odors because it always retains a bit of water.

-� We take as an example the kind of drain that is most common in households: a horizontal outlet toward the wall. If it is vertical you have to make sure no masonry work is needed.

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Thread and press
To begin with, unpack the kit and make sure no parts are missing. The kit should have assembly instructions.

- The components of a U-bend drain are pipes of varying shape that join together and are regulated with nuts and corresponding grooves and conical joints.

- The job is to use these components to connect the mouth of the washbasin's drain to the evacuation pipe; the latter sticks out of the wall and, through a series of pipes and a siphon box somewhere in the floor, ends up in the general waste pipe of the house.

- So that you can adapt to any situation, the pipes can be pointed in different directions and extended. If your washbasin is far from the drain, you can use longer joining pipes. In the opposite case you can shorten them with a small hacksaw. Sand them down afterward.

- These evacuation pipes can incorporate openings for the drains of appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines.

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In just a few minutes
- Place a joint and a nut around the pipe that comes out of the wall.

- Hold the U-joint or threaded pipe near this pipe, and when they touch pressure the joint and nut until they are completely threaded around the pipe. You will probably not need a wrench.

- Do the same thing with the pipe, nut and joint that will be attached to the mouth of the drain under the washbasin. Fasten tightly.

- From inside the washbasin, hold the joint or valve that is tightened with a screw to the bottom part of the drain. Don't forget to use a washer to prevent leaks. Tighten with a screwdriver.

- Now you only have to adapt and orient the siphon, be it bottle-shaped or U-bend, to the joints of the wall and the washbasin, also tightening the nuts and joints.

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A TIP
With this kind of drain it is best not to add any adhesive material to the joints. The thread, the joint and the nut, if will tightened around the pipe, should be enough.

- Repeat the process if water leaks from any pipe or joint when you turn on the faucet.

- If necessary you can place a bit of Teflon tape in the thread of the pipe before getting started.