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John John is offline
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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap


"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
m...
John wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message m...
Dave Farrance wrote:
My kitchen sink tap:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2dmcpw5.jpg

I managed to get the cold tap's chromed collar off by wrapping
masking tape around it, gripping it hard with a mole wrench and
unscrewing it anticlockwise with considerable force. It seems to
be a rubbish design with dissimilar metals that had corroded the
screw threads together, despite being fitted just 4 years ago.

The next bit is defeating me so far. I can't get the brass whatsit
out to change the washer. I've tried turning it both anticlockwise
and clockwise with enough force to risk ripping the whole thing from
the sink. Any suggestions? Are these normally unscrewed
anticlockwise? I'd rather fix it than replace the whole tap if I
can.

Called head gear or jumper assembly. Normal screw thread e.g.
undoes anti clock.

They can be a right little bugger to undo, they get stuck with
limescale. You need to try & find a way of holding the body still
while you apply sufficient force. Large good quality adjustable to
give plenty of leverage is a help.




Why recommend an "Adjustable" when a proper ring spanner would be far
better. An engineer wouldn't use an adjustable so why do people use
them for plumbing tasks when there is a perfectly good hexagon??


Because if you had ever done the job on a regular basis you would know
there isn't a standard size - it varies with manufacturer. Ring spanners
don't fit all head gears. Good quality adjustables do.

A sharp whack on the spanner (in the right direction) would probably
get it moving.


Indeed.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk



Grease the thread when refitting any tap - you won't have a problem in the
future.