"Bob Martin" wrote

in 744240 20100526 230647 "John" wrote:

I am guessing that a washer has become so compressed that the plunger has
extended too far and then cannot retract as it has rotated out of
alignment
with the hexagonal hole it slides in.

Not related to OP's question but why do some people feel it necessary to
turn off
taps with as much strength as they can muster?
I'm constantly demonstrating how little effort is required to stop the
flow.

I think, to be fair, this is intuitive - for most people, tighter = more
secure.
It's only when you understand the internals of the tap mechanism and the
soft(ish) rubber doing the actual sealing, that you realise the
benefit/necessity of only using sufficient force to stop the flow.

Phil