The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and failed
to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts they still
twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.

Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the tap
to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this since
the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve once and
for all but never have enough 'tuits'!

TIA

Darren

On Wed, 7 Jun 2006 10:33:36 +0100, "Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com"
wrote:

The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and failed
to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts they still
twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.

Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the tap
to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this since
the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve once and
for all but never have enough 'tuits'!

TIA

Darren



Some people prefer brass back nuts rather than plastic ..maybe you aren't
tightening them enough tho'.
If the connecting pipes are copper this usually helps to stop taps turning I
believe.

"Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com" wrote in
message ...
The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and
failed to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts
they still twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.

Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the
tap to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this
since the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve
once and for all but never have enough 'tuits'!


The usual problem with plastic backnuts is they can jump threads. If
they're a loose fit I would changed them for brass ones.

Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com wrote:
The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and failed
to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts they still
twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.

Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the tap
to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this since
the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve once and
for all but never have enough 'tuits'!

TIA

Darren


Loosen the backuts off, run them down the thread for a sutiable
distance and fit 'split Top Hat' washers and retighten. These washer
are obtainable at SOME Plumbers Merchants. They are a good idea cos
they can be retro fitted to taps but they did not catch on cos most
plumbers dont need to retro fit them, they put them on in the first
place.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Darren Griffin -
PocketGPSWorld.Com" saying something like:

The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and failed
to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts they still
twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.

Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the tap
to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this since
the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve once and
for all but never have enough 'tuits'!

The plastic nuts are pretty crap once they need re-tightened; it's a
toss-up as to whether they strip the threads or split. Obtain a pair of
brass nuts and go at it; just be careful when tightening up against
whiteware, use a rubber/plastic washer underneath. What will help is
bedding the tap base on some mastic, putty, silicone so that once it
sets, there is less dependence on the tightness of the nut alone, as
well as it sealing against water.
--

Dave

Bookworm wrote:

Loosen the backuts off, run them down the thread for a sutiable
distance and fit 'split Top Hat' washers and retighten. These washer
are obtainable at SOME Plumbers Merchants. They are a good idea cos
they can be retro fitted to taps but they did not catch on cos most
plumbers dont need to retro fit them, they put them on in the first
place.

Thanks, I'll go and pester my local merchants

--
Darren Griffin
PocketGPSWorld - www.PocketGPSWorld.com
The Premier GPS Resource for News, Reviews and Forums

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
The plastic nuts are pretty crap once they need re-tightened; it's a
toss-up as to whether they strip the threads or split. Obtain a pair
of brass nuts and go at it; just be careful when tightening up against
whiteware, use a rubber/plastic washer underneath. What will help is
bedding the tap base on some mastic, putty, silicone so that once it
sets, there is less dependence on the tightness of the nut alone, as
well as it sealing against water.

I'd feared as much but replacing the nuts will require me to remove the pipe
to the tap and I'm not very experienced with plumbing matters, is it a
simple job?

Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com wrote:
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

The plastic nuts are pretty crap once they need re-tightened; it's a
toss-up as to whether they strip the threads or split. Obtain a pair
of brass nuts and go at it; just be careful when tightening up against
whiteware, use a rubber/plastic washer underneath. What will help is
bedding the tap base on some mastic, putty, silicone so that once it
sets, there is less dependence on the tightness of the nut alone, as
well as it sealing against water.


I'd feared as much but replacing the nuts will require me to remove the pipe
to the tap and I'm not very experienced with plumbing matters, is it a
simple job?

Yes unless you forget to turn off the main stopcock first! Depending on
your which taps they are, what sort of hot and cold water system you
have, you may need to wait until a cold water tank drains first, so just
check you can achieve zero water flow from both H and C taps before you
get started. And if you open all the other taps in the house at the
same time, to empty out the pipework, that will minimise any mess.

Although having said that - if your house is new, hopefully there will
be small isolation valves in the pipework below each tap, where you just
turn a screw through 90 degrees to switch off the water.

When you've undone the fitting, before refitting it you should ideally
replace the fibre washer you'll find inside, to minimise risk of leaks.

David

Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com wrote:
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
The plastic nuts are pretty crap once they need re-tightened; it's a
toss-up as to whether they strip the threads or split. Obtain a pair
of brass nuts and go at it; just be careful when tightening up against
whiteware, use a rubber/plastic washer underneath. What will help is
bedding the tap base on some mastic, putty, silicone so that once it
sets, there is less dependence on the tightness of the nut alone, as
well as it sealing against water.

I'd feared as much but replacing the nuts will require me to remove the pipe
to the tap and I'm not very experienced with plumbing matters, is it a
simple job?

Go for the split top hat option. No need to remove plastic nuts. Nuts
have gone up threads OK so no problem stripping them if you are
loosening them.

Needs a lot of brute force to strip plastic threads though they can be
a sod it they are tight. The basin spanner tends to round off the flats
of the nut.

If you can run them down the threads it is a 10 min job without even
turning off the water.

On Wed, 07 Jun 2006 10:33:36 +0100, Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com
wrote:

The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and failed
to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts they still
twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.

Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the tap
to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this since
the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve once and
for all but never have enough 'tuits'!

What other have said about plastic nuts and top hat washers may be part of
the answer.

With the water off and the pipe connector slackened get the tap tightish
but with the tap about a quarter of a turn from the correct position.
Finish by moving the tap and hold the nut still. I'd stick with the
plastic taps you made need more or less than the quarter turn.

When you have the tap secure then get the pipe connector sorted.

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html
Gas Fitting Standards Docs he http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFittingStandards

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Bookworm"
saying something like:

Needs a lot of brute force to strip plastic threads though they can be
a sod it they are tight. The basin spanner tends to round off the flats
of the nut.

Yep. You're getting the legacy of the gorilla who installed it. Which is
why I said they can split or strip when they need re-tightened, the
damage has already been partially done.
--

Dave