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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

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.

--
Dave Farrance
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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

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.


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


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap


"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.


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



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??

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



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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John wrote:


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??

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


I totally agree!

Also, unless I'm mistaken, the picture of the tap - still with its operating
lever in place on the other side - suggests to me that it's a quarter-turn
tap with a ceramic cartridge inside, rather than a multi-turn tap with a
conventional washer. If I'm right, the OP will need a new cartridge - not a
new washer.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
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monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

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




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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John wrote:


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??

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


I totally agree!

Also, unless I'm mistaken, the picture of the tap - still with its
operating lever in place on the other side - suggests to me that it's
a quarter-turn tap with a ceramic cartridge inside, rather than a
multi-turn tap with a conventional washer. If I'm right, the OP will
need a new cartridge - not a new washer.


Disagree about the spanner, agree about the cartridge.


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


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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.


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John wrote:


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??

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


I totally agree!

Also, unless I'm mistaken, the picture of the tap - still with its
operating lever in place on the other side - suggests to me that it's
a quarter-turn tap with a ceramic cartridge inside, rather than a
multi-turn tap with a conventional washer. If I'm right, the OP will
need a new cartridge - not a new washer.


Disagree about the spanner, agree about the cartridge.


I agree that different taps may require different spanner sizes - but I
would have expected a 'Handyman' to have a full set of ring spanners - I
certainly have for DIY/car maintenance use.

The thing about a ring spanner is that it's far less likely to slip - and
mangle the corners - than an adjustable is - specially when you need to hit
it with a hammer.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

"The Medway Handyman" wrote:

Dave Farrance wrote:
My kitchen sink tap:
http://i42.tinypic.com/2dmcpw5.jpg


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.


Thanks. For bracing, I discovered that my largest adjustable spanner was
just right to wedge between the flange on the base of the tap and the
"arms" of the tap.

http://i44.tinypic.com/21jwvt1.jpg

The left tap was the worst since I had to lift the spanner on the brass
nut away from the bracing spanner. I ended up standing on the sink
surround to get enough leverage.

A replacement pack of two brass cartridges, "ceramic tap glands",
identical to the originals, cost £17 from B&Q. Seems that "changing a
washer" can be expensive these days.

After completing the job, I found that I could take one of the old ones
apart. The two ceramic plates with the quarter-holes, appear to be held
together mainly by water pressure. It seems to me that if a little
limescale got between the plates, that would be the reason that the tap
dripped. Maybe if I'd taken it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it, that
would have been a sufficient repair.

http://i39.tinypic.com/15rxuer.jpg

--
Dave Farrance
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"Dave Farrance" wrote in message
...
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:

Dave Farrance wrote:
My kitchen sink tap:
http://i42.tinypic.com/2dmcpw5.jpg


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.


Thanks. For bracing, I discovered that my largest adjustable spanner was
just right to wedge between the flange on the base of the tap and the
"arms" of the tap.

http://i44.tinypic.com/21jwvt1.jpg

The left tap was the worst since I had to lift the spanner on the brass
nut away from the bracing spanner. I ended up standing on the sink
surround to get enough leverage.

A replacement pack of two brass cartridges, "ceramic tap glands",
identical to the originals, cost £17 from B&Q. Seems that "changing a
washer" can be expensive these days.

After completing the job, I found that I could take one of the old ones
apart. The two ceramic plates with the quarter-holes, appear to be held
together mainly by water pressure. It seems to me that if a little
limescale got between the plates, that would be the reason that the tap
dripped. Maybe if I'd taken it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it, that
would have been a sufficient repair.

http://i39.tinypic.com/15rxuer.jpg

--
Dave Farrance


Hope you greased the threads to make it easy to strip down next time.




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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

"John" wrote:

Hope you greased the threads to make it easy to strip down next time.


Yes. I've got a quarter-century old tin of waterproof grease that still
seems to do the job.

--
Dave Farrance
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"Dave Farrance" wrote in message
...
"John" wrote:

Hope you greased the threads to make it easy to strip down next time.


Yes. I've got a quarter-century old tin of waterproof grease that still
seems to do the job.

--
Dave Farrance


Same here - useful on new items as well as old ones!


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John wrote:


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

I totally agree!

Also, unless I'm mistaken, the picture of the tap - still with its
operating lever in place on the other side - suggests to me that
it's a quarter-turn tap with a ceramic cartridge inside, rather
than a multi-turn tap with a conventional washer. If I'm right, the
OP will need a new cartridge - not a new washer.


Disagree about the spanner, agree about the cartridge.


I agree that different taps may require different spanner sizes - but
I would have expected a 'Handyman' to have a full set of ring
spanners - I certainly have for DIY/car maintenance use.


I have a full set of ring spanners - in the garage. Most head gears fall
between metric sizes IME.

The thing about a ring spanner is that it's far less likely to slip -
and mangle the corners - than an adjustable is - specially when you
need to hit it with a hammer.


Unless you have one of these
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...sfile=1&jump=0


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


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
The Medway Handyman wrote:


The thing about a ring spanner is that it's far less likely to slip -
and mangle the corners - than an adjustable is - specially when you
need to hit it with a hammer.


Unless you have one of these
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...sfile=1&jump=0



Ah, a Mole Wrench with parallel jaws. Doubtless better than a conventional
Mole wrench, or an ordinary open-ended spanner. But, at the end of the day,
it's still in effect an open-ended spanner which only operates on two flats
rather than on all six corners[1].

[1] I'm sure that there's a better word than 'corner' for the points where
the sides of hexagon intersect - but I can't think what it is at this time
of night!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

On May 12, 9:02*pm, "John" wrote:
"Dave Farrance" wrote in message

...

"John" wrote:


Hope you greased the threads to make it easy to strip down next time.


Yes. *I've got a quarter-century old tin of waterproof grease that still
seems to do the job.



"Grease the screws for your grandchildren" my father used to say to
me when I were a nipper.

Robert





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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
The Medway Handyman wrote:


The thing about a ring spanner is that it's far less likely to slip
- and mangle the corners - than an adjustable is - specially when
you need to hit it with a hammer.


Unless you have one of these
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...sfile=1&jump=0



Ah, a Mole Wrench with parallel jaws. Doubtless better than a
conventional Mole wrench, or an ordinary open-ended spanner. But, at
the end of the day, it's still in effect an open-ended spanner which
only operates on two flats rather than on all six corners[1].


It works like an normal adjustable, you turn the adjuster to get the best
fit, then use the 'mole' lever to clamp it in place. Apart from giving you
an extra hand it does stop the slipping & rounding over.


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


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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

replying to Dave Farrance, Ruppsy56 wrote:
Hi Dave, I am not a plumber. Could you tell me how to fix the dripping on this
unit or at least, how a professional is likely to go about that?
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/i6


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On 08/07/2019 18:44, Ruppsy56 wrote:
replying to Dave Farrance, Ruppsy56 wrote:
Hi Dave, I am not a plumber. Could you tell me how to fix the dripping
on this
unit or at least, how a professional is likely to go about that?
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/i6


Unnscrew or prise off tap tops, remove tap head knobs, kill all water
hot and cold, remove tap head units , see whats awry and re washer
and/or recut the seats.

OIr given the likely cost of replacements, it it's easier replace the
whole damned unit


--
The biggest threat to humanity comes from socialism, which has utterly
diverted our attention away from what really matters to our existential
survival, to indulging in navel gazing and faux moral investigations
into what the world ought to be, whilst we fail utterly to deal with
what it actually is.

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On 08/07/2019 19:11, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 08/07/2019 18:44, Ruppsy56 wrote:
replying to Dave Farrance, Ruppsy56 wrote:
Hi Dave, I am not a plumber. Could you tell me how to fix the dripping
on this
unit or at least, how a professional is likely to go about that?
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/i6


Unnscrew or prise off tap tops, remove tap head knobs, kill all water
hot and cold, remove tap head units , see whats awry and re washer
and/or recut the seats.

OIr given the likely cost of replacements, it it's easier replace the
whole damned unit



Very possibly a cartridge replacement on a quarter turn tap.
Youtube has many instructional videos for tap repair/service.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk
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"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 08/07/2019 19:11, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 08/07/2019 18:44, Ruppsy56 wrote:
replying to Dave Farrance, Ruppsy56 wrote:
Hi Dave, I am not a plumber. Could you tell me how to fix the dripping
on this
unit or at least, how a professional is likely to go about that?




Very possibly a cartridge replacement on a quarter turn tap.
Youtube has many instructional videos for tap repair/service.


if it a basin tap Wickes do a replacement for £3
most these have the same internal parts even if the spindle etc is different
you can still rebuild your old tap, it normally only the bottom washer and
ceramic valve parts that need replacing


-




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Default Replacing washers on monoblock mixer tap

On 08/07/2019 19:11, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 08/07/2019 18:44, Ruppsy56 wrote:
replying to Dave Farrance, Ruppsy56 wrote:
Hi Dave, I am not a plumber. Could you tell me how to fix the dripping
on this
unit or at least, how a professional is likely to go about that?
https://www.homeownershub.com/img/i6


Unnscrew or prise off tap tops, remove tap head knobs, kill all water
hot and cold, remove tap head units , see whats awry and re washer
and/or recut the seats.

First of all discover that the gate valves have seized up solid,
so spend many frustrating hours trying to sort that out before
saying 'sod it', and just using the time while the header tank
is drained to fix all the leaking taps.

leave the sodding gate valves as they are (unless you have half
done the job, so have no option but to sweat on).

OIr given the likely cost of replacements, it it's easier replace the
whole damned unit



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Are they ceramic - or conventional washered taps - with coarse thread to
give quarter turn?
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replying to Ruppsy56, Ian wrote:
I have exactly the same sort of tap. [Mine's a Swan]. The o-rings in the
swively bit have obviously gone. I had a very similar tap before, which had a
grub-screw you unscrewed, and then pulled the spout out. This one has no
grub-screw that I can see - so what do you do? Do you just have to yank the
spout out? Ian

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...ap-559551-.htm


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