I need to replace the innards of the two-handle basin mixer tap in my
bathroom. Despite taking them apart and cleaning and lubricating them,
they still bind from time to time.

The current innards are the multi-turn type, with washers which wind
down onto a seat. I am contemplating replacing them with quarter-turn
ceramic cartridges. As most people will know, these screw in in the same
way as standard innards, and have a rubber seal at the end which
permanently presses against a seat in the tap body. As far as I can see,
the dimensions are compatible. I've tried an old ceramic cartridge in
one side of the tap, and it seems to work ok - apart from having the
wrong spline so that the handle won't fit.

Does anyone know of any just cause or impediment why I shouldn't be able
to do this provided that I buy cartridges with the right splines to fit
my handles, and provided they have an upper thread for screwing a shroud
on, which I need? This one
http://www.notjusttaps.co.uk/spares-...arter-turn.htm
looks as if it should be ok.

Ideally I'd like to hear from anyone who has done this successfully -
*or* unsuccessfully.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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On 08/01/2017 13:54, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 08 Jan 2017 12:07:57 +0000, Roger
wrote:

snip

Does anyone know of any just cause or impediment why I shouldn't be able
to do this provided that I buy cartridges with the right splines to fit
my handles, and provided they have an upper thread for screwing a shroud
on, which I need? This one
http://www.notjusttaps.co.uk/spares-...arter-turn.htm
looks as if it should be ok.

Ideally I'd like to hear from anyone who has done this successfully -
*or* unsuccessfully.

Why are you so concerned about fitting the old shroud and handle. The
nice (IMO) thing about quarter-turn taps is that they have a lever
handle, which makes turning them on and off very easy, shows you
immediately how far open the tap is by the position of the lever, and
avoids mistakenly trying to screw down the tap thinking it's an
ordinary multi-turn job.

Problem is that the taps are Victorian style, with heads like these -
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VICTORIAN-...8AAOxygPtS-J9n
- except that they have an antique gold rather than chrome finish. All
the lever ones seem to be chrome and - apart from the finish - that
style wouldn't fit with the rest of the stuff in the bathroom.


I replaced our kitchen sink taps with quarter-turn lever-handled ones
a couple of years ago, something like these http://tinyurl.com/gt7mayz
Just unscrewed the old tap innards and screwed these in; perfect!


That's good to know - thanks. The blurb which you cite implies that they
can be used to replace conventional valves - although it doesn't say so
explicitly.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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On 08/01/2017 16:26, Roger Mills wrote:

That's good to know - thanks. The blurb which you cite implies that they
can be used to replace conventional valves - although it doesn't say so
explicitly.

I haven't done what you are trying, but the other way around. Replaced a
ceramic tap mechanism with a screw type. That works very well.

Tap magician carry a very large range of ceramic cartridges.

On 08/01/2017 20:00, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 08 Jan 2017 16:26:33 +0000, Roger
wrote:

The blurb which you cite implies that they
can be used to replace conventional valves - although it doesn't say so
explicitly.

Yes, they replace the old tap mechanism entirely. The coloured washer
you can see on the bottom of the ceramic taps makes contact with the
face of the old tap body that the original tap washer used to make
contact with. You just unscrew the old tap mechanism as if you were
going to change the washer, but screw in the ceramic tap in its place.

I'd second GB's suggestion of the Tap Magician:
https://www.tapmagician.co.uk/TMDefault.aspx I see they do half-turn
taps as well as quarter-turn ones, which you make think a more
appropriate style.


Thanks - I'll have a look.

--
Cheers,
Roger
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