Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Not only is a dripping tap annoying, it also wastes precious water. Water by-laws make householders
responsible for the good maintenance of their water systems.
In this How-To guide, you will find out how easy it is to refurbish or replace a tap.
MATERIALS
• New taps • Service valves
• Tap conversion kit • Tap-seating grommets
• Flexible tap connectors • Jointing paste, for use with drinking (potable)
• Tap washers water
• ‘O’ rings • Silicone grease
• PTFE tape (gas quality)
TOOLS
• Mini pipe cutter • Large square-nosed pliers
• Small hammer • Circlip pliers
• Adjustable basin wrench • Screwdrivers: Pozidrive No.2, flat blades,
• Adjustable wrench, 230mm wide with parallel 3mm and 9mm
jaws • Tap re-seating tool
• Adjustable wrench, 250mm • Half round file, second cut
• Water pump pliers • Round file, second cut
HOW - TO 1
F1
T U R N I N G O F F T H E W AT E R
This is easy if you have a service valve fitted below each tap in modern installations. All you need to do is turn off
the valve that isolates the tap from the water supply. Other taps will still be operable. If you do not have service
valves, use the following procedure.
Kitchen cold water, garden hose bib-tap and direct systems with a combination boiler:
1 Turn off the boiler.
2 Turn off the mains cold water supply at the stop valve where the rising main enters the house. This will stop
water flowing to all of the taps.
Indirect system:
1 Kitchen cold water tap and garden hose bib-tap: turn off the water at the main stop valve.
HOW - TO 2
F2 F4
F5
F3
2 Other cold water taps and hot water taps: turn off the valves in relevant supply pipes from the cold storage tank.
C H A N G I N G A WA S H E R
HINT
Place the plug in the sink waste and block the overflow. Both have a nasty habit of swallowing screws and other
small parts.
If the nut shears or breaks off the jumper, see ‘Refurbishing Taps’ on page 6.
7 Check the washer seat for pitting, which will stop the washer making a perfect seal. If it is not perfectly
smooth, it needs attention.
8 A plastic seating grommet may be inserted to make a new seat. Push the grommet into the hole (F4).
9 Reassemble the tap and screw the handle down. This will bed the grommet and create a new seat. This
method does not always work. The grommet may be too large to fit the tap or may be too small and allow
HOW - TO 3
F6
F8
F7
leaks. Grommets also reduce the flow of water to the tap. It is better to buy or hire a tap re-seating tool (F5).
10 Screw it firmly and squarely into the base of the tap. Adjust it so that the cutter just touches the tap seat. Turn
the cutter knob firmly until a new seat is made. Do not remove too much metal.
F9
F11
3 Looking at the front of the tap, twist the spout to the right, in line with the taps. The spout should now pull
upwards out of its socket. If this fails, turn the spout through 180 degrees and try again.
4 With the spout removed, replace the ‘O’ rings (F8) and reassemble.
HOW - TO 5
F12
F14
F13
REFURBISHING TAPS
Kits are available to convert or resuscitate old capstan head or shroud taps, giving them a fresh new look.
1 Isolate taps and remove the main body.
2 Gently clean the spout area.
3 Insert a new shroud or lever tap body.
4 Turn on the water.
REPLACING TAPS
1 Isolate the taps from the water supply.
2 Use an adjustable basin wrench to undo the tap connector nut from the tap tail (F12).
3 Remove the back nut from the tap tail.
4 Remove the tap and thoroughly clean around the hole on the basin or sink.
5 Place a flat foam plastic washer over the tail of the new tap.
6 Insert the tap tail into the basin or sink.
7 Place a flat plastic sealing washer over the tail. Note that in the case of fitting a tap to a steel sink, you will
discover that the thread on the tap tail will not allow a nut to tighten onto the sink. You will need to use a top
hat spacer (F13).
8 With an assistant holding the tap square to the basin, screw on and tighten the retaining back nut.
9 Fit a new fibre washer to the tap connector.
10 Attach the connector squarely onto the tap tail. Don’t over-tighten.
HOW - TO 6