Changing Bath Taps

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Doing My Dinger, Jul 23, 2004.

  1. Doing My Dinger

    Doing My Dinger New Member

    Hi there,

    Looking for a wee bit of information if anyone can lend some advice...

    I've got some leakage around the taps on my Bath - It would appear to be caused by a washer at the base of the hot tap actually slipping through to the underside leaving a gap right around.

    My question is, I want to change the taps anyway - If i buy some new ones, just how easy/difficult are they to swap over ? by this i mean removal of the old ones and installation of the new.

    I'm not experienced in any types of plumbing although i'm a bit of a dab hand at other DIY stuff - is this something I could do myself or should a plumber be called to take care of it ?

    Cheers !
     
  2. it can be a pig of a job experienced or not. it will depend on how much room you have to get to them. do you have enough room to make a full turn of a wrench? if you do it shouldn't be a problem. if you don't then as i said earlier it'll be a pig and you'll need to get yourself a tap wrench, prepare to swear a lot and damage your knuckles . good luck
     
  3. Bitty

    Bitty New Member

    chp is absolutely right - it can be a swine. My brother, who is pants at diy, thought it would be an easy job to start his diy skills on... I still chuckle at the memory.

    A potential problem you might find is that the existing taps (if they are old) may have a different length of threaded section. Therefore, if your pipes don't have any 'give' in them, you could find that the tap connector won't <u>reach</u> the new taps (%@#&*$%#) or they might even be too long! (You suddenly find that getting the taps off was the easy part...)

    Other than that, it is a case of spending a great deal of time on your back, trying to undo tap connectors and fixing nuts 1/8th of a turn at a time with a tap wrench which behaves as if it's made from rubber (it's a bit like trying to thread a needle in treacle).

    Take LOTS of tea breaks & make sure there is no-one within earshot.

    On the other hand, the nuts could just fly off...
     
  4. dewaltdisney

    dewaltdisney New Member

    Hey, great tag Dinger!!

    I will add a couple of points to the very good replies posted already. Sometimes you can use the tap itself to turn off the nut. Holding the nut in place with a wrench and using the superior grip you can get on the tap body sometimes makes it a bit easier to undo.

    Do not try to marry up the new taps with the old tails. Cut off the pipes (after measuring) and use push fit flexible connections, much easier than fiddling around.

    As has been said, here is a synopsis of the job: Bleeding knuckles, sweat running off head into eyes, pain from contortions, wishing you had not started, thinking half way through you should have put an overbath shower mixer in, helpful hints from the wife 'is it done yet Dinger?', someone wants a dump whilst you are doing the job and many to numerous to mention.

    Good luck with the job anyway,

    DWD
     
  5. Dewy

    Dewy New Member

    When all my kids were still at home my eldest son used too much pressure on the kitchen tap moving it around.
    I was working nightshift and had a half night that day so got home at 3am. I went in the kitchen to be met by water 6' from the sink. He had realised about the slight leak and put a tea cloth under the sink to absorb the water.
    It's surprising how much water comes from a slight drip in a few hours. Even a bucket would have filled in that time. So started a big cleanup. Everything under the sink ad to be thrown away plus lots of mopping up. I was lucky to find a plumber who was prepared to come straight out. He was the founder of a local plumbing firm who had retired leaving the business to his son. He only came out because he still liked to keep his hand in when he could.
    He only charged me £25 too. :)
    I could have done it myself if I had gone out to buy a basin wrench but a skilled guy made it look easy.
     
  6. bilco

    bilco New Member

    Hi D my D

    As there is a rubber washer and leaking, the old taps should come out quite easily...fitting the new ones could be a different story, for all the reasons given.

    To give yourself the best guess, you will need to remove the bath panel and see what room you have to play with. If you can comfortably get your hand on each tap connection and still see what you are doing, and remain in that position for several minutes, you stand a fair chance (you can remove the overflow from the bath). The existing tap connectors will utilise fibre washers most likely, which may not be reusable (so include those when shopping for your taps and tap wrench) worse still the connectors may be one piece, wound onto the tails with ptfe tape...bad news on the D my D stakes.

    If you still feel up to it, now's the time to calculate the length of the tails and the amount you consider the pipes may move to accommodate differing tail lengths...measure the tails of your new taps and if you are still on for it, add a tube of fernox LSX to your list to seal between the tap and connector.

    When fitting new taps, pack around the tails to centre taps in the holes and smear a little LSX under the tap to seal onto the bath. Put the rubber/plastic washer under the bath before the nut...get an assistant to hold the tap in line while you tighten the nuts.

    What ever you do don't buy cheap taps and check the end of the threads are sound/properly machined

    Good luck
     

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