Replace a tap washer... that 'should' take 5 mins..

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Got a load of family over at the weekend so thought i'd best sort the bathroom sink cold tap out. looked like the washer had gone as you had to screw it down through the sink to turn the tap off.

Been putting it off since friday as i knew a complication would spring up...

Of course they did...

1: No isolation valve for that tap. Oh well, opportunity to fit one. So got one of those ready. Next place to stop the water is the main stopcock, closed that but there is still a slow dribble of water coming out of the tap. 2: Seems my stopcock is going to be the next plumbing job <sigh>. The garden tap is lower in the pipe work than the bathroom sink, so i opened that to stop the slow trickle in the bathroom. forget fitting the iso valve for now.. my simple job is already going wrong..

I can then get on with the washer job, or so i thought.

I took off the headgear, the valve, and replaced the washer. Didn't look that worn to me. No other issues obvious to my DIY plumbing, so put it all back together, outside tap off, stopcock open and... 3: tap only turns about one turn now and slow flow of water out of my tap.

Somethings not right.... Water off again, tap apart and i note the spindle doesn't seem to move much at all. Maybe about 2mm of movement if that before it hits a stop. Why is my spindle jammed at about the closed position? Spent ages trying to figure out why it wouldn't turn and wondering what to do about it. Should i just go buy another tap valve or whole tap in the morning? Then i found this //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=73280 post and the reply from Sime10 which gave me the clue.

I removed the clip and which allowed the spindle to open a little more. It wouldn't come undone at first but eventually persuaded it. There was a bit of scale build up, but i didn't think that was what was jamming it up, wirewooled it clean anyway. What i eventually figured out was the spindle can opened so far it had come out of its hex shaped guide. therefore you couldn't open it very far before the offset of the hex shaped components stopped it going any further. the scale build up was what was stopping me taking the spindle out all together. I think maybe either when i took the tap apart or reassembled the first time, as i didn't have the tap in the open position, the washer was in contact with the seat and maybe forced the spindle closed that bit more and beyond the hex guide.

fiddled about and got the hex of the spindle and valve body back inline, and that was it. the spindle would then fully open. much happiness was achieved. put the whole thing back together, water on and washed my hands in my new rapidly flowing tap.

5mins to 2 and a half hours.

hohum.
 
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nope, haven't got any and good point. i need to take it apart again anyway, as i think the o-ring on the spindle needs replacing as well. didn't have one of those handy. got a very slight weep from the top of the valve which is confirming my suspicion.

so o-ring and some grease needed. job for monday next week i think.
 
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5mins to 2 and a half hours.


That's often why plumbing bills are larger than customers think they should be. Every job to them is 'only 10 mins'. Then you start working on their plumbing systems that haven't been touched this side of WW2, and find all sorts.

Plumbing. :rolleyes: Every job's a balls ache. :LOL:
 
SOrted out a similar tap this evening.
Tap apart etc all ok. (I use descaler , they don't usually need filing).
Then after an hour looking for a bl**din tap washer, I gave up and had to take a stopcock apart!
 

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