Broken plastic nuts

About six weeks ago I had a new bath and shower fitted. The other day the bath taps came loose and I am now able to lift the taps up and twist them around!! This has caused leaking through to my kitchen ceiling as water has being getting through. Tonight the plumber who fitted the bathroom came back to have a look and said that both of the plastic nuts seem to have broken (one of them into three pieces) and says that it is our fault for buying taps from homebase and that the taps he would've supplied would have come with metal nuts and this wouldn't have happened!

I argued with him but he wouldn't back down that two nuts wouldn't just break of their own accord through me just using a tap as a tap! He was having none of it and said that he would charge me £40 to replace them!! It's a load of codswallop if you ask me! I think he broke them when he put them on which resulted in him putting sealant around the taps so that they would temporarily stay in place.

Can anybody tell me whether plastic nuts are unreliable as he says they are?? I find it hard to believe that they would just break after only being used a few times!

Thanks

Reply to
goddess
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In all fairness to the guy, some are better than others - we had a similar problem in our new bathroom a few months ago (it was on the basin waste) - we only noticed once it got to the stage where it had penetrated the edge of the vanity unit and start to make it swell...

With some of the nuts, the plastic is quite hard, while with others (we were able to salvage the old one before it went to the tip) was quite malleable (possibly nylon instead of plastic ?!?)

Reply to
Colin Wilson

it sounds as though the top hat washers were not fitted ,if these are conventional taps, and the plastic washer nuts have been over tightened to compensate and broken,have you actually looked at the nuts,can you post a picture

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?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=top+hat+washers&searchbutton.x=9&searchbutton.y=11A good plumber would have fitted these a bad one seldem ever does

Reply to
ALex

The taps from Homebase may have come with a plastic nut but if he felt they were so unreliable why didn't he suggest swapping the plastic nuts for metal ones, which can be purchased seperately?

I agree

Ask him why he HAD to do this as it is not normal practice

I have installed lots of taps (with plastic nuts) for friends and family and as far as I am aware they are all still in place, mine are in my bathroom and en-suite!!

I would assume you are not going to get anywhere with this guy doing a free repair so you may have to bite the bullet and get somebody else in. Although if you can get access now the plumbing is done you should be able to replace the nuts yourself if you are confident enough, if not ask a friend.

HTH

John

Reply to
John

I don't know is the answer, however; I have seen a few cracked plastic backnuts, although they were all old. Never had a new one crack or split. Brass backnuts shouldn't ever split or crack.

Homobase like all the other DIY sheds buy cheap crap, with poor quality control from China & sell it at inflated prices.

I can only tell you what I would have done.

When installing a new bath & taps I would use a box spanner to tighten up the backnuts before I installed the bath. Thus everything is done under fairly controlled conditions with easy access. If the backnuts broke at that stage it would have been obvious and I would have either have dug about in the 'bits' box for some brass ones, or gone & got some.

I can't see why anyone would leave broken backnuts on a bath knowing for sure that it would result in a non paying call back?

Its not uncommon to put sealant around the base of a tap to stop movement/leaks.

Only used a few times in about 6 weeks? I understand you are miffed, but please be realistic.

I've never had a plastic backnut split or crack when new. Thats not to say it couldn't happen. If it happened it wouldn't make any sense for the plumber to ignore it, he would almost certainly have substitute plastic or spare brass backnuts knocking about in the bottom of his toolbox - I certainly do - and too ignore it would lead to a call back.

I hate call backs, they are a right PITA, they disrupt job planning, make me late for the pub & generally cost me money, so I avoid them like the plague.

So, don't know what happened, this advice is worth what you paid for it.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

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?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=top+hat+washers&searchbutton.x=9&searchbutton.y=11>> A good plumber would have fitted these a bad one seldem ever does Oh leave orf! Top hat washers have bugger all to do with it. No requirement whatsoever to fit them. If the taps & the bath both came as a package, which I assume from the OP they did, they 'should' fit perfectly without a top hat washer.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

I wouldn't agree with that. Taps don't always fit the holes provided perfectly, especially when replacing the taps but not the bath/basin/sink, so a little silicone/LSX prevents splashed/pooled water going past the tap base.

Secondly, many taps are fitted with flexibles which don't give the rigidity of copper pipe, so a little silicone/LSX helps to stop them moving without having to over tighten the backnut.

I use it routinely although its an added (albeit small) expense, just to be on the safe side. Its never going to do any harm.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

I've not broken a plastic backnut but I did have a couple which slipped / jumped on the threads through stretching. I avoid plastic ones and if necessary replace with brass.

Reply to
Fred

once again you show the limit of your knowledge,and the poor standard of your advice .

which is why you are always looking for advice here to try and convince your customers that they are

getting a professional job done.

Reply to
ALex

How many pairs of taps do you change in a month tosser?

Did you ever come across a new set of taps that included top hat washers?

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Don't lift them and twist them around.. it may make them leak.

Reply to
dennis

Oh, give it a rest.

Reply to
Bob Eager

A p[rofessinal is simply osmeoe who takes teh time and trouble tolearn what he needs to an a job.

Did you not hear on the beeb today how a doctor in Africa texted a colleague for instructions on how to amputate an arm and most of a shoulder that was gangrenous?

Professional doesn;t mean knowing it all already. It means finding out what you need to know befre making an utter balls up.

No one had sent a rocket to the moon, once, professionals were employed to ask the right questions and get the right answers to make it happen the first time.

Dave is a professional in his approach. He asks, he considers, and then he acts professioally.

I wish he lived locally..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

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?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=top+hat+washers&searchbutton.x=9&searchbutton.y=11> >

Should the silicone be there or is it just me and the OPs plumber that also puts a little silicone between the taps and the bath?

A plastic top hat washer once broke on my kitchen sink. As I did not "twist the tap around" I had no leaks.

I have always fitted brass nuts and brass top hat washers since then.

A Darwin award should be given to the OP for twisting the taps around IMHO. "Oh look I have a loose tap, let me twist it around and see what happens, bugger my kitchen ceiling is wet, can I blame the plumber?"

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Nope. I do it as a matter of course. Very often when you replace the taps into existing baths/basins/sinks there will be a small gap somewhere that lets pooled water drip down. Also helps keep them in place when flexibles are involved.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

I must admit to thinking a combination of flexible baths, flexible tails from the pipes and plastic nuts isn't a recipe for strength.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Agreed. Neither is a thin SS sink, a heavy, long neck 'designer' mono mixer, flexibles & a single bolt fixing - but its very common.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Of course it caused leaking. Why did you think that "twisting the taps round" was a good idea?

If you wish, blame the plumber or the tap maker for fitting taps in a way that didn't remain secure - but twisting a loose pipe (and an obvious fault) around until water comes out is pretty clearly your cause, not some resultant implied damage.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I didn't read it as meaning the pipe was leaking .I read it as water was getting through between the tap and the bath when the shower was in use . I also didn't read it as meaning that Op twisted the taps round and round .I read it as meaning when the taps were turned on and off they started to turn as you would expect if the backnuts were loose or broken .Accentuated if flexi tails are fitted .

Reply to
fictitiousemail

Thanks for sticking up for me! Can't believe some people think I'm that dumb that I'll actually stand there twisting the taps around and then wonder why there is leaking! The pipe wasn't leaking like you said, water was getting through because of the loose taps. We've fixed the problem ourselves now and are spreading the word about the plumber's shoddy workmanship!!

Reply to
goddess

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