The taps in our bathroom and cloakroom are all loose. I've tried and failed to tighten them using a tap spanner but as they have plastic nuts they still twist when turned On/OFF and I'm wary of damaging the threads.
Is their a knack to this, should I use some sealant or similar under the tap to help? The house is only three years old and they've been like this since the beginning, one of those jobs I've been meaning to try and solve once and for all but never have enough 'tuits'!
TIA
Darren
Some people prefer brass back nuts rather than plastic ..maybe you aren't tightening them enough tho'. If the connecting pipes are copper this usually helps to stop taps turning I believe.
"Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com" wrote in message news:44869d75$0$2665$ snipped-for-privacy@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net...
The usual problem with plastic backnuts is they can jump threads. If they're a loose fit I would changed them for brass ones.
Loosen the backuts off, run them down the thread for a sutiable distance and fit 'split Top Hat' washers and retighten. These washer are obtainable at SOME Plumbers Merchants. They are a good idea cos they can be retro fitted to taps but they did not catch on cos most plumbers dont need to retro fit them, they put them on in the first place.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com" saying something like:
The plastic nuts are pretty crap once they need re-tightened; it's a toss-up as to whether they strip the threads or split. Obtain a pair of brass nuts and go at it; just be careful when tightening up against whiteware, use a rubber/plastic washer underneath. What will help is bedding the tap base on some mastic, putty, silicone so that once it sets, there is less dependence on the tightness of the nut alone, as well as it sealing against water.
Thanks, I'll go and pester my local merchants :)
I'd feared as much but replacing the nuts will require me to remove the pipe to the tap and I'm not very experienced with plumbing matters, is it a simple job?
Yes unless you forget to turn off the main stopcock first! Depending on your which taps they are, what sort of hot and cold water system you have, you may need to wait until a cold water tank drains first, so just check you can achieve zero water flow from both H and C taps before you get started. And if you open all the other taps in the house at the same time, to empty out the pipework, that will minimise any mess.
Although having said that - if your house is new, hopefully there will be small isolation valves in the pipework below each tap, where you just turn a screw through 90 degrees to switch off the water.
When you've undone the fitting, before refitting it you should ideally replace the fibre washer you'll find inside, to minimise risk of leaks.
David
Go for the split top hat option. No need to remove plastic nuts. Nuts have gone up threads OK so no problem stripping them if you are loosening them.
Needs a lot of brute force to strip plastic threads though they can be a sod it they are tight. The basin spanner tends to round off the flats of the nut.
If you can run them down the threads it is a 10 min job without even turning off the water.
What other have said about plastic nuts and top hat washers may be part of the answer.
With the water off and the pipe connector slackened get the tap tightish but with the tap about a quarter of a turn from the correct position. Finish by moving the tap and hold the nut still. I'd stick with the plastic taps you made need more or less than the quarter turn.
When you have the tap secure then get the pipe connector sorted.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Bookworm" saying something like:
Yep. You're getting the legacy of the gorilla who installed it. Which is why I said they can split or strip when they need re-tightened, the damage has already been partially done.
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