Odd taps

[The Medway Handyman]

Hi All

Came across a problem today - changing a tap washer of all things. I've changed dozens before, but this one was odd.

Very old kitchen circa 1960, red Formica everywhere. Tap looked a bit like the schematic here;

the grub screw apparently securing the tap head to the spindle as shown in the schematic, but despite various methods including the percussive, the tap head wouldn't come off at all.

The top of the tap had a plastic insert indicating hot or cold (green & red in this case). No way would this insert come out, it appeared to be a permanent plastic moulding.

I can't see why the tap would have a grub screw securing it from the side and yet another securing it from the top as well, but the top of the tap refused to come off.

Was it just jammed from age? Or does that insert mean a grub screw from above as well as the side?

[Harry Bloomfield]

They can become well and truly stuck. I recently had a couple of similar ones to do and I could not move them at all. Rather than destroy the taps, I made up a couple of shallow wedges from scrap hardwood. I cut a slot in each, just wide enough for the spindle at the pointy end to allow them to fit either side. Then put them in place from opposite sides and tapped the blunt ends of the wedges with a pair of hammers. The came straight off.

[Mary Fisher]

You call that old?

LOL!

Mary

[The Medway Handyman]

Now that is a good idea! Thanks!

[Mark]

They stick with age, however if it was identical to the top photo you don't need to remove the tap handle to replace the washer Are you sure this was a good career move ?

-

[The Medway Handyman]

You did with this one. The cover for the gland nut unscrewed, but the top of the tap prevented it moving up far enough to get a spanner on the jumper. So ner ner ne ner ner.

Yes thanks, wish I'd done it years ago.

[nightjar]

I had the same problem with a leaking bath tap of apparently the same design. I had to take the bath out to get the tap off and it would not even budge when I put it under a fly press. However, it did mean that I got around to rebuilding the bathroom, as it was little more work than would have been involved in putting back everything had taken out.

Colin Bignell

[George Tingsley]

Sorry mate Im with mark on this i was a plumber from 1950 to 2001 never in 51 years met a chrome bell top tap that I needed to remove the tap handle to replace a washer

[nightjar]

From my experience, you must have had a couple of remarkably thin spanners, to get them in under the shroud. I couldn't even get one of those flat multi-size spanners in on my bath tap.

Colin Bignell

[The Medway Handyman]

Exactly my problem Colin. The shroud unscrewed OK leaving a gap of about

3mm - no way any kind of spanner would fit.