Replacing a tap on steel sink with flexi-tails...

[Airsource Ltd]

My FIL wants me to replace his tap in his utility room. He currently has one installed with copper tails (good) and no valves (bad). The job will be much easier for me if I use the flexitails which come with the new tap rather than the old copper ones. Obviously, though, that will be wobbly.

It occurs to me that I might be able to increase the rigidity of the tap by sticking a bit of plywood between the big C shaped clamp that fixes the tap to the sink, and the sink itself. A bit like this...

TTT T T T SSSSSSSSSSSSS PPPPP CC B

T = New fancy tap, S = Sink, P = Plywood, C = Clamp, B = Bolt to tighten up the clamp,

so the plywood area is obviously bigger than the clamp itself.

Any thoughts on whether that would work? The alternaitve is to hope that the copper tails fit the new tap...

[TheScullster]

"Airsource Ltd" wrote

snip........

The "C" clamp arrangement is quite common these days. It seems to depend on the quality of the tap as to how well this arrangement is implemented. I have 2 such fittings, 1 on bathroom basin and 1 on downstairs WC sink. Bathroom basin is B & Q tap - not so easy to assemble or solid looking (but not given any bother to be fair). WC sink tap is Hansgrohe mixer - different quality level and price and far more solid feel to the mounting.

My 2c

Use the flexi tails supplied. Add service valves for future - note that if hot water is gravity fed and at-all-suspect in the flow department use a full bore ball valve for isolation, not the reduced bore cheapo types which stifle flow to modern mixers. Also check on installation instructions, there may be a requirement for check valves in the supplies.

Personally wouldn't use wood packer as this will most likely get wet and rot.

Phil

[John]

Just as an observation - isn't it completely wrong to rely on the pipes to give support - could lead to a pipe failing.

[YAPH]

When I fitted a particularly wobbly one recently I made a brace by hammering flat a bit of 15mm tube, drilled a couple of holes in appropriate places and fitted it between the end of the threaded stud that sticks out of the bottom of the tap (onto which the nut that holds the C-washer goes) and the wood of the worktop. Needed another nut to clamp the stay onto the back of the supplied nut that was holding the C-washer, of course.

[The Medway Handyman]

Not necessarily. As long as its a decent quality sink and the monoblock doesn't have a huge long neck, it will be pretty solid.

Do you have the right box spanners to get the fixing nut(s) nice & tight?

[Airsource Ltd]

Thanks Phil - and all others.

I used the flexitails, and it was reasonably secure - I was thinking back to a huge swan-neck tap I saw in a B&Q store once mounted with flexis -which was very wobbly.

Medway: Didn't have the correct box spanner - I've been looking for that for years, but didn't know what it was called. But the sink had good access, so getting it tight wasn't a problem. I'll be buying one of those in my next order though.

Apparently (says SWMBO) my FIL was getting quite worried due to all the noises coming from the utility room while I was working. She reassured them that this was quite normal! I thought I was being very restrained!