I really must take one of my taps to the plumbers merchants to get what I really need! Whenever I am in one of the sheds I see some tap washers and think - they are what I need - then when I come to fit one I find it isn't. (Always on a Sunday evening) It used to be so easy 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch.
If anyone wants to offer advice my taps are "Tiber" about 20 years old. the washer needs to press over a mushroomed stud.
1 Turn off water supply 2 Remove tap top 3 Arrange transport of you and tap to plumbers 4 At plumbers say to man " Oi mate.....gissa tap washer for this" 5 Add please to the end of 4 6 Pay man 7 Return home 8 Fit tap back together 9 Turn on water 10 Fill kettle, boil and have a cuppa.
Order tap washer selection kit from Screwfix (about a dozen different types in there) Avoid 3-7 entirely. Remember Supataps? - you see them from time to time in older peoples houses. Why did they fall out of favour?
Were they the downwards-pointing silver ones with four ears, that didn't need the water supply turned off to change the washer?
Done just that today - bought 6 whilst I was there - the Plumbers Merchant thought it was his lucky day! He was glad he put his Combi Boiler customer on hold whilst he dealt with me. They are a better fit over the mushroom spigot and are the exact diameter of the jumper. As I suggested - I have bought them from a shed previously and 'thought' I must be getting what I really needed - wrong! Took the opportunity to use silicone grease on the threads.
Now checking to see if the gland on the stop tap has started to drip again. The packing nut comes loose when the tap is opened - must get it replaced sometime - I don't fancy putting my arm down the hole in the pavement to isolate the house. Will stop a passing plumber! Any thoughts on those switch type stop valves?
I wonder if anyone still has Supataps? Weren't they made to capitalise on people's fear of changing washers?
Hi,
Sounds like it needs repacking, eg:
Your PM might have the right stuff, or maybe make some packing yourself.
cheers, Pete.
Yep, those are them.
I have made some packing with PTFE tape. I think the problem is that the mechanism is a bit squeaky and the spindle is rough. The packing nut unscrews when I turn the tap back on - However - it stops leaking when I re-tighten it. The nut does seem very loose. (The guys who built my house used a sand pit as a store for everything! - fortunately I cleaned up the garage door mechanism and most of the lock and taps before they suffered too much)
I think so. I nearly got round to changing one a while back, but the owner was even more tempermental than the tap :-)
I presume they fell out of favour because they looked naff: can't see that any technical issues would cloud public judgement on such matters.
However the idea of having, effectively, a tap within the tap to turn off the water while you change the tap washer does beg a certain question.
ISTR BES are significantly cheaper than Screwfix for these.
If that is the case just replace the buggers. Not expensive, end of problem.
Dave
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