Replacing the cartridge in an early Aqualisa 200, but could not get the rea r o-ring out. Showerdoc is hopelessly optimistic when he says use a crochet hook. Maybe the design changed a bit later, there's no way to get anything behind it. The only option I can see is to skewer it, but my skewering ite ms all failed to get far into the rubbed, it's stiff stuff.
Any ideas to get this thing out? Ie what tool could I make?
NT
Corkscrew?
Straightened out fish hook = using the barb to try and skewer the ring and pull it out forwards?
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com brought next idea :
For £1 the pound shops sell a set of various small pointy objects, one of these is bound to work.
Which bit is actually the O ring in that photo? Is is the whiteish bit at the periphery of the rear "hole"?
Some needle nose pliers...
One of the side benefits of a rural occupation is finding the discards of petty theft in crops or gateways.
One such find was a set of tools possibly connected to the manufacture of false teeth/dentistry. Double ended with a centre hexagonal finger grip and choice of tiny knife blades, hooks, points etc.
It is some time since I changed our Aqualisa thermostat but I think the pointy knife loosened the ring in its slot and one with an angled flat tip hooked it out.
Is it covered by limescale? It's hard to tell from the photo. If so, some descaler might make it easier to remove.
Apart from that, can you cut it into bits and then tease those out?
hey, i'm liking that.
NT
the o-ring is black. Not much of it is visible, it's hemmed in on all sides except the inner edge.
if it were that easy... It's at the back of the mixer housing, so any plier s would need nearly 90 degree bent bits. And there's just no way to get any thing in either side of it, I've tried with bent pins, a metal stabby thing , a ground jeweller's screwdriver etc.
NT
Ah... a dental descaler thing. Not sure if it'd be string enough but will try it.
Thanks everyone. Round 2 is afoot.
NT
Is it leaking?
rear o-ring out. Showerdoc is hopelessly optimistic when he says use a cro chet hook. Maybe the design changed a bit later, there's no way to get anyt hing behind it. The only option I can see is to skewer it, but my skewering items all failed to get far into the rubbed, it's stiff stuff.
It may well be that scale is making it harder, will try that if the other i deas don't work. Cut it up with what though? It's barely accessible.
NT
liers would need nearly 90 degree bent bits. And there's just no way to get anything in either side of it, I've tried with bent pins, a metal stabby t hing, a ground jeweller's screwdriver etc.
It has to go, it's letting water through. Having stabbed it repeatedly it's now worse.
NT
I had exactly this problem a few weeks ago. I heated a piece of thin steel rod (about 3mm diameter, at a guess) so I could bend the end at 90 degrees. I then ground the end of the bent section to make a sort of chisel and used this to cut the O ring into about 3 pieces and then fish them out of the groove. I faffed about for days with many other methods before trying this - it probably took 5 minutes with my gizzmo.
when took apart a shower head soaking in descaler for several days finally sorted it out
An allen key may be a good starting point for this
rear o-ring out. Showerdoc is hopelessly optimistic when he says use a cro chet hook. Maybe the design changed a bit later, there's no way to get anyt hing behind it. The only option I can see is to skewer it, but my skewering items all failed to get far into the rubbed, it's stiff stuff.
Well, I've been doing just this and no joy. The sharpened 2mm allen key can dig into the rubber to some extent, but that's it. The most it achieves is to move the ring round & round and maybe chip off a miniscule bit. I've se en rubber go hard but never seen anything this bad. It's like rock.
If I had endless time I'd attack it next with glacial acetic, HCl and conc sulphuric, but I don't. If I could work out how to plug a large hole in the rear I'd drill one and get much better access, but again I've got no real solution. :/
NT
I can only say that it worked for me in the same shower. Make your chisel edge sharper. Once you've cut the ring into 3 roughly equal segments it *will* come out.
A cheap set of dental picks from ebay or amazon will do the job I?m sure.
Tim
tried that early on. Way too weak.
NT
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