I bought a set (hot and cold) of Bristan quarter-turn valves from Plumb Centre almost exactly three years ago and this morning I noticed that the cold tap was dripping ~very~ slightly. After a while it stopped. Later, I turned on the cold again to fill the kettle, but it didn't drip after switching it off this time.
A little spec of grit, maybe? How long are these valves supposed to last?
MM
My kitchen mixer has been in place about 7 years, and this year both hot and cold began to drip. I opened them up and found scale deposits on the ceramic disc, which were quite easily removed, and all is well.
Perhaps the hardest part is knowing how to gain access; once in it is simple to fix.
Chris
Bristan have a five year guarantee:
I have quarter turn lever types in the kitchen. Nothing expensive - just shed bought.
Must be 15 years old plus, and never given a problem. But probably don't get as much use as with a large family.
Chris J Dixon presented the following explanation :
I had the same problem after a year, despite it being a soft water area. Just find the way in to the disk and gently scrape the deposits off.
Are you in a hard water area? I'm afraid limescale can form on most surfaces unfortunately. Some people also do not turn taps of tightly and let little dribbles through making the limescale get worse. Brian
Yes.
I'll keep an eye on the tap. If it drips again I'll replace the cartridges or maybe just try and clean the existing one. At present, it's only the cold tap.
MM
London water is pretty hard.
They tend to have a positive end stop - so not quite like a washer type where you're tightening it down.
With my lever ones, OCD makes sure you turn them off fully. ;-)
They rely on the pressure from the o rings(or what ever shape they are)to seal and on some of the cheaper units they don't always do the job forever
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