Dripping ceramic disc taps.

My son has a standard kitchen tap with separate hot and cold valves on either side of the tap. I took a look at it today because it has developed a steady drip.

The valves are ceramic disc with a quarter turn to full off/full on.

I removed each 'cartridge' and took it apart. I could not see any problem at all with the ceramic discs they did not appear to be scratched or damaged, nor was there any grit present. The various seals were in good condition.

After cleaning and rinsing all components, I put them all back together, replaced them in the tap and............. drip drip drip!

Anyone any suggestions?

Reply to
Ret.
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In message , Ret. writes

Yes.

I had trouble with a mixer tap, like this:

Do you know which insert is the culprit? Hot or cold? If you can, try and work out which it is. [Possibly turn off the incoming cold water, turn cold tap on to drain residual water in pipes, then turn cold tap off?]

#1: Remove and immerse the insert(s) in Killrock K for (say) half an hour (occasionally rotating the 'works'. This will get rid of any scale which is preventing a perfect seal. #2: Buy replacement inserts (if you can find correct type!).

My tap responded to treatment for a few months, but started to drip again. Fortunately, Homebase (where I had originally bought the tap) had exactly the right replacement inserts - although I did have to file about 3mm off the end of the splined spindle.

Reply to
Ian Jackson

Ian Jackson has brought this to us :

We have now reverted back to normal washers, but the above was the cause/fix for ours when it dripped. I fixed then by simply scratching the disk free of scale with a thumb nail.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

So far as I can see, there is no scale present at all. We live in mid Cheshire which is a very soft water area. I'm really baffled as to why the 'drip' is occurring.

Reply to
Ret.

It is possible that the ceramic valves have worn out. I have had the same problem, fortunately I had kept the paperwork from when I installed the tap so was able to order replacement ceramic valves from the manufacturer. If you don't know the tap model and the manufacturer then you are stuffed because there is no such thing as standard replacement ceramic valves. The only solution is to replace the tap. If your son lives in a hard water area it might be worth soaking the valves in vinegar in case lime scale is the culprit, but that is probably clutching at straws.

Reply to
DIY

OK - the tap in question is more like this:

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I suspect the 'cartridges' will be similar.

Bit of a problem because my son has a combi - so turning off the water turns off both hot and cold! I have no idea which cartridge is causing the drip.

I can certainly try this - although we live in a very soft water area (mid Cheshire) and, so far as I can see, there is no scale present on either of the two discs in either of the cartridges. I have completely dissassembled both cartridges and all four ceramic disks appear perfect to the eye.

I think this is what we will have to do - although it is annoying when you cannot see what is causing the problem!

OK. I have B&Q and Plumbworld on the doorstep, and Homebase within 20 minute drive - so this will be the next step I think.

Reply to
Ret.

I wonder if the discs have worn dished or domed. Not that the outcome is changed much either way.

If you have the disks out you could try lapping them on a flat surface (Eg. A piece of glass) with jewellers rouge or toothpaste even.

Derek G

Reply to
Derek G.

If my memory serves me correctly, the tap is no more than 6 or 7 years old - so the discs shouldn't have worn out in that time.

I have had the

No hard water. I'll try and get replacement cartridges - but a new tap may be the only effective solution.

Reply to
Ret.

Good idea. I'll give that a try first.

Reply to
Ret.

Maybe I was lucky when I need to replace the ceramic insert in our 20 (at the time) year old kitchen mixer tap... The only thing to be aware of is the "hand", they are available as clockwise = on or clockwise = off.

Don't think I've ever seen a ceramic insert in the likes of B&Q, Homebase etc. I got mine froma builders/plumbers merchant. They had a box of them on the counter.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

In message , Ret. writes

Noted. I certainly know that the water in the Manchester area doesn't cause any scale, so it's unlikely that that is your problem. You could try the Kilrock treatment, but it might be easier to replace the insert(s) (if you can).

Don't forget that, while the H & C inserts screw in the same ('normal') way, they turn in opposing directions. [NB: I think we established that, otherwise, the construction is the same and, if you prefer the handles to open in the opposite direction, you can simply swap the inserts over.]

I live in the Chiltern water area, and the difference is (almost literally) chalk and cheese. The chalky water plays havoc with plumbing

- and especially taps.

Reply to
Ian Jackson

My inserts didn't have discs. The ceramic valve part was rather similar to a revolving door, and the seals were rubber (coded red for hot, and blue for cold, to indicate the direction of opening).

Reply to
Ian Jackson

Ret. :

We also live in a very soft water area, where scale simply doesn't exist, and had the same problem after 14 years. The manufacturer supplied a replacement cartridge at a reasonable price. The only problem was that the new cartridge felt a lot stiffer than the old one, which wasn't a serious problem but it was an irritation.

So I'd recommend getting two new cartridges to make sure they both need the same operating force. Also if one has reached the end of its life, the other might be getting near. And it saves you having to work out which one is dripping. :-)

Reply to
Mike Barnes

Can you stop the dripping by turning the tap a bit more?

I ask as our kitchen tap has a similar problem, but it seems to turn off fine, but then, if you've been running hot water, things cool and contract and it starts to drip and will stop with a bit more of a turn. A design fault or a faulty insert?

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

I'm going to try 'lapping' the discs on glass first. If that doesn't work then I'll hunt for new cartridges.

LOL! I discovered this after reassembling the cartridges, replacing them in the tap, turning the tap handles off, and getting my son to turn on the water. Although the cold tap was in the 'closed' position - it was actually fully open - and I got drenched with the splash back! I had to remove the cartridge again, dissassemble it again, and rotate the disc with the holes through 45 deg. to re-establish shut off when the tap handle was in the closed position!

Yes - I lived in Sussex for a few years and it was like that down there as well. Kettles required 'de-furring' quite frequently and it was hard to get a lather in the shower!

Reply to
Ret.

The seals on my sons are similarly colour coded - and the discs are as you describe with 'triangular' holes cut in them that align/unalign, as the spindle is turned. They are about the size of a 5p piece. If I remove the coloured 'bungs' from the bottom of the cartridge, then the innards, including the two ceramic discs, just drop out. They don't appear to be damaged in any way.

Reply to
Ret.

Good points.

Reply to
Ret.

Are you referring to the entire ceramic 'cartridge' - or just the ceramic discs themselves? It never really crossed my mind that I would be able to buy the latter separately.

Reply to
Ret.

True, but some plumbers merchants carry a selection.

Not common granted, there is only 1 in the Medway Towns.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Believe me, they often wear out sooner than that.

Reply to
DIY

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