Has anyone fitted flexible tap connectors for bath supplies?
These seem like a great idea to avoid tricky copper work. They will also allow for pipe expansion movement.
Has anyone used these to know whether they survive long term (both the hosing and the connection joints)?
TIA
Phil
I have had no problems in the medium term with both metal and plastic braided versions.
They have used the metal ones in Spain (And other continental Countries) for many years so I would assume they are largely problem free.
sPoNiX
I had two on my bath in my previous house. The cold was mains and the hot was pumped. The hot was fine. Unfortunately, the cold hummed like mad, often just because a tap in the kitchen was turned on. I had to replace it with copper. I may have just been unlucky, though. I've used them on mains supplies in my new house without issues.
The other issue is that the solid pipework does a much better job of keeping the tap from moving/rotating than the stupid idea that a rubber washer and nut could provide enough clamping force to do the same. If you have separate taps rather than a mixer, the problem is much worse.
Christian.
Hi Phil,
I don't like these at all. Running copper isn't that hard! For the price of a couple of these connectors you can set up in copper several times over, including buying a cheap gas lamp! Less chance of leaks, too.
J.
Look at the bore of the pipe inside, the one's I saw were tiny compared to the 22mm pipe it's supposed to connect to. It must reduce the flow considerably.
Rgds
Andy R
Yes. I've found them to be a godsend for bath work, and also regular tap work.
No problems experienced at all. In fact I've just fitted two long ones (about 1 metre each) to a bath and it made the whole job much easier.
I've also found them rather good for monobloc taps because you can prepare the plumbing before dropping the tap into the sink, and all you need then do is tighten up the nuts. Bound to make it easier in the future if the monobloc has to come out for maintenance.
PoP
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Had 2 on the kitchen sink for the last (waves finger in the breeze) 3
1/2 years or so.....no complaints up to now! Everything else was easily accessible so it's plastic right up to the taps.-- cheers,
witchy/binarydinosaurs
They'd probably be fine on a cast iron bath with a mixer set up, but on a cheaper more flexible bath with individual taps, copper pipe helps the to make the taps much more rigid. Same with stainless steel sinks, etc.
It's worth buying a pipe bender if you do any serious plumbing - they're pretty cheap these days, and the satisfaction of tidily made bends can be well worth the effort of learning the skill.
Not a good idea, I agree: I throw away[1] the rubber washer and use plumber's mait and the taps don't twist unless you're forcing them by the spout. OTOH when replacing kitchen sink taps I do find that copper pipework tends to hold them so they don't rock back and forward: cheap stainless steel sinks flex so much that with flexible pipework the tap can easily do so.
[1] when I say "throw away" I do of course mean "keep in the junk box in case they come in handy" :-)-- John Stumbles
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every tap I have ever fitted is locked on with a bloody great nut. I have never seen a tap that relies on the pipe to stop it turning ?
Steve
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I'm not saying that you should rely on the pipework to stop the tap moving. However, it is often better to have two methods to back each other up. I park my car with the handbrake on AND in gear, because when the handbrake cable snaps, I don't want my car to roll down the hill and over a baby's pram.
Christian.
SWMBO thought she heard on this morning's "Today" on R4 that mixer taps are to become mandatory on baths. Apparently a significant number of people die or get badly scalded as they just fill the bath from the hot tap and jump in. Did she hear right? Any more details?
There is a thread on this already.
How is a mixer tap going to solve that? You still have hot and cold controls the water just comes out of a common spout.
It's been mandatory for new installs(?) in "public" places that the hottest the water can come out of the tap is 43C (a moderately hot bath but not a hot one). Of course the regs also state that stored hot water should be above 60C, so you for "public" places you now have to install a thermostatic mixer under the bath/basin in the hot supply to ensure that the max temperature supplied to the bath/basin or WHY is no more than 43C.
I hope they don't mandate that for domestic, 43C is not hot enough for doing the washing up in and isn't a nice hot bath either.
Actually, even standard mixer taps are much better than separates. When I had a bath with separate taps, I often got near scalds as the hot splashes in one place even whilst freezing cold splash somewhere else. With a mixer, a safe warm stream would come out.
I didn't hear the report, but I assumed it really meant a TMV had to be installed on the hot supply, a la old people's homes and hospitals.
Christian.
You can a blending valve at the cylinder. Also there are thermostatic bath mixers around, with push in stops to prevent the temp being set too high. One knob to turn on the water.
Most blenders have a narrow temp range. the kitchen outlets can be left off the blender.
This is true. I used to set the manual mixer to the temp I wanted and left it. We are about the only country in the world that has two separate taps. Everyone else has a mixer. Foreigners get frustrated when they have to move their hands from one tap to then other, quite rightly thinking we are mad.
That was what I understood.
It might be 30 years since I passed my test, but I seem to remember that when parking on a hill you are supposed to turn your wheels into the pavement - so that should it start rolling it will self-brake on the side of the pavement.
I don't recall being told you had to leave it in gear.
PoP
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If you decide to get these, take the tap into the shop & check it fits. Our kitchen taps (Franke) dont fit standard flex connectors, & I found out too late...
Hep20 ........ sod the pipe bender
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