Hot tap stuck full on.

[Neil Jones]

Can anyone help please?

I have a hot tap on a washbasin that is stuck full on. For a while now it has had a tendency to be a bit sticky when turned on to the maximum but it has always turned off once a bit of effort is applied. It seemed to stick only at maximum open point and once moved beyond that sticking point it moved smoothly.

Now this evening it has jammed and will not move never mind how much effort I put into it. I turned off the supply to the hot water tank and let it drain then I removed the top of the tap so that I am down to the brass bit tha actually turns and put a pliers on it to no effect one so ever. In fact I had to stop because the brass was giving off little splinters so firmly was it stuck.

I have tried WD40 in desperation to no avail . Any ideas as to what has happened and is there any way to fix it easily?

[R Taylor]

new tap ?

might as well seeing as the water is off and that one is probably fubar B&Q Depots don't close until 9pm so if you're near one and quick you could be sorted by 10pm

RT

[Neil Jones]

I haven't time tonight. Besides I'd rather fix plumming when during the day when I can keep an eye out for leaks.

Doesn't anyone know how to free the blasted thing?

[Malc]

Is there a nut on the top of the brass bit (where the spindle comes through) that you can unscrew? Or remove the bras bit from the tap body. You might be able to dismantle it and apply some grease to the thread that winds the washer up and down but I don't hold out much hope.

-- Malc

[terry smith]

I guess the threads at the end are damaged and it gets cross threaded. Maybe you can turn it more'on' before you try to turn it off.

Hot water is usually quite low pressure, anyway you can 'bung' is so you can fill the tank as a stop gap measure so at least you have hot water.

Anyway you can always fill a kettle and pans cold water and heat it on the stove like my grandma had too!!

[Christian McArdle]

Nah. I'd generally replace a old style washer tap even if it just needed a washer change. Horrible things. I'd go ceramic every time, or you'll be fixing it frequently for years to come.

Christian.

[<Barbara]

"Neil Jones" wrote

My problem may be related. A hot water tap (of the conventional shrouded head type) was beginning to drip slightly so I changed the washer - taking great care to use an identical sized replacement, which seemed to fit well.

A couple of weeks later it became impossible to turn off the tap fully. As I was turning off the tap and near to stopping the water flow completely, the thread seemed to slip past the closure point - so the tap was "open" again, if you see what I mean. I never seemed to be able to turn the water off fully, because I could turn the tap endlessly without it ever reaching a stop point.

Any ideas of what to do next, please? As I'm disabled and unable to leave home (and don't have the cash to spare for a plumber) I'm reluctant to simply buy a replacement mechanism as I'd have to do so over the internet without being able to compare with the original. My plumbing skills are limited and before I ask kind friends for help I want to see if it's a job I can manage myself - I don't like taking advantage of others.

Many thanks, Barbara

[Tony Williams]

Yes, we had that on one of the cheap, rubbishy taps I'd bought a few years ago for the kitchen sink.

Like all such taps the little piston carrying the washer is pushed down by a coarse screw thread when the tap is turned. What happens is that there is a wear (or a manufacturing problem) such that the piston gets to the end of the thread before it has sealed-down properly. You can actually feel the tap 'cog around' at the end of the thread.

I did a temporary frig with a packing piece that pushed the piston forward slightly. It worked, (sort of), but in the end I gave in and replaced the taps.