How the hell (bath tails / leak)...

[Colin Wilson]

I replaced the taps on the bath a few months ago, and happened to take the cover off the other day (hence the effloresence thread)

While it was off, I checked for leaks on the flexi tap tails, and lo and behold, despite seeming ok when they were fitted, they've developed a distinct "moistness" about them (with a plastic carton underneath, i'm getting about a dessertspoon per day, possibly a little less).

Now perhaps a question someone will have a really obvious and do-able answer to...

How the f*ck do you get to them to get them tight ?

• I have a basin wrench - it's a little too large one end, so i've been able to pad out one side to make it a good tight fit (did this the first time around and didn't remove it)

(i.e.

* I can **just** get it onto the furthest tap by a combination of manouvering the wrench into rough position by going under the bath waste, then getting it onto the flexi-tail nut down the side of the bath

• I have _no_ room whatsoever to put any purchase on to tighten the nut (about 3" in total) - just enough to hold the wrench in place without dropping it - the bath is hard up against the wall, the taps are centrally fitted, and the overflow waste and pipework heavily restrict access

• even if I could get to it, there's no way I could even wrap it in PTFE tape due to the restricted access

Even with an "extended" (somehow) basin wrench, I don't think i'd be able to get a swing on it without dismantling the waste pipework :-(

Anyone able to offer any suggestions, other than leave the plastic carton in place and empty it every couple of months ?

TIA :-/ (getting seriously stressed with DIY)

[bof]

In message , Colin Wilson writes

Yes, it's one of those contortionist jobs that gets me cursing too, I use something similar to this:

's a bit like a stilson, in that it locks onto the nut as you tighten it, so you can get it at an angle where you do have some purchase, that business end swivels and the tommy bar slides too which gives you more options for positioning. Then I'll tighten it by locking on to the tommy bar with a pair of mole grips.

[Colin Wilson]

Cheers - glad it's not just me who had trouble with them then :-}

Are the cheaper ones any good ?

i.e.

[bof]

In message , Colin Wilson writes

1/2" end and a bigger 3/4" end, which are interchangeable and reversible for even more options. The head looks a bit bigger on the one you linked, which I suspect may not have fitted into the recess available on the small hand basin I fitted.

[R D S]

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message news: [e-mail]...

I know what you are saying, I try to do as little as possible.

In my next house I will make sure the bathroom is downstairs and on an outside wall and just let all the water drain outside :)

[The Medway Handyman]

[Colin Wilson]

said that, I think it might be too big to fit down the gap anyway)

[Colin Wilson]

be worth a trip down there anyway, see if I can depress myself any more about my complete lack of DIY knowledge / skill :-/

[Colin Wilson]

Ours *IS* downstairs, and on an outside wall !

The problem being is it's a shared entry, and I can't really go putting stuff straight out the wall as it would restrict access down the passageway...

The only bright side I can see so far, is that the surface water drain is combined with the grey water drain (the house was built in the 30s and they both go to the same gulley in the entry) - so if push really does come to shove, I could drill a new hole through the brickwork for a bath waste, as it would come out immediately adjacent to the downspout from the flat-roof extension, and dangle it into the same grid...

Sadly the toilet waste is a whole other ball game :-/ (set in concrete, a little too close to the side wall, and a little too far out from the wall it should go on to be useful, and made more obvious by use of a manifold that currently takes the sink and bath wastes)

The missus wants to hide the pipework (can't blame her) but all the above just seem to conspire to make it bloody awkward - and the leaky tails don't help make me feel any easier about it, as i'd have ZERO chance of getting to them if vanity units went in :-/

[The Medway Handyman]

I keep both types in my plumbing toolbag.

Bath taps are just an embuggeration!

[Heliotrope Smith]

If room is very restricted then the monument wrench is your best option. The most expensive but the slimmest. The only drawback is that it requires TWO hands to put into position because it is NOT spring loaded.

[Colin Wilson]

Thanks - always handy to know from someone who's obviously done it before :-}

[Jonathan Pearson]

I'd put money on that your 'leaking' tails are infact not leaking, the usual cause for moisture in this area is water getting in from above and finding its way down between the hole for the tap and the tap itself, the only way I found to stop this was loads of silicon sealant applied from below around the tap thread

Jon

[Merryterry]

I would go along with that, (leaking from above), but if you do want to tighten the Flexi to Tap connection you may have to disconnect the nearest flexi and the bath overflow pipe to get better access. Thats why plumbers are good at looking out of their own fundamental orifices!

[Colin Wilson]

Sad to say, but you'd lose money on this one - the walls aren't tiled, and the shower is only really hand-held these days to wash your hair.

The odds of it getting in from above are somewhat slim...

Add to this, having removed any traces of damp, and without using the bath taps at all, they were damp a short while later again :-/

[Edgar]

Condensation? In certain conditions the cold pipes in our bathroom are covered in water. Try a bit more ventilation before going to lots of effort with the pipes.

Edgar

[clot]

I agree! I was reticent to post this comment myself since the OP seemed to imply it was both H&C and therefore seems unlikely but could be an issue?

[Colin Wilson]

I was hoping it was just condensation myself, but the side of the bath is still off so there's oodles of ventilation.

Nowhere else along the ~6 foot run of pipework through the bathroom (all exposed) is damp at all, nor is the isolating valve end of the flexi-tail.

[clot]

Sorry to hear that. Suffering from too much recent exercise myself. Just had the "ultimate external solution" in terms of windows, soffits and bargeboards. To do this - hack the jungle down outside, make good inside! Presently, trying to remember to get out of bed sloooowly due to shock to the base of the spine. The most serious effect was that when SWMBO'd suggested we walk to the pub at the weekend, I had to decline!

I think you've had good advice from other respondents regarding the kit available- some of which I've used to good effect in the past. Good luck!

[Colin Wilson]

Been there, done that (been reg'd disabled since the early 90s with my back) - 30mg dihydrocodeine helps - by the time you've taken 4 !