New taps sticking

I had some problems with a hot tap that would turn on at a different point to where it would turn off, by which I mean I would turn it maybe two whol e rotations before it would come on at full blast and then it would gradual ly turn off rather than just suddenly turning off at the point at which it turned on.

I changed the washer but it made no difference, so we decided to get some n ew tap handles with new innards but now we have some more strange issues. Sometimes it works as expected, but other times it has the same old problem or I'll turn it to full on with no flow then turn it to full off, then ful l on again (still no flow) then it will turn much further than it would bef ore in the off direction and then it will work perfectly!

I'm completely out of ideas. The innards are now completely new and I can't see anything obviously wrong with my installation.

If anyone can shed any light on this then I'd be very grateful!

Reply to
buffydragongirl
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to where it would turn off, by which I mean I would turn it maybe two whole rotations before it would come on at full blast and then it would gradually turn off rather than just suddenly turning off at the point at which it turned on.

new tap handles with new innards ...

When you say new innards, do you just mean the washer-holder and tap-top mechanism (a while ago I replaced some old tap tops with such a replacement and I also at times have a similar problem to you).

I think the problem might be that the washers I've used are a poor fit for the cavity they work in, perhaps being too close in diameter to the hole they cover up so that they might to some extent get squished into the hole rather than sit atop it. Then, maybe, they could resist being pulled out of the hole.

I don't see how you could replace "tap handles" at the same time as changing the whole of the mechanism...

Reply to
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts

Jeremy Nicoll - news posts wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@wingsandbeaks.org.uk.invalid:

+1

Are your family in the habit of continuing to tighten the tap past the point where the flow has stopped? Thus forcing the washer into its seating. Also - getting the correct sized washer is now quite difficult. The sheds have a limited range. Make sure your washer properly sits over the seating and not into it.

We need to know more - the boiler flow restrictor idea is only relevant with some boilers

Reply to
DerbyBorn

Thanks for all the replies! To clarify what I mean by "innards", I believe this is more or less the exact product I bought and you can see in the sec ond picture that it includes the mechanism inside -

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I have tightened the stopcock a bit to reduce the pressure and haven't had the problem again since, but it's only been half an hour so I'm not going t o celebrate just yet...

Also yes, I do suspect over tightening is an issue because the previous was her was a mess! Is there no way to limit the turning in some way so that it 's not possible to keep tightening once the flow has stopped?

And could someone possibly explain why sometimes the tap handle will offer resistance after one turn, and other times will just keep on turning round with no apparent signs of stopping?

Thanks again everyone!

Reply to
buffydragongirl

It's too soon. Tightening a stopcock reduces flow, not static pressure. As soon as you turn the tap off the pressure in all your pipework will rise back to mains pressure.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

Jeremy Nicoll - news posts wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@wingsandbeaks.org.uk.invalid:

My parents have exactly the same problem with one set of taps in their house, happens with both the hot and cold taps,

the taps are the twist a few times to adjust flow, rubber washer type, all the others in the house are quarter turn with i presume ceramic carts in them,

standard combi boiler (vodka something or other) only thing maybe relevent is these taps are right at the end of the pipe runs, and the furthest from the water main in and the boiler,

not had them appart for a look yet, they have basically got used to opening the taps almost fully, wiating for the water to flow then shutting them off to the flow they desire,

Reply to
Gazz

Having seen what you have fitted I feel more confident that the washer is not a compatable fit to the seating in the tap. The washer is getting pushed into the seat and getting stuck, needing a good pull to extract it.

Reply to
DerbyBorn

That would be my guess too (not discounting other posts as part of the story).

Reply to
newshound

Ok, so I just need to find some slightly larger washers? That I can do!

Reply to
buffydragongirl

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news:3f3c662d-ea3e-4b33-a73b- snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

The washer needs to be a correct fit on the "jumper". On most taps it should not be changed to anything other than the size it was supplied with. Try and take some measurements. At one time there were two common sizes - now many makers have slight differences.

Reply to
DerbyBorn

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