Sink Taps!

[Brian Reay]

I spent a good part of today showing No 1 son-in-law how to replace the 'tails' on their kitchen sink tap.

It turned into a s*d of a job due to the securing stud/nut being well and truly stuck.

Why on earth do they make these things so difficult to do! Ideally, you should be able to remove the tails without removing the tap but the nut on the tail (at the tap end) is 'buried' in the hole in the sink.

In the end, we had to remove the sink, which turned a quick job into a far longer one.

Grr....

The bad news is, the tap in the utility area of our garage needs attention and I expect that will require similar attention!

[Harry Bloomfield]

Brian Reay laid this down on his screen :

In my workshop, I have a self gripping wrench which has a bar coming down at a right angle. The bottom end (when in use) has a bar to give leverage to turn it. It is made for tightening and undoing unreachable top

[charles]

a very standard plumbing tool

[Harry Bloomfield]

charles laid this down on his screen :

I dare say, if you are a plumber lol

Mere mortals who do a bit of occasional DIY plumbing, might have never come across such a device.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Jim GM4DHJ ... explained on 23/10/2018 :

It would need to slide up the pipe tail to the hex, so would not work.

[charles]

I do occasional very DIY plumbing, but it's so much easier with the right tools. 40 years ago, I installed our bathroom, 30 years ago - the kitchen. Since then, it's maintenance.

[DerbyBorn]

Coppaslip or even oil on the thread when you install such thinkgs means you will not get a problem due to things being siezed.

[Brian Reay]

Plus, there is no space once it is all in place.

The hot tail nut is totally in the hole, the cold one is on extension but even then access is difficult.

The holding nut, being corroded, wouldn't move with the leverage you could apply in the small space. Plus, the nut was so grotty everything slipped.

Once we got the sink out, it was easier to get some leverage.

It just seems a poor way to design the thing. An outer collar to secure the tap and nuts on the lower end of extensions would make things far easier.

[Brian Reay]

Indeed. I have a tool for some taps but not this kind. While I've fitted them before, I've never needed to rework/repair one.

[Brian Reay]

Unfortunately, whoever installed the taps (probably 20 years back or more) didn't do that.

[Brian Gaff]

Why don't they make taps with the square bit on any more for square holed sinks either. Brian

[Harry Bloomfield]

on 23/10/2018, Brian Gaff supposed :

Easier to drill a round hole, than a square one (??)

[Brian Gaff]

They surely punch those holes out. The taps used to have some corner or raised bits that locked into the corners of the sinks holes allowing one to do the nuts up without somebody holding them from above. Brian

[Brian Reay]

Some come without holes. Some baths certainly do.

I have seen taps with square bases (requiring a square hole) but the fixing looked to be basically the same as the one today- a lower plate, a stud, and a nut. Being square wouldn't have helped with the problem.

I fitted a set years ago which had fixed but flexible, copper tails. I think they had a fixing from above with a removable cover. They were certainly easy to fit. I seem to recall they were German made.

Anyway, today's job is done. They want a new kitchen in time but have other rooms to do first.

[newshound]

I hate them too. But why did you need to replace them? I regard them as "life of tap" items that do let you change the plumbing to them.

[Brian Reay]

The tail was leaking- the part where the hose joins to the quick release fitting. Just a drip but enough to be a problem.

They (daughter/s-i-l) bought house recently and are working there way around it. They want to replace kitchen in due course but it isn't top of the list. Repair is to keep them going until it gets there.

Our garage ones must be 30 years old or so- there were in the kitchen when we bought the house 20+ ago. Look to be an expensive set, kitchen was quite a fancy make. I think we have the manual/assembly instructions, the previous owner was very good and left things like that. If needed, I will replace with a cheap set, it is just a utility area in the garage.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Is this a one hole type? I hate those things. Most seem to come lose in short order. Apart from some older ones with a decent nut fixing.

[Brian Reay]

Yes.

The mixer was secured via a stud + nut + horse shoe like plate. The tails screwed into the bottom of the mixed, with the nut part on the hot one being buried/hidden in the hole in the sink.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yup - sounds like one of my pet horrors. ;-) Even when new.

[Andy Burns]

My own was like that, but fitted one recently for parents and there are no rigid tails, flexis just screw straight into bottom of the mixer block, sealing on 'o' rings, only to be hand tightened, so you can do it at distance.