As subject really. Any tips for undoing a bath tap that just wants to turn when I try and undo the pipe work below?
I had thought of a piece of wood wedged against the wall and tap but its fully tiled round the bath and I thought it might crack a tile.
Its one of those jobs I'd happily pay to have done but can't find a plumber that would interested in such a small job. Not that any have gave me a price but I imagine it wouldn't cost that much?!? Any guesses?
Cheers.
Happy to do the job - but I suspect you are not in North Kent :-)
Not an uncommon problem. I usually wedge a towel in place, or in extreme circumstances grip the tap with a cloth & mole grips.
Cheers Dave but I think the cost of the commute to Glasgow might outweigh the cost of the job or I'd happily offer it to you ;o) I suppose if I spin the tap 180 degrees, with a cloth against it it might wedge against the back wall. I'll give it another go tomorrow. Spent a couple of hours on it today and failed miserably.
Adjustable spanner on the tap spout ? (or if it's still turning, a set of stilsons well padded with a towel). Can usually be wedged against something so not needing an extra hand.
Nick
Does it have a spout to grab hold of? Perhaps keep a spanner still on the nut below (I assume a 3/4" tap connector), and turn the tap instead, by hand. (The angle between spanner and spout needs to be acute.)
Or, if the tap will be discarded, a big wrench to hold the spout, or a hammer to hit it in the right direction, or just a hacksaw through the threaded part, if there is access (in this case you may also have to replace the tap connector, probably by cutting the pipe).
(Note the tap thread will have two nuts on it; if the other nut has seized up, then you have a problem...)
Have you tried a gentle application of heat from a blowlamp - often loosens things miraculously so maybe someone can then hold the tap while you uncrew the nuts below. In extreme cases I have actually cut a tap off a bath with an angle grinder, but you need to be delicate not to damage the bath surface.
AWEM
In message , BartC writes
I had a similar need for something to prevent a bath tap rotating.
I made a clamp from two pieces of wood, each around 3/4" x 1.5", and 18" long.
Near one end, on the 1" face, I crudely carved out the wood so that it fitted snugly along the side of the tap (right along the side, from behind the tap, along the side of the spout and beyond the front). I then did the same with the other piece of wood. I then screwed the two bits of wood together, so that it was now effectively a 18" long ring-spanner, with a large keyhole slot* near one end.
I found that this 'spanner' could be fitted on the tap by jiggling it over the four fingers of the handle. If it could not have been fitted this way, it would have been an easy matter to slacken the screws as necessary, pull the two pieces of wood apart, fit it over the tap, and tighten the screws again.
Anyway... This home-made 'spanner' worked fine. It enabled me to hold the body of the tap stationary while removing a very difficult top, in order to change a washer. [Of course, I greased things well before re-assembly.]
In message , Ian Jackson writes
Oops. The 3/4" face.
I have an adjustable spanner about 15 inches long. Holds all sorts of valves, taps etc.
I've 2 ways of doing this: often I can reach the spanner and the tap (long arms good; big hands bad for this job) or the spanner on the tap (if the tap's a write-off you can use stilsons to to get the angle you need). The other way is to prop - jam etc. the spanner on the back nut and turn the tap. This works for a tight start and then the nut is loose on the thread but is a pain if the nut's a bit tight all the way as the back spanner is likely to drop off once wobble develops.
BTDTGTTS :-)
No need for cloth if *changing* tap: mole or stilsons!
Thanks guys for all the advice. I ended up spinning the tap round 90 degrees and put a large piece of wood in between the taps and the tiles in order to stop the tap spinning. Couldn't believe how easy the tap came undone when it was against an unmoveable object as I had spent the best part of an hour the other day pulling the tap one way and the spanner against the nut the other way and nothing would budge it. It was one of those moments when you hold your breath and pull as hard as you can and all your veins start to pop out!!! Anyway taps all changed and now sorted and not even a leak which is a miracle for me.
Cheers again.
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