Taps from hell

Tap_Man

Can anyone please advise me on how to remove two single bath taps from a cast iron bath.
I have been spraying the clamp nuts with plus gas and I have just brought a 3/4 box spanner I have yet to try it out.
It would be worth pointing out that there is evidence of some kind of joining compound on these nuts.
Will heat from an hot air gun do any good?
Is the next option to saw of the taps and drill/file the base out?

Thanks for any help

phill99

I helped a plumber friend move a set of old taps from a cast iron bath alittle while ago. I'm a well built bloke and with two of us on it, the nuts wouldn't come off. In the end we used an angle grinder and cut the taps off very carefully from the top of the bath so they would fall through. My mate then cut the hot and cold feeds backa nd installed 'flexis'. Bit drastic but it worked.

EliteHeat

A 3/4" drill bit used from above with the tap bodies taken out will remove the tap without risking damaging the bath.

heretohelp

I dont know how much space you have but why not grind the nuts in half. Just go straight up the hollow thread part and split the nuts in two as close to the bath as you can then get a screwdriver and prise the nuts apart.

Tap_Man

I only have access over the tap end of the bath where I have removed a shelf, I would be working blind, though there is room.

project500

Yes heat does help, I removed dozens of taps years ago with my blowlamp heating them up at the back nut, a paint striper heater is probably ok though. Failing that cut the back nuts at an angle with a junior hacksaw till they spring loose

Tap_Man

Start at the inside of the nut next to the thread and cut into the thread at a slight angle till you reach the flange?

electromagnet

The best way i found is to get two pairs of mole grips and the get one person to hold the tap end whilst the other perdon using a hammer hits the grrips and it does soon loosen !

DVardysShadow

Backnuts are the weak part. If you can get a clean fairly deep cut, you can sometimes break the nut fully open with a screwdriver, but you do need the feel for brass.