Dripping quarter turn mixer tap

mackemdave

This is a fairly new set of mixer taps,less than two years old and has started dripping....thought it might be the washer but appearsthat you cant buy new washers for this type of tap and that it has to be a new cartridge....Any suggestions of what might be the problem considering the taps arnt that old
Many Thanks

philbostavros

Hi

I had this problem some years ago when this style of tap came out. A friend said that you can sometimes get small dirt particles (from the old iron water pipes used in the water supply network). These can get stuck in the cartridge mechanism.

He suggested turning the tap fully on and off several times quickly. It took a few attempts but did stop the dripping.

Worth a try before buying a replacement cartidge. If you are handy with the tools, you could also consider dismantling and look for any damage?

Good luck.

Ximian

I agree with philbostavros, it could be that there is some debris in the cartridge and this is preventing the tap to fully close.

It also depends on the type of cartridge, I had an old tap that had a ceramic disk cartridge and a slow leak developed after about a year. I was able to open the tap and remove the cartridge and even open the cartridge (had two push clips holding the unit together) and inside the cartridge there was a rubber seal that was split. I don't think you can find serviceable parts in a cartridge, I think the whole cartridge needs to be replaced if it's faulty/leaking. When I looked around for a replacement cartridge, I found the following website: http://www.lunns.net/tapspares/ Unfortunately lunns never had the cartridge for my tap. Depending on the tap cartridge, you might need to contact the manufacturer for a replacement.