Kitchen tap (cold only) splutter!!

Chin

Does this sound right...

Upon closer inspection it appears the cold water is coming out the (pea sized) centre of the tap and the hot water comes out the surrounding circumference of the tap.
Clearly more water can get out the circumference than the pea sized hole so am wondering if it's been installed backwards?

Chin

It's fed from the mains not a tank.
It merely a case of too much pressure in the kitchen tap. All others are fine including the bathroom cold which is also a main feed (not a tank).
We have no tank, just a combi boiler.

Ruski

If the cold water is coming out of the center 'hole' then it's been plumbed in incorrectly - cold should always be the 'outer' flow of water - to prevent scalding. Check the plumbing - convention says that cold should be on the right, hot to the left. Sounds like a bit of a diy dooferism has happened in the past.

Chin

great thanks - sounds like I am almost there!

Is it now just a case of swapping the connections around beneath the tap?
They are copper pipes so could be tricky as opposed to the new 'easyfit' taps I've seen where the pipes are like beaded cables...

Ruski

Think you mean braided cables ;-)

Depends on how competent you are at DIY!
Easiest way would be with a couple of these: (assuming you have enough free play) Toolstation.com product 13532

Or I would estimate about 60-80 quid for a 'plumber' to do it in copper...

Chin

perfect they look pretty simple - final question...will they just push on to the existing piping?

Ruski

As long as the copper is clean and round with no snots of lead, and you've cut the pipes with a cutter rather than a hacksaw then yes!
Just one bit of advice before you go cutting into pipes - make sure you can cut off (isolate) both the cold AND hot water supplies before you go hacking away...

Chin

Thank you very much

Ruski

No problem - best of luck

birkee

Ruski wrote: »

If the cold water is coming out of the center 'hole' then it's been plumbed in incorrectly - cold should always be the 'outer' flow of water - to prevent scalding. Check the plumbing - convention says that cold should be on the right, hot to the left. Sounds like a bit of a diy dooferism has happened in the past.

That sounds very plausible, but are you sure?
You would have to show me a regulation that says that.

My logic says that cold water under mains pressure will flow faster than hot water under gravity feed, therefore with the small center hole for cold, and the larger outer for hot, they would both flow at near similar rates.
Have you just caused someone to reverse their plumbing connections with an opinion?
As for tap polarity left or right for hot and cold, it depends on who put them in.