Dripping tap....please help.....cant figure it out

dantheman2010

Hi all

I am not very maintenance-savvy so I have googled a few videos on how to fix a dripping tap but I cant figure out how to do it with my style of taps.

The videos show you have to take the cold/hot tap handle off first, but the handles dont look like mine do.

Please could someone take a look at the picture and let me know how to fix the drip in laymans terms? It is dripping about one drip per 10-15 secs.

The hot tap is on the left and the cold is on the right. Oh also one more think the hot water flow is about half as strong as the flow from the cold. Any reason why?

Thank you.

jayyar66

Hi DTM,
Firstly, I'm sure the handles will come off, there may be a tiny hex (allen) type grub screw on them that holds them onto the splined shaft of the valve itself. Or they may just be a push fit & simply pull off. But they will certainly come off.
Secondly, the valves in your tap look like they are 1/4 turn on/off, in which case they will be ceramic discs as opposed to the rubber washer type. This type has to be replaced completely. They will most likely be 1/2 inch as opposed to 3/4 inch. Any plumbers merchants or big DIY sheds will have replacements. Note though they are usually sold in pairs as the hot & cold rotate in different directions.
And thirdly, I'm assuming that you have an airing cupboard with a hot water cylinder in it, and a cold water tank in the loft that then feeds this cylinder. So the reason for the reduced hot water flow is that the hot water is relatively low pressure whilst the cold water side of the tap will be straight from the mains, therefore higher pressure & more flow.
Hope this helps
JR.

dantheman2010

Hi yep thats correct about the loft/airing cupboard.

So if they dont pull off how do I undo them with the tiny hex type grub screw?

And then what am I actually replacing? Just a ceramic washer? Or is it the complete brass bit?

Thanks

dantheman2010

Found the bit to remove tap, it is an allen key type part but I dont think i have the right size allen key. Smallest I have is a size 2 but even that seems too big. Can you get less than a size 2, I would imagine you can.

Do I have to turn water off?

Then what will I need to do once the tap handle is off?

Thanks

jayyar66

They will definitely PULL off, BUT they may be prevented from doing so by a little, recessed, grub screw. This grub screw, if indeed there is one, needs to be slackened off a couple of turns, or removed completely (put the plug in the sink before you do this!! :-)) and then the chrome lever will pull off the splined shaft. Check out item number 260970966994 on ebay. This is the type of thing you'll need to replace, the complete brass bit, as will be evident when the chrome lever comes off. Be sure to get an identical replacement though as there are slight variations on the theme, dimensions & number of splines for example.
JR.

dantheman2010

How do I know which tap it is that is causing the drip?

Do I need to turn water off? Just the stop !!!! under sink?

jayyar66

It'll either be a 1mm or 1.5mm allen key. You will need to isolate the water before you go any further. If it was a tap I fitted, then there will be isolation valves under the sink to help with just this scenario!! :-)
Once the handle is off you'll be able to get a spanner on the top of the 'brass bit', (approx 16 - 17mm) and whilst supporting the tap body with your free hand to stop it twisting, unscrew the brass tap insert. And in true Haynes fashion, "simply refit the replacement"!
Good luck old bean :-)
JR

dantheman2010

Hi thanks. Erm how do i isolate the water? Just turn the stop c**k (tap like thing) under sink? Do i need to do anything to the tanks in the loft? Thanks

jayyar66

Ah, now then, which one is dripping. . . . If you turn the incoming stop **** off under the sink, & the drip stops. It's the cold. The stop **** under the sink will do the cold side of the tap & if you then turn all your hot taps on, it will, eventually, empty the tank in the loft & the hot will stop. However, rather than waste a whole cylinder of hot water, there should be, in the airing cupboard, a red handled valve that if turned off will stop cold water from the tank in the loft going in to the cylinder. Be careful not to force or overtighten this one though, they're prone to breaking.
JR.

dantheman2010

Thanks. So to clarify;

Turn the brass tap under sink off (looks like a garden tap) and turn the red tap off in the airing cupboard.

Then run the taps to get any excess water out.

Then use the 1 or 1.5 allen key and undo grub (pop plug in sink). Remove tap handle. Use spanner to undo brass section. Go to plumbers merchant get exact replacement.

Refit the new ones and then turn it all back on.

Or am i missing something. Thing im most concerned with is ensuring water is deffo off.

keystone

1. This type of tap ALWAYS drips because of the way that water remains in the spout even after you turn it off. Gradually gravity will have its way and eventually it might stop but then you'll be opening the tap again shortly after and the cycle starts again.

2. A sink mixer tap has seperate ways for hot and cold. They only come together at the end of the spout unlike a bath mixer where they mix in the body of the tap. Because of the U shape just turning the water off won't necessarily identify whether its the hot or the cold thats passing.

3. It doesn't look like an old installation. In that case you should find one of these:


On each of the hot and cold feeds under the sink. If so using a screwdriver tuen the valve so that the slot is across the valve - its closed. Turning the valve again so that the slot runs parallel with the pipe - its open. If you have these then there is no need to touch either the stopcock or the gatevalve mentioned earlier.

4. If you do need to change the cartridges then you need one (or two) of these:


The threading at C is universal. Apart from the overall length of the cartridge the bit that really matters is the splining at E. If it doesn't match your tap handle then you are stuffed replacing the handle later. So take the tap handle to the merchant as well.

Cheers