bathroom tap suddenly not turning all the way

chezybezy

seems like I'm having a rough month for "DIY"!
My upstairs bathroom hot water tap has suddenly (over night!) stopped turning all the way, it now will only turn max a quarter of a turn, and obviously the flow is minuscule as a result. normally you can probably go around twice for 'full flow'.

I have tried seeing is a gentle pressure will shift the thing but no dice. All my other taps in the house are unaffected and the cold tap next to it is fine.

cold on (not full)
hot on as far as it will go (~ quarter of a turn)
hot side

any one have any ideas where i can begin? I have very limited knowledge with plumbing :eek:

Sicard

Can you unscrew it and see if there's limescale preventing the turn? If so scrape it off. Otherwise give it a good blast of WD40 and see if that shifts it.

firefox1956

Bit of WD40 then just keep turning the tap as far as it will go loads of times. It will go a bit further every time........
Used to happen on a tap of mine that was only partially turned on all the time.
HTH

Le_Kirk

Two things: -
1 If you do undo it make sure you turn off the water (hot) first.
2. Has it been dripping when turned off? If so, you might have been tempted to keep screwing tighter and tighter and you have actually screwed the stem out of the housing. In this case it is water off, tap top off and unscrew the innards to replace the washer.

southcoastrgi

The inside part that holds the washer has come out of the tap housing, you need to turn the water off, take out the inside from the tap body & slightly twist the washer part & let it go back in then put it back together with a new washer

chezybezy

thanks for the replies,
I will check for limescale etc when i dismantle the tap.

@Le_Kirk - now that you have mentioned it i think i have been tightening the tap more lately as there was indeed a very slight slow drip.

@southcoastrgi - thanks so i turn the water off (presumably from the kitchen downstairs), take apart the tap, twist the washer part, reseat it, then replace the washer.
Would you be kind enough to expand a little on "slightly twist the washer part & let it go back in" - is this just flatten the washer if its bent and re-seat it, or something else? i just like to be clear before i start messing.
Can someone also advise which type / size of washer i will need to get or are they universal?

thanks again.

Le_Kirk

Where you turn off the water will depend upon how your house is plumbed but normally the bathroom cold water is from a tank in the loft/attic. In my case there is a valve in the airing cupboard.
Check out this picture of a tap, you will see what @southcoastrgi is saying. BTW the thread INSIDE the tap will be left hand thread.

When you turn (1) in a clock-wise direction to close the tap, the stem (cunningly concealed inside the tap body) onto which the washer (5) is fitted, is forced down because it is left hand threaded. If it was a right hand thread, it would lift the stem.

Jonesya

Taps normally have a brass gland - this is the mechanism under the handle and cover than controls the water. You can get new glands for around a fiver a pair.

You might be able to refurb the existing one, but normally easier just to change the whole gland.

Google changing tap gland. Screwfix, B&Q, normal sheds sell them, just need to get the right part - full turn Vs quarter turn ceramic, and right length, right diameter.

If the existing one has seized, probably better to replace entirely for a few quid to save doing the job again.

southcoastrgi

Yes turn off the water wherever that is, when you have removed the inners from the tap body turn the spindle clockwise & the part with the washer will fall out, you will now see the end is nut shaped this needs to go back into the top part which s a female nut shape (much easier to see with it in your hand), the washer nut has come out of the female part & twisted slightly so it now won't go back inside which is why you can only turn the handle 1/4 turn, put the two parts together & turn the spindle anti-clockwise & the washer part will be drawn back in, make sure it goes into the body, put it back together & you should be sorted,

My description sounds really complicated but it really isn't

Wookey

Click on the tap sectional view

https://www.wonkeedonkeetools.co.uk/tap-reseaters/what-is-a-tap-reseater-used-for/

What has happened to your tap is a common occurrence in cheaper non packing gland taps, the washer and plate in that diagram have literally fell out of the part marked thread, this is down usually to some wear on the washer and/or the washer seating, simply disasembling it and putting it back together will not fix it for more than a few hours or days.

Replace the washer with a new one which has at least the same depth or more, you can also get replacement tap bodies but unless they have a gland instead of a rubber O ring to seal the stem/shaft/spindle then the problem will occur again in due course.

Taps with glands are fully serviceable and will last 50+ years, the cheaper O ring tap bodies give far more trouble and need far more attention. Under no circumstances squirt penetration oil anywhere near a water source where there is the chance of ingestion.

barnaclebill

There are a few good videos on youtube about tap repairs and removing tap internals