Screw help needed please

Daisy_84

Bendy_House said:

eBay has packs of 10 screws for £3. Good chance the replacement cartridge will come from there too.

Daisy, you HAVE turned the water off to that tap, haven't you?

😂 yes I turned off the mains. Thank you.

Daisy_84

Apodemus said:

Daisy_84 said:

Apodemus said:

I suspect screw extractors work best in the hands of those with sufficient DIY experience to not have stripped that screw in the first place!  Drilling out the screw head may be the best solution, although you can sometimes cut a new slot with a Dremel.  That screw might also need some heat to help free it.  But getting heat or a Dremel in there without other collateral damage may be impossible.  

I get your point. I have a drill set so I’ll try that tomorrow. 

I’ve become so used to doing my DIY. I replaced my bathroom extractor myself earlier in the year. 

I also replaced by shower taps myself last year. I didn’t realise that kitchen sink taps would be so tightly screwed that I’d end up destroying there screw.

I’d rather replace the washer myself if possible, rather than pay British Gas £60 excess to come fix it (I have a contract with them). And no I won’t use a local plumber. The last time I used a local plumber he charged me £75 for a shoddy job.

Well done for the "have-a-go"  attitude!  It's the only way to learn!  

Thank you 😊 

Ganga

Find a screwdriver that the metal blade and shaft goes right thru the handle ,put in the screw and give it a few hard taps with a hammer ,it will either loosen the screw or leave you no worse off, best of luck.

Section62

FreeBear said:

Daisy_84 said:

FreeBear said:

Daisy_84 said: I didn’t realise that kitchen sink taps would be so tightly screwed that I’d end up destroying there screw.

Sometimes, you'll come across a left hand thread. It might be worth trying to "tightening" this screw up and see if it will move.

Now that’s confusing. It sounds counterintuitive. Are you being sarcastic?

Not being sarcastic at all. Left hand threads are a thing, and I'm trying to think where you might find one in an average household. About the best I can think of is wheel nuts on certain vehicles.

Those with a gas BBQ will probably have one on the gas cylinder.  The 'other' common reason for using a LH thread is so the wrong fitting can't be used.  In the case of gas cylinders any containing a fuel gas should have a LH thread so it can't be connected to a hose intended for oxygen/air.

Daisy_84

Hey all, circling back. I kind of took a break from this. So I have tried to remove screw with no luck what so ever. I even tried a screw remover and it won’t budge.
 

My last resort is to now use British Gas home care. I was wondering if my mangling of the screw could invalidate their service?

Alderbank

Daisy_84 said:

 

My last resort is to now use British Gas home care. I was wondering if my mangling of the screw could invalidate their service?

Well, they didn't mangle it so they might not fix it.

They offer a range of services. Does yours include accidental damage?
Their General T&Cs say

Work carried out by anyone but us
Unless your product includes accidental damage we won’t cover any damage you’ve caused.
If anyone other than us carries out any work on your boiler, appliance or system and damages it, or that work has not been completed properly, your cover doesn’t include putting that right.

FreeBear

Might be cheaper and easier to replace the tap all together.

Daisy_84

FreeBear said:

Might be cheaper and easier to replace the tap all together.

I think so too. However, the challenge is that I still can’t get to the point of unscrewing it to remove it. Any tips on that?

Bendy_House

You don't need to remove the handles to remove the whole tap.

If you get a plumber/handyperson in to fit new taps, they won't be bothered about the state of the handle.

You don't have a drill, then? No helpful neighbour/friend/relative who is a DIYer?

lemondrops69

Norman_Castle said:

Daisy_84 said:

FreeBear said:

Daisy_84 said: I didn’t realise that kitchen sink taps would be so tightly screwed that I’d end up destroying there screw.

Sometimes, you'll come across a left hand thread. It might be worth trying to "tightening" this screw up and see if it will move.

Now that’s confusing. It sounds counterintuitive. Are you being sarcastic?

By the way I am left handed. 

Left hand threads are real. They tighten anticlockwise and loosen clockwise.

Just make sure you have a left handed screw driver