Replacing kitchen mixer tap

movilogo

I got a kitchen tap fitted by a plumber few months back. I supplied the tap, on hindsight should have bought a better tap. 

Anyway, the tap is leaking and it takes great effort to tighten it. So sooner or later it needs to be replaced.

Don't want to pay for plumber again (if possible), so want to make a DIY attempt first.

Conceptually I can understand, there are 2 pipes going to mixer tap. I need to unscrew hot & cold pipes and take the old one out and fit new one in. But that's all in theory.

What I don't have a clue is how to stop the water flowing in the pipe when I take the tap out.

I don't see any stopcock (at any place visible to me) using which I can simply restrict the flow of water to kitchen mixer tap. So basically I can't figure out how to isolate the kitchen from water main so that I don't end up flooding the home!

As far as I remember, last time when plumber fitted the tap he didn't isolate mains water - outside home at water meter.

I have attached an image how the underside of sink looks like. The pipe on left hand side can be ignored as it is for washing machine or dishwasher.

The pipe on right in the hot water flow going to mixer tap. There is another pipe on right (not in photo) which is similarly looking but for cold water to mixer tap.

What are the screws for? Can I simply stop flow of water using these screws?

ThisIsWeird

Yes. You turn them thro' 90o, so that the slots are at right angles to the pipe direction.

I wonder why there's two on that one pipe?! Perhaps the bottom one - if original - was weeping, or perhaps he just used this setup to get the desired pipe length? Who knows.

Anyhoo, I'd only touch the top valve, assuming it's 'new' and less likely to leak...

movilogo

Thanks. Then how do I take the old tap out? Do I simply unscrew the nut (or whatever it is called) shown by the red arrow? 

FreeBear

movilogo said:

Thanks. Then how do I take the old tap out? Do I simply unscrew the nut (or whatever it is called) shown by the red arrow? 

Yup. As simple as unscrewing that nut. The other end of that flexi-pipe screws in to the tap. It might be a bit of a struggle to get the pipes out through the hole in the sink, but if you pull one up at a time, they should both come out.

Oh, and there is a bolt/nut and funny shaped washer that secures the tap to the sink (and there should be a rubber washer or two). You might need a socket or long box spanner to get to that bolt/nut.

DullGreyGuy

It's an isolation valve, the screw slot inline with the pipe is water flowing freely, slot going across the pipe is water cut off. Should be one on each of the pipes. They do vary in quality a lot and cheap ones are known to get leaky easily. 

Note that even though you've turned the water off using the valve there will still be some water in the pipe so prepare for some to escape when you unscrew the supply pipe to the tap above. 

Doing the water pipes is normally fairly easy. The bit I've found difficult in the past is undoing the mechanism that holds the tap in place. In my cases the bolt was very long and the nut very hard to get to (and somewhat seized on with crud built up over the years) so couldn't use a socket as the bolt stopped it reaching and pliers/wrench was just really hard to get a good grip. 

movilogo

Thanks. I am hoping since the current tap was fitted only few months back probably there won't be much of crud. But I shall see how far I can do it only when I actually attempt to replace it. In worse case have to call a plumber again 

Rodders53

You want two spanners or one spanner one pipe grip : one to hold the isolation valve body still and the other to undo the nut... which should have a smooth flat face for the rubber washer (not a sharp thread).  If you don't hold the body still the whole body could rotate and the other nut could loosen off and leak!

You need a set of https://www.toolstation.com/rothenberger-monoblock-tap-spanner-set/p21894 or similar for the nut (probably) underneath.

kimwp

Worth finding your main stopcock just in case. It might be hidden behind a kitchen cupboard back

moneysaver1978

It might also be behind an appliance like a fridge/freezer as is in my case (don't ask - it was before my time!).

If you own the property, you might find this info in the house reports like surveys or even property information pack.