Need help with tap (pics provided)

[Arkan]

Hi all,

Sorry to bother you all again, I just had a lot of essential work done on my house and at he moment cannot afford to get in a plumber or change my current tap so was hoping the community here could help discover if I can fix the problem my self.

The tap is single lever basin monobloc I think they are called the ones that a lever turn left and right one side for hot and one side for cold and if you lift the lever up it controls the flow of the water.

Basically the saga so far I had the tap fitted by a plumber and for a couple of days it was fine no leaks I could see but then on the third day I noticed water around the "sleeve" just under the level (first pic) so I called the plumber back and he came out and said the problem wasnt with him but with the tap so I took the tap back to the shop I got it from the guy was at first reluctant to give me a new one but the agreed so the plumber put the new tap in and again the same thing happened after 2 days its started to leak again in the same spot.

Needless to say the plumber refuses to come out says its not his problem and the shop where I got the tap say its the plumbers problem thats why I have turned to you

So having nowhere to turn I decided to take the tap apart and I was a little surprised that when I opened it all up that there was no washer between the nut and the blue thing (pic2 and pic3) and I am pretty sure thats why this tap is leaking so my question is do I need to put a washer of some sort between the nut and the blue thing and if so what type of washer if not can anyone suggest how I can fix this,

Thanks in advance.


Anyway the first picture shows the tap with the lever off and I tried to show with an arrow where the water is seeping down from.

if this link doesnt work then the direct link is just below


http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5903/tap10vc.jpg

The next two pictures just show the opened up nut and the blue thing inside no idea what its called

The nut

or
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5498/tap2nut8pu.jpg

The thing inside

or
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5350/tap3innards5tt.jpg

finally the way the nut and the blue thing fit together

or
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6348/tap4nutandinside7bn.jpg

 

[ChrisR]

Looks like a faulty tap (design). You may be able to put something like Fernox LS-X leak Sealer in there, but a new tap shouldn't leak, I can't see what an installer would so that could make it leak.
Cheap import type tap? If not then obviously try the mfr.

 

[Kes]

Hi,

Do you have a spares list with the tap?

If not, if the tap is a known make there may be spares lists posted somewhere, try Good Old Google.

I don't like the idea of leak sealer, I would try to wrap ptfe tape around the base of the blue thing so that it forms a water-tight seal. But the best plan would probably be found by a plumber looking at the tap in the flesh, as it were.

Rgds.

 

[Arkan]

Thanks guys but I got a feeling it might be a cheap import I remember the box having Gem written on the front and googling it didnt help I think I've been had or this is a bad batch I was wondering if I could put some kind of rubber washer between the nut and the blue thing so when I screwed it back in place it might form an airtight seal. Maybe I'll try that with the ptfe tape.

Thanks for your help.

 

[ChrisR]

A rubber washer will move parts which probably have to be where they are for the thing to operate. LS-X is a special plumber's silicone which would only fill where the water's leaking out.

PTFE tape is for threads, and sometimes can be used for round things which go inside round holes. Not usually good for anything flat, though the gas version is thicker.

I do have some very thin silicone rubber gasket material but you won't find it in B&Q!

 

[Arkan]

Guess I'll be trying that sealant then thanks for the advice.