old bath new taps - wrong holes!

[wuciwug]

Hi,

I have an old cast iron bath. My old shower mixer gave up the ghost so I purchased a new one.

After removing the old one I discovered that the bath has square (or rather diamond shaped) holes. Now the old tap used to leak a bit around the base (and obviously wasn't original) and I suspect this tap will do the same.

So is there a way to adapt the holes to stop them leaking.

I envisage some kind of adapter to turn the diamonds holes into round holes to prevent any leakage.

The cloest thing I've found is a tophat washer, but this seems to do the opposite from what I want.

I want to avoid just filling it with silicon if at all possible!

 

[Beans-on-Toast]

Is the base of your new taps smaller than the existing diamond shaped holes...? Is the retaining nut on the underside smaller than the existing diamond shaped holes....?

If not what on earth are you worried about..............

 

[Agile]

The traditional method is to bed the taps into the holes with a jointing compound ( or even putty ) which seals the tap and hole and later when it has hardened it lessens the chance of the tap moving should the nut loosen.

You should ideally use top hat washers although as these are plastic they lessen the torque that you can put on the holding nut. If the thread on the tap goes close enough to the tap then you may be able to leave then out on a c.i. bath.

Tony

 

[wuciwug]

Is the base of your new taps smaller than the existing diamond shaped holes...? Is the retaining nut on the underside smaller than the existing diamond shaped holes....?

If not what on earth are you worried about..............

The tap base is smaller than the diamond holes. Not small enough so you can't get a good fix. But small enough that you can see light through the corners.

 

[ChrisR]

Putty shrinks, cracks, comes unstuck, leaks and looks dirty. White silicone, held up by a tophat washer, holds it all together and doesn't leak.
If you object to seeing the silicone, try a GOOD bathroom fittings shop. I have used heavy chrome washers which cover the diamond.

 

[Beans-on-Toast]

mmmmm, the worst scenario,

firstly is it too late to take the new taps back to change them for some with a larger base which covers the diamond holes..?

secondly almost anything you do with silicone, grout, putty?? et al will be a bodge.

You could have some plastic, aluminium plynths made at a workshop ???

Round peg in square hole !

 

[Steady]

Have just come home after fitting a new pair of bath taps to an old cast iron bath and the holes were diamond shaped as you describe. The base of the new taps was a lot smaller in diameter than the old ones but they still covered the holes in the bath. I would recommend in your case getting some alternative taps with a larger base .

Out of interest I used the method also recommended by ChrisR above- i.e. silicone in the taphole and tophat washer underneath- solid!

 

[ChrisR]

I was passing the shop today and asked just for you...
Start at http://www.liquid-design.me.uk/showroom/index.html and search on vola then flange
http://www.liquid-design.me.uk/showroom/images/liquidimg/img_vola/A52cover-plates.jpg