Replacing tap on sink - can't undo the (pushfit?) hoses!

[RostokMcSpoons]

Arggghhhhh... I'm stuck at the first real hurdle, removing the existing tap's hoses from the copper piping.

Instead of a simple nut to undo, I'm faced with a plain plastic sleeve, and what appears to be a plastic collar on the pipe. I can twist the darned thing around forever (or at least until the metallic hose gets itself into a twist) but there's no sign of it coming off.

Sink hoses

• RostokMcSpoons
• 6 Nov 2014
• 1

Push fittings?

I've tried using a screwdriver between the collar and the sleeve, and it does move, but won't pop off... and part of the collar snapped off under the strain.

What do I need to do???


(And once I get it off, what are the chances I'll find a threaded end on the pipe, to fit my hoses to? Do I need to go buy more fittings?)

Any help much appreciated!
Cheers

 

[twgas]

The grey collar at the bottom of the fitting pushes up into the white bit, then the whole thing will pull off. You wont find any thread on the pipe.

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

The grey collar at the bottom of the fitting pushes up into the white bit, then the whole thing will pull off. You wont find any thread on the pipe.

Mick, thanks for the quick reply....

Those grey collars seem pretty immovable, do I need to put a wrench below it and lever up with a screwdriver? I'm worried more plastic will just snap off if I do... is there a specialist tool I need? Should I squirt in some WD40 to loosen it? Or heat.. or cold?

B&Q etc are all closed so it'll have to wait for the morning to buy a fitting. The tap came supplied with threaded hot and cold valves, what will I need to buy to fit those to? The hose has 15mm stamped on it - presumably that's the size of the copper piping?

Which also reminds me - the hot water pipe does not have a valve, but when I close the stopcock on the cold pipe, the hot water stops running from the tap... I wasn't about to make some drastic error when removing that hot water hose was I? I felt pretty safe as opening the drain valve let out the contents of the hose but no more, and the pipe went cold.


Once again thanks for your help

 

[twgas]

If your new tubes are longer than the old ones you could try cutting the copper just below the plastic fittings.
Best bet would be compression ends on the tubes but it sounds like you've bought BSP ones.

 

[longdogs]

Try holding an adjustable spanner underneath the grey part (to hold it in place) whilst pushing the fitting down towards it, then sliding the whole thing up with a slight twisting motion. There are removal tools available but the grey part looks a bit mangled tbh, Also try opening the taps whilst doing it.

If you have a combi boiler then turning off the at the stop valve will stop both hot & cold.

The cold pipe has a bit of a bend in it just below the flexi, so I would avoid any cutting below. A compression might not fit onto it properly. Any cutting should be done below the soldered joint on a nice straight pipe if possible.

 

[footprints]

As said pushing them on further 2mm or so while pressing the collar in will help them to release.

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

Thank you all so much for the helpful replies - I'm at work now so I'll have to try this out later, but I know what I'm dealing with now. I'm just a little concerned the collars are stuck, but maybe if I try some 'percussive maintenance'...

It's so strange, I spent a while googling for videos or web pages (with terms like 'push fit sink hose', once I'd determined that was probable type) and found nothing helpful. Are these unusual fittings? Or did I use the wrong terminology? Or is it just that my search skills lacking?

 

[footprints]

Search push fit tap connectors

http://www.johnguest.com/Home/about-us/speedfit-technology.aspx

Good luck

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

Good news! I've managed to remove the connectors from the pipework without resorting to a hacksaw.

Bad news:

1) I can't undo the same style connectors from the bottom of the existing tap It's probably just a result of the lack of accessibility and visibility to the connectors (they're tucked in behind the sink so there's no room around them. There's not enough space in the hole to draw the still-connected hoses up through the sink (I need to disconnect one of them, at least).

2) I had a lot more trouble with water coming out of the pipes even with the main valve closed tight. I think I had more hot water in the system this time... but any touch on the top of the exposed pipes led to to a renewed stream of water... Not quite sure what I'd done wrong.

Anyway the upshot was I reconnected the old tap work overnight.

I think now I'm going to switch the water and heating off again, and hacksaw the copper pipe that comes out of the bottom of the tap - the fitting is loose enough to access that from above the sink. Does that sound like a sensible plan?


edit: I'm still having problems with running water even with the main valve off, the heating and hot water off. Obviously it's very low pressure, but enough to make a right old mess if it gets under the wooden flooring in my kitchen (yeah, I know). I've opened the taps in my downstairs loo, and used the drain valves on the pipework, but it seems if I change anything it prompts another stream of water from whatever is open. Is there something I'm missing? Have I done things in the wrong order? Does the hot water system need to cool down?

This alleged 15 minute job is turning into a multi-hour nightmare I might need to get a plumber out at this rate :stares at empty wallet:

 

[longdogs]

It sounds like your stop valve is not shutting off properly (common problem).

You should be able to remove the flexi tails through the hole in the sink by taking one nut through at a time

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

What sort of hot water system have you got? If it's the traditional cylinder, then you've probably got a cistern full of cold water up the roof feeding the cylinder and thus the hot taps. If the gate valve on the supply from the cold storage to the cylinder hasn't fully shut off (highly likely!!!!), then until the contents of the cold storage cistern have drained you wont stop the flow from the hot supply!

If you've got new flexi's to connect the new taps then saw through the old to remove if need be, they're scrap so doesn't matter. Don't hacksaw through the copper pipes and then try to fit a push fit fitting, the jagged edges left on the copper pipe will shred the O ring and the fitting will leak. Always cut copper pipe with a pipe cutter or at very least chamfer the cut edge with a file before attempting to fit a push fit fitting to it.

Lastly make sure the flexi's are not kinked or twisted in any way, shape or form. Doing so can cause poor flow and premature failure of the flexi!

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

Success!

I've got a combi boiler. I just opened the downstairs taps and let them run (at not much more than a steady trickle) for longer than I thought it would take, and eventually the flow stopped.

I hacksawed one pipe at the bottom of the tap and after that it was relatively plain sailingsailing.

Thanks very much for all the guidance, I couldn't have finished it without your help... I'd have bottled it and called a plumber