I'm useless. I can't even dismantle a ****ing tap

Hi.

I'm trying for the first time to stop a tap from dripping and I can't even dismantle the tap. It's ok I loath myself. I removed the only screw I could find which was in the side of the handle. There is no screw under the plastic handle cover, just smooth metal.

I've tried pulling hard on the handle. I tried putting a leather belt round it and pulling.

The spindle and the tap handle should come off at the same time, right?

The tap looks very common or garden. [/img]

Undoing the screw should allow you to remove the handle if there is no additional screw in the top but it’s obviously stuck. To get access to the tap innards you need to undo the body of the tap with a suitable wrench; if you look at the domed bit it has flats on it about half way down.

Problem with old taps like this is they corrode & can be a pig to get apart & even when you do you end up damaging the chrome. Sometimes it’s easier & quicker to buy & fit a new taps or pair of taps; those are quiet cheap.

Yes, the handle should just lift off if you've taken the screw out, but they can stick and it can take a lot of jiggling. Try doing it with the tap fully open and fully closed. The shroud will come off separately, sometimes they are screwed on as well, so you need to loosen with a big spanner. I use a rag round the tap to try and protect the chrome. Finally you need to unscrew the tap insert from the main body to get to the washer -- if you've had trouble with the handle and the shroud then as Richard C says this could be really hard to do, especially if you're in a hard water area and the tap has been on for years and years. So I agree it might be easier to replace the whole tap...

If the leak is that annoying then carry on, as said you need to remove the top handle bit, but unless you can free the bit with the flats on there is no point trying to get the top off.

So use a good adjustable or pipe grip & try to release the bit with the flats, it will turn anti-clockwise, if you manage to free that then the handle will free using a hammer handle tap from underneath, or as you free the chrome part as that screws up put a piece of wood between the top & the tap handle & it will push it up.

If you finish by breaking it, its only a few ££ for a new pair.

DONT FORGET TO TURN THE WATER OFF, BEFORE YOU REMOVE THE WASHER ASSEMBLY

Just go and buy some new taps then..... DESTROY!

RigidRaider said:

Just go and buy some new taps then..... DESTROY!

Click to expand...

Thats what I did after I tried to replace the washer (couldnt get the correct size), but you have still got to get them off.