Fixing a Stiff Tap on a Kitchen Mixer

Hi Guys

I have a cold tap on my kitchen mixer that is very stiff to turn.


At the moment I am leaving the tap insert in place (quite stuck too) and have poured some vinegar over the tap insert to see if this will dissolve limescale and free the tap up. Does anyone think this might work, or won't the vinegar get into the tap insert?

The thing is, when I use the tap isolation valve to cut the water supply to the mixer, the cold tap turns quite freely, it's only when I turn the water on that the stiffness occurs. Does that mean it's not the limescale but the washer causing the problem?

Thanks

Don't even bother. A pair of brass bits with tops is only £12 or so. Just change it.

ChrisR said:

Don't even bother. A pair of brass bits with tops is only £12 or so. Just change it.

Click to expand...

You reckon replace the entire tap insert then? The only thing that concerns me is how easy it is to find an exact match. The kitchen mixer does look fairly common to me, so I guess it shouldn't be that hard. I did however find a guide to maintaining tap inserts and was thinking of immersing the existing ones in vinegar to remove limescale:

http://www.plumbteamltd.co.uk/tap.html

Rgds

As suggested, replace the tap inserts as a whole. Take one to your merchant as a pattern and change both.