Mixer tap keeps loosening

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1 Jul 2006
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I have a Pancher mixer tap for the kitchen sink. I find that every 2 - 3 weeks I have to tighten the bolt under the sink as the whole tap comes loose and rotates. Any hints on what could be causing this?
 
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Sensible manufacturers supply a rubber gasket for the top part where it touches the sink top, this prevents spin of the tap. As long as this rubber part is in, and the nut beneath is tight you shouldn't have a problem.

Plumb centre sell a set of box spanners for the nut.

Some of these taps are very poorly designed, so are kitchen sinks, as floppy as aluminium foil with a long necked tap on them.

Nothing for plumbing is designed by engineers any longer, it's all made by narcisitic pussys to look good on a makeover program.
 
I removed the nut underneath almost completely and noticed a rubber gasket with a break in it that has obviously slipped from between the sink and tap to under the sink during movement.

From your posting, sounds like if I replace this all should be well.

Who would have thought that a question from Australia would be answered by someone in the UK in a matter of hours...thanks.
 
Yes rubber gaskets supplied are often inadequate, as I said the designers haven't a clue about the engineering required for their stuff to function in a serviceable manner.

The basic principle regarding tap movement is really very simple, use a good rubber on top with nothing slippery on it, dry everything, tighten up from below, if with a single large nut make sure a slippery nylon type gasket is used between nut and appliance to allow the nut to slip as it tightens so that maximum force can be exerted as downward force on the rubber, which grabbs, and seals.

Simple really isn't it?

Yet they supply you with flimbsy o ring style things that don't even span the tap hole adequately.

But what they make does look nice on telly.

Just blame the plumber if the tap swivels round......

Then of course you get the people who don't apreciate the physics so do all sorts of silly things like suplement the rubber with silicone, making the thing squish out as nut is tightened.
 
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Many stainless steel sinks are so thin that the tap wobbles about as well as coming loose. Franke provides a reinforcing plate that goes between the sink and the C washer to stop this happening.

My solution in the past has been to make a large washer out of MDPE (a bit of old chopping board is ideal!).
 
I bow to others' experience, but I've found that when done up tight enough, without a washer topside, nothing slips.
I wouldn't expect to get it tight with a small tommy bar, the socket set comes out.


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I am reminded by another post here that the cylindrical nut could be a plastic thing, which makes it harder to get tight perhaps. Bin it and use a brass one if that's the case. Merchants sell them.
 

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