Mixer tap - how to open up?

Dazza001 · 25 Jul 2007

Hi - I have a dripping mixer tap in the kitchen. Today I turned off the water to take a look, and starting with the hot one (as I don't know which of the 2 is the problem.) I took off the tap cover and unscrewed & removed the handle. This is where I got stumped, as I was greeted with
this

I don't want to mess around with it without knowing what I'm doing, but obviously there isn't an exposed headgear nut here (I was hoping for a garden variety washer/reseating problem). How do I get the tap head out?

My worry is that this may well be a ceramic disc tap and I was never given any info on the kind/make of tap. If it is a ceramic disc job, is it possible to get a match without knowing the make or model by taking it to a shop?

Thanks in advance for any help in getting the tap head out etc...

Dazza.

Bahco · 25 Jul 2007

Take a pic of the rest of the tap in situ.

It may be that you can replace the cartridge

Dazza001 · 25 Jul 2007

Ok, thanks. Will take (and post) a pic tomorrow morning -- just of the whole tap/sink area, do you mean? (i.e. 2 mixer tap handles / spout)?

Dazza

Bahco · 25 Jul 2007

No need to post a pic of the sink.

Just need to see if the body has cartridges on which can be unscrewed and replaced

Dazza001 · 26 Jul 2007

Ah... OK... so no need to photo my sink full of dirty dishes, then

OK... here's a few pics...the first is as the one in the earlier post, but this time with the handle screwed back on and the cover replaced. The others are just a general capture of the taps & spout:

one

two

three

Thanks!

Dazza.

foxhole · 26 Jul 2007

I would change the tap completely, with having plastic construction removing the internals can destroy them , less hassle to change.

Dazza001 · 26 Jul 2007

OK, thanks... I have thought about completely replacing the tap, but the people who put this place together have made it virtually impossible to get in there without having to do some major surgery on the under-sink unit. So, ideally cartridge replacements might be the way to go -- I'm just not sure (i) how to get the existing ones out - I take it that big black hexagonal plastic nut in my first post just unscrews, and the cartridge comes out? And (ii) where to start looking for suitable replacements, given I have no clue as to the make/model?

kevplumb · 27 Jul 2007

get a decent adjustable and undo the black nut and go steady

PlanetThanet · 27 Jul 2007

Hi

Found this site recently http://www.tapspares.co.uk/

Someone had way too much time on their hands to measure and photograph all that lot but is really useful all the same.

HTH

Thanet.

Dazza001 · 27 Jul 2007

Thanks for all the replies, everyone... I'll keep working on this one!

Dazza.

Dazza001 · 29 Jul 2007

OK... an update on this after a weekend of DIY (including repairing 2 toilets that may/may not be working now) and more than a few trips to Wickes.

After undoing the black nut (see pic in 1st post again) all I saw was the red spindle bit going back further into a moulded red unit (didn't take a pic as phone was dead). Unsure of how to get this off the get the actual cartridge out. Ideas?

So, as a possible alt solution I bought a new mixer tap this morning. Took off the cupboard door, uncrewed all the waste pipes, tap connectors etc and set to work (or so I thought). As I feared, the back nut on the existing mixer is impossible to get to (or at least to me and the tools I have). It is fast against the back of the recess, and the 2 copper pipes that come out of the mixer are fast on the other side of it. After a couple of hours of trying I gave up and have reconnected everything again. I did think about sawing off most of the pipes coming out of the tap to give me a good go at the back nut... but thought a Sunday afternoon wasn't the best time to try this out. If I did do that, I assume I'd then have to screw the new copper pipes in under the sink and up into the new tap or else I'd have the same problem in reverse when trying to tighten the new one.

Again, any ideas? After a weekend of this I'm pretty tired so any further info on getting the cartridge out or getting this back nut off would be much appreciated...

Cheers,

Dazza.

Bahco · 29 Jul 2007

Maybe its time to get a plumber in.

Softus · 29 Jul 2007

Dazza, Bahco has a point. The job of replacing a kitchen mixer, whilst commonplace and simple in principle, is often frought with several obstacles and difficulties. For example, once, and only once, I had to remove the sink to do the job. A plumber would know at a glance if this was going to be necessary.

Just in case you're determined...

Dazza001 said:
After undoing the black nut (see pic in 1st post again) all I saw was the red spindle bit going back further into a moulded red unit (didn't take a pic as phone was dead). Unsure of how to get this off the get the actual cartridge out. Ideas?

Pull it in the right direction with the right amount of force.

As I feared, the back nut on the existing mixer is impossible to get to (or at least to me and the tools I have).

Is it a small nut on a stud, nestling between the copper tails, or is it a large nut that goes around the tails?

I assume I'd then have to screw the new copper pipes in under the sink and up into the new tap or else I'd have the same problem in reverse when trying to tighten the new one.

No. It's usual to attach the tails and the stud before installing the tap, then do up the nut with box spanners.

Again, any ideas?

Apart from the above, please stop shopping at Wickes. The quality of most of the plumbing components is not good, especially the waste bits.

Dazza001 · 30 Jul 2007

Bahco & Softus: thanks for the replies.

I think I may well just get a plumber in to sort this, especially also as my toilet "repairs" seem to have worked out less successful than hoped. I know a guy who's pretty fair and should be able to come in and do the taps & toilets without much bother and at an OK price, providing I buy all the parts.

Softus: The back nut under my sink is like a brass bolt with a long, hexagonal brass nut keeping a horseshoe clip/washer in place.
Also, I knew about the usual way of putting the tails on before installing the tap, but was just thinking that I would get a much better shot at doing up the new back nut if the copper tails weren't in place at that point.

It's just one of those things where I wished I'd got someone else to do it to begin with - some jobs are clearly within your grasp, others clearly not, but this is one of those grey areas where you like to have a go...

Thanks again for all the replies. Any significant developments & I'll post back with the results, just in case it helps anyone else in future.

Cheers,

Dazza.

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Mixer tap - how to open up?

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