Bath mixer taps turning but not working

[Cluelessandpeniless]

Hi everyone I am looking for advice. I have a bath mixer taps those traditional ones from ideal standards. They came with the house 2 years ago. They turn but water does not come out! In fact the body of the mixer tap gets warm with hot water but no water is running. There are no issues with the other taps in the bathroom or the house. I had plumbers looking at this twice replacing the washers each time but the taps will stop working the next day or so. The last visit was in the region of £200. I simply cannot do this again. The taps are very old (ideal standard) but too difficult to replace. I took the bath panel off and it is really an impossible job to do because of where how deep and close to the wall the pipes are. My question is what could be the issue? The last plumber looked at the gland and he thought they looked fine and new to him- most likely to be a replacement . Any ideas?

 

[jj4091]

Are they quarter turn or scew in/out. Can you feel resitance when you turn the knob to the off position. Is it possible the top has come loose and is just spinning on the shaft. It sounds like you should not have to change the taps but just tap tops would.sort it out. Seems strange they should both fail in the same manner though. Does the spout have an aerator at all, could it be getting blocked. A pic of the tap might help somebody recognise the exact problem.

 

[Cluelessandpeniless]

Thanks for your response. It is this type of taps. There is no aerator on it and both taps feel normal when you turn them on and off except for the fact that no water comes out of the spout. There is no aerator on this one. Do you think I can just replace the top taps but not the whole thing? Thank you

 

[jj4091]

I think I would reemove the diverter and make sure there are no obstructions inside it. Not sure you would get golden tap tops but you could try a search. As I said though it seems strange that both taps are the same. After seeing your pic I would be inclined to think it might be the diverter valve that is somehow causing the problem

 

[Cluelessandpeniless]

Thanks jj4091, that makes a lot of sense! I will give it a try first

 

[Cluelessandpeniless]

Hi I just wanted to say you were right. The diverter shuttle was broken and stuck in closing position which meant that the water was blocked both to the shower head and spout. Unfortunately to take it out and replace it, I needed to open the top taps but I wasn’t budging. I managed to take out part of the bottom bit so at least I can fill the bath now. This will do until one day I get to replace the bathroom. Thanks mate

 

[jj4091]

You are welcome. If you decide to try and repair it in the future contact Ideal Standard for any parts you might need.

 

[blup]

I had the make and model, the diverter rusted up but as there had never been a good flow I bought an own brand mixer from b n q for half the price. Ideal are generally reliable but they show no interest in improving design imo