Bath Tap Problem...

[Sam_G]

Hi All,

For years i've had problems getting the bath taps to seal. The basic issue is that the holes appear to have been drilled a good bit wider than they should have been. I measure the gap between the holes to be about 7 1/2" and the holes are about 1.5" Diameter. Don't know whether this is some old standard or whether the bath originally didn't have mixer taps or whether it's just bodged DIY...

The taps we have are fractionally over 7" (180mm?) with 3/4" BSP fittings and this seems to be the current standard. The issue being that the tap edges barely cover the edges of the holes and the fittings are floating around in the holes making it even harder to line up right.

For years we've got round this by siliconing around the taps but the issue with this is the silicone doesn't last all that long in the humid environment and the first indication they've started to leak is water in the kitchen!

So yesterday I stripped the silicone off and made an effort to try and get it done properly. I first tried standard 3/4" washers between the taps and the bath but the seals just wouldn't quite cover the holes. I then set about trying to seal from underneath with all sorts of combinations of washers and bits and pieces but the surface is a very uneven almost honeycomb type surface and it seems impossible to get anything to seal properly from underneath either.

Before I give up and get the silicone out again to go round the taps I thought I would ask on here, I suppose in the vague hope that a 7 1/2" gap is some older or different standard that I might be able to get taps for somewhere? The only alternative I can think of is to get some physically bigger (and hence slightly wider overall ) taps to give me more chance of getting a seal between the taps and the bath but these invariably seem to be the expensive ones...

Or any other ideas?

Thanks in advance...

 

[Charnwood]

First, what type of mixer is it; Classic, Contemporary, Utility?

Second, have you thought about a monobloc mixer and a tap-hole stopper?
Or something like this, Pegler Panacea 2 hole mixer:

Last, mixers are available where the 'legs' are adjustable, but they tend to be from Classic range:

 

[mcmoby69]

Fixatap have something that might work for you, i think its the blue packet you need for acrylic baths. failing that a piece of flat rubber slightly bigger than the tap. mark out and cut the tail holes then slip onto the tap, trim the rubber to the shape of the tap then fit to bath.

other than that stirp the tap out of the bath and clean everthing, drop the tap into position, using a silicon gun squeeze some CT1 around the tap tails into the gap, then fit nuts and tighten, then attach pipework.

sounds simple dunnit?

http://www.ct1ltd.com/
http://www.essexflanges.com/fix-a-tap.html

 

[Sam_G]

Thanks,

It's this type of thing... with a shower mixer.

http://www.diy.com/nav/rooms/bathro...z/Plumbsure-Quartz-Bath-Shower-Mixer-11477554

I think i'd have to end up with a four hole type thing to include a shower mixer? And good find on those classic taps with variable legs, but I don't think they'd fit with the rest of the bathroom

That fix a tap stuff looks like it might be worth a go. Am i getting this right... this goes on the underside between the bath and the plastic locking nut? Do you know how compressible the sealing part of it is? honestly I can't tell you how uneven the underside of the bath is. And it's not flat. That's why I've found it so difficult I think.

Thanks again.