Bathroom monobloc mixer tap leaking at base

[chardon]

Hello,

My bathroom sink monobloc mixer tap has water pouring from the base of the tap, so much so that I have had to shut off the water permanently.

Thinking it might be the hot and cold water pipes I have replaced these but the problem seems worse than ever. I lifted the tap from the base when the water was on and it just seems to be flowing straight out of the bottom. The O ring looks intact, and even so the water seems to be leaking from the entire base, not the area that the O ring covers.

Help!

 

[longdogs]

I'm assuming that you changed the two screw in pipes underneath the tap either copper or flexis. Could you have overtightened them damaging the small O rings? were there o rings in place? Pipes should be hand tight plus a gnat's with a spanner.

 

[chardon]

Thanks for your response!

Just undone them to check but the O Rings are fine. It seems like the water is running up onto the tap and somehow getting beneath the cartridge to flow back down? The water doesn't com from the pipe connections but from the tap itself.

 

[Burnerman]

You're not suffering from the old fractured flexy, are you? Beneath the stainless braid, I mean?
John

 

[chardon]

The pipes are brand new and I had the same problem with the old ones (which is why I replaced them) so I don't think so.

 

[Burnerman]

For sure, thats a strange one.....it soulds like there must be a crack in the base casting (almost impossible if its brass) or faulty machining has meant that the securing bolt hole has broken into a waterway somehow.
(Overtightening?).
Was this a tap from oriental origins, maybe?
John

 

[chardon]

Everything was new when we bought the flat 4 years ago but couldn't say where from to be honest. There is no branding on the tap which might mean it isn't of the highest quality?! Presumably if that is the case then the only answer would be a new tap?

 

[Burnerman]

I think the only thing you can do is to try the taps from another water supply to see where the leak actually is, or simply bite on the bullet for a new tap.
I can't see a quality brassware fitting failing like this one.....but most taps have no branding anyway. A picture could help, if its worth the bother.
John