Cannot find suitable Flexi tap tail - please help

[leoinlios]

I am looking for the following item:
Flexible monoblock tap connector 12mm male thread at tap end, 1/2'' female BSP Thread at other end (for iso Valve).

I looked online and in all the local shops, but no luck. This is the very pipe I need, not 10mm and not ending with a compression fitting or other fitting.

I have tried:
Wickes
Grahams
Plumbase
HPS
Screwfix
Plumb Centre

And online there is this one:
http://www.notjusttaps.co.uk/spares-flexitails-12mm.htm
but a total of £7+£4 delivery seems a lot of money for this...

Any ideas?

Thank you

PS: Last week I did posted about this (in a different way) and someone offered me their pipes, but they were not 12mm, so I am back to zero.

Leo

 

[dolph]

With the greatest respect you seem to have spent hours trying to save a couple of quid. £11 for what fits your purpose seems good value, but yes you may find others for a couple of quid cheaper, is it really worth all the effort and aggro?

 

[TicklyT]

Iso. valves are usually made with compression fittings, so there's a tapered seating for an olive, not a flat face like a tap tail. That tends to cut through the sealing washer.

It's easier to fit a short tail of copper pipe in the iso. valve outlet, and into a compression fitting end on the flexi. than it is to file up the end of the valve then try and get it to seal.

 

[wotan]

Iso. valves are usually made with compression fittings, so there's a tapered seating for an olive, not a flat face like a tap tail. That tends to cut through the sealing washer.

It's easier to fit a short tail of copper pipe in the iso. valve outlet, and into a compression fitting end on the flexi. than it is to file up the end of the valve then try and get it to seal.

I agree, on occasions, I have brought the end fittings to suit, and silver soldered them together to make a fitting that will do the job.

Wotan

 

[leoinlios]

Thanks for the replies, I order the tails for £11.

Dolph, you are right about the effort of research vs cost of £11, but I often find that for example Wickes sells things for £9 which cost £2 in Tool Station (next door to each other in Brighton), for the same quality product. Therefore a little research often is justified.

As per the connection to the iso valves, I wanted to reproduce the existing connection of the previous tap, which was tap directly to iso via flex pipe. I am not experienced with copper or compression fittings, so I guessed the best thing would be to reproduce something that had worked before.

Leo

 

[johnheritage]

You haven't got a copy of toolstation.com's catalog yet?

I'm sure I've seen tails with compressions and a screw thread on the other end in there, and they're often cheaper than Screwfix. B&Q and Wickes aren't in the same domain on prices, staff and service.

Free next day delivery if the order is over £10, or use the store finder and walk into the local one, collecting a free drink as you pass go (seriously).

I carry the catalog around like a little bible now, reading it on the toilet, comparing prices in B&Q for a laugh (£8 for the rollers I paid £1-2 for, £10 for 10m of wire, £15 for a 50m spool of the same wire, etc).

The guy in there gave me a free diamond blade today because he'd already got it off the shelf and I buy so much in there.

I would bum them if toolstation was a physical entity. But I can't do that to a building, not a clad one anyway, and not without a hole saw, which I can also get there. Hmmmmm

 

[leoinlios]

Toolstation does not sell the product. I looked there first thing, I also am a frequent consumer there, they are very good.
Not Just Taps, charged me £4 delivery and I have not received the item yet (ordered monday, today thursday), a little bit out of order really considering that Amazon does not charge me delivery and the orders always arrive before they are expected... Hopefully they will arrive later on today...

 

[johnheritage]

I will have to have words.

Froogle is another good resource for prices - it's google's price comparator.

There are tons of those price comparison things, but froogle does actually work and is easy.

If I'm buying something, like a digital vacuum gauge I bought recently, I'll quickly scan through froogle.

I can easily knock £20-30 off some of the prices with a few seconds on froogle, for the same item. Sometimes the differences can be a hundred or more on the more expensive stuff, for the same item.