Leaking Monobloc Kitchen Tap - Advice Sought!

[Invisibabe]

Hi all,

I'm doing up my house to sell it, and after standing on the work surface by the kitchen sink while painting, I noticed that water had started to seep out of the tap (somewhere in the inside)

I took a look under the sink, and noticed that one of the flexi tap connectors was only just long enough to screw into the copper water pipe. The connector was literally so taught that it was very difficult just to unscrew it.

I've not much in the way of plumbing knowledge, but I'm guessing the following -

1 - The plumber who fitted it 10 years back did it as a bit of a rush job when he should maybe have extended the copper pipe a bit.

2 - This toughtness, coupled with my weight up above, caused something to go wrong inside the tap, leading to the leak.

3 - To fix the issue, I'm going to have to start by either lengthening the copper pipe (something I have no clue about) or getting longer monobloc flexi connectors (if such a thing exists)

The current connectors are 300mm, and neither Plumb Store, Screwfix or B&Q had anything longer.

I found something on ebay, which looks like it might be the 500mm connector I'm looking for, but I can't be certain, as, well, all these different sizes of pipes and tipes of connections is a whole different world to me! - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-M10-...2828eb5dcd:m:mFSaQmLV7DuA85kqS9FGUWA#shpCntId

I'm going to try and post three photos of the connections I have at the moment. If I can manage not to mess this up, I'd be really grateful if somebody could take a look and confirm for me whether I've found what I need, thanks in advance

 

[Madrab]

You need to know if they are M10 or M12's but easy enough to get 500mm flexi tails

http://www.plumbers-mate-sales.co.u...-15mm-compression-500mm---54000292-1845-p.asp

 

[Hot&Cold]

Umm.see loads of these situations where the compression fitting has only made a temporary seal against a rubber washer. The installer has dropped a ******* or two.

you need tap tail adaptors,you may be lucky and the rubber washer shown could well be re used.seen many a flood caused when they have not been used

 

[Combicert]

Or just connect it to a flexi hose and stick a new washer in...

Edit: sorry - that was me not paying attention. You dont want that in the pic... give me a min i’ll find what you want.

Or - just read the above comment - who is quite correct...

 

[Invisibabe]

Thanks for your responses, guys.

Madrab - I've measured my current fittings and it does appear that they are M10s, rather than M12s.

I appreciate the link you provided for M10s. Is that definitely the correct fitting on the 'other' end for my pipes? If so, is there a reason why they are more than twice the cost of the ones I found on ebay, which (I think) are the same? Is it down to quality of the items?

Old&Cold and Combicert - Do I definitely need tap tail adaptors when the leak is inside the tap rather than from the pipework underneath? Also, it's 500mm I'm looking for rather than 300mm.

 

[Combicert]

From the pics i looked at and a scan of your description - i assumed it was leaking from where the tails entered the tap...?

As you say - your options were to lengthen the pipe - longer tails - or put a connector in between the pipe tail and the pipe...

Where exactly is it leaking..?

 

[Madrab]

I guess the end of the original flexi was connected directly to the elbow and it was that end it was leaking at? That fitting isn't designed to take a straight tap connector, the rubber washer usually gets cut as the fluted face the olive would sit on has a sharp edge

The ones I linked to would then mean you just take the whole elbow off the copper and then the nut and olive left on the pipe should replace the one on the fitting. Just get some gas PTFE tape and wrap the olive with a couple of turns before nipping it all up.

 

[Hot&Cold]

brass tap tail adaptors.New hoses on order

 

[dilalio]

@Invisibabe as others have mentioned above... do this right!

When you tinker with leaking plumbing you can often end up with leaks that are in a different place than before!
Putting rubber washers between a standard compression 90 degree elbow (that is currently on your fixed pipework) and the female threaded nut of the flexi hose is not ideal... especially when you’re reinstating it after 10 years! Remove the elbow and connect a compression flexi or buy and fit “fit for purpose” connectors between the compression elbow and the flexi hose... just as others have pointed out above

Edit: split rings can be very nasty!!!

 

[Madrab]

Yeah, They're great for DIY'ers.

All I do with ISO's tho is file down the fluted edge with a flat file, as they're brass they file easily and give you a nice flat face for the washer to sit on

 

[denso13]

the leak is inside the tap rather than from the pipework underneath

Can you explain this a bit more? Where is the leak showing up? Is it coming from the body of the tap and appearing underneath the sink?

 

[Madrab]

Can you explain this a bit more? Where is the leak showing up? Is it coming from the body of the tap and appearing underneath the sink?

Oh right, missed that bit about inside the tap , when I saw the first pic with the rubber washer all knackered I guessed it was that.