Ok, I'm a sparky by trade but will turn my hand to most DIY tasks. Consequently when my kitchen mixer tap started leaking around the neck swivel joint thingy, I thought I'd replace the two worn out O rings which I assumed were causing the leak. Finding the correct size proved pretty much impossible, even after visiting a couple of plumbers merchants they didn't quite have the right size. So I tried packing the grooves out with PTFE tape which is an old plumbers trick that has got me out of a few pickles in the past. Imaging my surprise on testing this temporary fix to find that on closer inspection the leak wasn't from the seals at all but from some tiny pin prick corrosion holes close to the joint! Removing the swan neck and having a good inspection relieved corrosion inside the tube which had gone all the way through to the outside bursting past the chrome plating resulting in tiny pin prick holes.
Now I bought this mixer tap from B and Q several years ago so it's getting on a bit but I am shocked and surprised that this substantial piece of pipe would corrode in my lifetime let alone a few years. I can only think that during the manufacturing process there must have been some chemicals used either fluxes or pastes to hasten such corrosion.
As this is not fixable I'm now gonna have to fork out the best part of a hundred quid to get a new one. Bugger!
Now I bought this mixer tap from B and Q several years ago so it's getting on a bit but I am shocked and surprised that this substantial piece of pipe would corrode in my lifetime let alone a few years. I can only think that during the manufacturing process there must have been some chemicals used either fluxes or pastes to hasten such corrosion.
As this is not fixable I'm now gonna have to fork out the best part of a hundred quid to get a new one. Bugger!
