mixer tap
- Thread starter stu26344
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If by "swivel joint" you mean the place where the spout comes out of the faucet body, then it's a simple fix.
Normally there is an O-ring between the spout and the faucet body that prevents water leaking out there. In your case, that O-ring is worn out and needs to be replaced. You simply have to unscrew the knurled knob holding the spout on, pull the spout out of the faucet and replace the O-ring you'll see at the bottom of the spout. There may be more than one O-ring, too.
It's a good idea it put some plumber's grease on the inside of the faucet body where the O-ring rides and some on the outside of the new O-ring, too. However, just use a thin film of grease. If you put gobs of the stuff on, then it'll come loose and plug up the aerator on the end of the spout.
Normally there is an O-ring between the spout and the faucet body that prevents water leaking out there. In your case, that O-ring is worn out and needs to be replaced. You simply have to unscrew the knurled knob holding the spout on, pull the spout out of the faucet and replace the O-ring you'll see at the bottom of the spout. There may be more than one O-ring, too.
It's a good idea it put some plumber's grease on the inside of the faucet body where the O-ring rides and some on the outside of the new O-ring, too. However, just use a thin film of grease. If you put gobs of the stuff on, then it'll come loose and plug up the aerator on the end of the spout.
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Shouldn't have to do anything beneath sink.
Have a good look at where the swivilling swanneck meets the tap blosk.
How is it held in position?
Is there a grub screw at the back?
Is there a threaded ring holding it down?
If either of the above remove screw or ring and pull up on the swan neck.
If neither of above then turn the swan neck 90 degrees to left and pull upwards. It may take some force. If that does not work turn it to right and pull up.
When you remove it you willsee rubber O rings which need replaced.
Let us know how you get on.
Have a good look at where the swivilling swanneck meets the tap blosk.
How is it held in position?
Is there a grub screw at the back?
Is there a threaded ring holding it down?
If either of the above remove screw or ring and pull up on the swan neck.
If neither of above then turn the swan neck 90 degrees to left and pull upwards. It may take some force. If that does not work turn it to right and pull up.
When you remove it you willsee rubber O rings which need replaced.
Let us know how you get on.
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chrishutt said:
Chris:
Don't even bother trying to determine the manufacturer. He buys the part from an O-ring manufacturer for next to nothing and then fleeces the customer on that O-ring simply because he thinks the customer has no option other than replacing the faucet.
Just go to any place that specializes in O-rings (there'll be at least one in every major town) and show them the old one. They should be able to measure it's height (which will be it's original diameter) and it's hardness and supply you with an identical replacement. They'll also know what kind of rubber to use for water applications because there are different materials used in different kinds of service. So, don't bother trying to identify the faucet. The guy across the counter at the O-ring shop just needs the old O-ring (or even what's left of it) to match you up with a replacement.
I have Crane faucets throughout my building. Here in Winnipeg I might have to pay Crane Supply $20.00 for a bag of ten O-rings for their kitchen faucet spouts. I can buy identical O-rings from Kepco on Orange Avenue for like, a nickel each. Ten would cost me fifty cents.
However, I recognize that most people just have to fix the ONE faucet, and don't want to be bothered driving all over town to save a buck or two.
But, plumbers buy their O-rings from the O-ring suppliers, not from the faucet manufacturers, cuz the mark-up on these piddly parts is absolutely exhorbitant. Least the plumbers in Winnipeg do.
Any place listed under "pneumatics" or "hydraulics" in your phone book will know who will probably stock O-rings for plumbing applications in your area.
We don't have many places like that Nestor. Some plumbers merchants would let you pick O rings from a box, but many would make you buy the whole box.
Hydraulics places might have more boxes, but they're few and far between and still haven't a clue what the materials are - in my experience! If someone can tell us of specialists it would be useful.
Stu it sounds like the rings you have are too big. They usually sit tightly in the groove on the spout part, just poking out to contact the fixed part.
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Stu:
The O-ring only looks square-ish because the OD is worn down (and probably worn almost flat). The O-ring should be round. The O-ring will only wear down in the direction of it's principle diameter; it's thickness will not change and any place that sells O-rings will measure that dimension with a micrometer to determine it's original diameter. O-rings come in standard sizes, so even an approximate dimension will allow the correct original dimension to be known.
(You can get "quad" rings which have an X shaped cross section, but they're not used in plumbing, or at lease not that I know of.)
"We don't have many places like that, Nestor." - ChrisR, March 7, 2006
Chris: Are you sure? Have you looked for any places like that? They're all over the place over here.
This place in Leicestershire supplies O-rings and they seem approachable:
http://www.supaseal.co.uk/
Here's a place in somewhere called "Hants" that supplies O-rings:
http://www.blue-diamond.co.uk/products/orings.html
Here's a place in West Midlands that sells lotsa O-rings:
http://www.sealparts.co.uk
And, here's a major supplier of mechanical equipment to industry all over Britain that even has a 100+ page O-ring selection guide free for the downloading on their web site (so that you can read it and become as knowledgeable as the guy on the other side of the counter about O-rings).
http://www.wyko.co.uk/seals/
I just got off the phone with Rick at Kepco here in Winnipeg. He's one of the more knowledgeable people there when it comes to O-rings. He said: (and you can probably go by this in Britain too):
For plumbing applications, the O-rings will be made from NITRILE rubber, which is also called "Buna-N" rubber. All rubber O-rings come in different rubber hardnesses, but most places will only stock the most commonly used hardnesses which are 70 and 90 durometer (which is a measure of hardness). The other hardnesses, like 50 durometer are special order and are very expensive because of that. There are only several standard hardnesses available for each kind of rubber, and for Buna-N it's 50, 70 and 90 durometer. For water plumbing applications, you need 70 durometer Buna-N rubber.
EPDM rubber (which stands for Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer rubber CAN be used for water plumbing applications, but is more heat resistant than Buna-N, and is generally only used with steam heating applications. Standard hardness for EPDM or "Ethlyene Propylene" rubber is 80 durometer, so if it's a steam heating application, ask for an EPDM rubber O-ring. It will almost certainly be 80 durometer rubber.
Rick also said that ANY place that's specializing in, or even selling, O-rings will be knowledgable enough to know what kind of rubber and hardness to use for water plumbing and steam heat applications. If they don't, then you're talking to someone they just hired yesterday. This is the kind of basic information that everyone in the business learns on the earliest and steepest part of the learning curve.
Rick also says that it's standard for the local Winnipeg plumbing companies to buy their O-rings there. Apparantly the garages do too. The O-ring from the front hub on a particular Ford transaxle he mentioned costs $1.28 at Kepco, but if you buy that exact same O-ring from a Ford dealership as a part for your truck, it will cost you about $30 EACH (!!!) and you need two of them; one for each side.
And when I think about stuff like that I get so mad I just start smashing things.
The O-ring only looks square-ish because the OD is worn down (and probably worn almost flat). The O-ring should be round. The O-ring will only wear down in the direction of it's principle diameter; it's thickness will not change and any place that sells O-rings will measure that dimension with a micrometer to determine it's original diameter. O-rings come in standard sizes, so even an approximate dimension will allow the correct original dimension to be known.
(You can get "quad" rings which have an X shaped cross section, but they're not used in plumbing, or at lease not that I know of.)
"We don't have many places like that, Nestor." - ChrisR, March 7, 2006
Chris: Are you sure? Have you looked for any places like that? They're all over the place over here.
This place in Leicestershire supplies O-rings and they seem approachable:
http://www.supaseal.co.uk/
Here's a place in somewhere called "Hants" that supplies O-rings:
http://www.blue-diamond.co.uk/products/orings.html
Here's a place in West Midlands that sells lotsa O-rings:
http://www.sealparts.co.uk
And, here's a major supplier of mechanical equipment to industry all over Britain that even has a 100+ page O-ring selection guide free for the downloading on their web site (so that you can read it and become as knowledgeable as the guy on the other side of the counter about O-rings).
http://www.wyko.co.uk/seals/
I just got off the phone with Rick at Kepco here in Winnipeg. He's one of the more knowledgeable people there when it comes to O-rings. He said: (and you can probably go by this in Britain too):
For plumbing applications, the O-rings will be made from NITRILE rubber, which is also called "Buna-N" rubber. All rubber O-rings come in different rubber hardnesses, but most places will only stock the most commonly used hardnesses which are 70 and 90 durometer (which is a measure of hardness). The other hardnesses, like 50 durometer are special order and are very expensive because of that. There are only several standard hardnesses available for each kind of rubber, and for Buna-N it's 50, 70 and 90 durometer. For water plumbing applications, you need 70 durometer Buna-N rubber.
EPDM rubber (which stands for Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer rubber CAN be used for water plumbing applications, but is more heat resistant than Buna-N, and is generally only used with steam heating applications. Standard hardness for EPDM or "Ethlyene Propylene" rubber is 80 durometer, so if it's a steam heating application, ask for an EPDM rubber O-ring. It will almost certainly be 80 durometer rubber.
Rick also said that ANY place that's specializing in, or even selling, O-rings will be knowledgable enough to know what kind of rubber and hardness to use for water plumbing and steam heat applications. If they don't, then you're talking to someone they just hired yesterday. This is the kind of basic information that everyone in the business learns on the earliest and steepest part of the learning curve.
Rick also says that it's standard for the local Winnipeg plumbing companies to buy their O-rings there. Apparantly the garages do too. The O-ring from the front hub on a particular Ford transaxle he mentioned costs $1.28 at Kepco, but if you buy that exact same O-ring from a Ford dealership as a part for your truck, it will cost you about $30 EACH (!!!) and you need two of them; one for each side.
And when I think about stuff like that I get so mad I just start smashing things.
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