Outside tap has been dripping for quite a while now, but not all the time, hence why I couldn't be bothered looking at it. Sometimes a quick turn on and off again would stop it dripping.
Anyway, in a moment of boredom this afternoon I decided to take a quick look at it, and it dawned on me that despite doing 1000's of DIY jobs over the years, I've never changed a tap washer before. I know how to, but have never actually done so.
Turn off water to said tap via the small valve under the kitchen sink. Out with the adjustable spanner to undo tap. Jeees! that's tight. Give it a bit more welly. Oh damn. I go and snap off one of the fixing screws that holds it to the wall.
Hmmm, ok, I'll detach the tap from the wall fixing and take it into the shed and clamp it in the vice. That was easy enough. But the vice in the shed wasn't man enough and I pulled it off the shelf it was attached to.
Over to the garage, get car out to gain access to the work bench at the rear of the garage that has the daddy of all vices attached to it.
Clamp the tap firmly into the vice. Attach adjustable spanner and still wouldn't budge. So I then attach a metal bar to the adjustable spanner for more leverage. Hmmm, the tap wasn't as firmly clamped into the vice as I thought it was as it fell out and landed on my foot - ouch.
Put tap back into vice again. This time making sure it is FIRMLY held in place. Apply spanner and metal bar again and after much cursing, swearing, huffing and puffing, I finally heard a crack.
No, it wasn't the sound of the tap breaking, but knowing my luck so far it wouldn't have surprised me if it had done. It was the crack of success as the body of the tap finally separated from the base so I could gain access to the rubber washer.
Damn again. It was the only size I didn't have in a packet of tap washers. Grrrr.
Careful inspection of the old washer revealed it wasn't perished, but just flattened out where it's been pressed against the valve seat all these years.
"I wonder if I can get away with just turning it over and use the other side of the washer?" I thought to myself. So, I gave it a try, and reassembled the tap.
Out with the PTFE tape. Reattach tap to wall fixing. Turn water back on under the sink.
Success! No more dripping tap.
Now all I've got to do is drill out the remains of the screw from the wall and replace with another one when I can be bothered. Not too fussed. It's still being held on with one screw.
So, a 5 min job that actually took me nearly 1½ hours! I wish I had just left it dripping now.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 13 Jan 18 at 21:05
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I get nervous when I hear of people repairing outside taps..
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Yep, been there many's a time with the exponentially expanding 5 minute job. Its a life lesson along with "measure twice, cut once".
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Best allow half a day for any job, any job that then takes five minutes is a bonus
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Anent washers, our 4 new quarter-turn lever bathroom taps don't have washers as we know them. It seems they have some kind of unyielding ceramic disk and the slightest speck of grit born down the hot water feed pipe and trapped makes one of the sink taps impossible to close completely. The resulting drip is slight and I wouldn't bother with it except we have a metered supply. The design of the spouts is such that I can't use the old plumber's trick of connecting the two with a small length of hose and blasting out one with the pressure of the other. Closing the tap, sealing off the spout with a thumb, turning on fully and suddenly opening the taps and releasing the pressure does not work either. Any other tips welcomed.
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Came home once after a nice holiday with my wife in Turkey.
Before our daughter was born, the two lads looked after our house for ten days.
They managed to block the toilet..Took all the connecting pipes off and finished about two in the morning clearing their mess.
I know I should have made them do it but they went into hiding when they heard me swearing.
I have a outside tap not leaking or dripping this present time.>:)
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Word of the day, ambo. Not seen "anent" for a long time. Enjoyed that thank you.
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Absolutely agree with Zero...
Neighbours (young South African) outside tap leaked so when his father who was over on a visit tried to fix it he asked to borrow my Stilsons and found exactly the same situation as above when trying to separate the tap to get at the washer.I was giving a hand.
I suggested a quick trip to the local plumbers merchants for a new tap and some PTFE tape and it was unsrewed from the wall and replaced in five minutes for a tenner
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I always find that a quick warm with the blowlamp very helpful for loosening tight taps!
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>> I always find that a quick warm with the blowlamp very helpful for loosening tight
>> taps!
>>
Don't encourage him, he'd probably have burned the house down.
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>> I suggested a quick trip to the local plumbers merchants for a new tap and
>> some PTFE tape and it was unsrewed from the wall and replaced in five minutes
>> for a tenner
Assuming the threads on the pipe connector are the same. Older fittings used a slightly finer thread. It seems the same until you have got it half-tight, then it seizes and you realise your mistake.
Just been there.
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>> Surely any sensible person does this right fro the off.
Like I said right at the start "in a moment of boredom"
In hindsight I wish I had stayed indoors in front of the TV.
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5 minute DIY job. Or maybe not! - Bobby
