How To Change A Tap Washer

Can I change a tap washer without turning the water off?

1. Turn Off Your Water Supply – Before changing the tap washer, ensure that the water supply to the tap is turned off. You can turn off the water supply at either of two places:

Stop valve, which is located next to your water meter Isolation valve, which you can find on the pipes underneath the affected basin or bath

Once this is done, turn on the tap to release any excess water in the pipes. Following this, it is a good idea to put the plug in the basin or bath to prevent any debris from getting into the drain while you are working.

Can you replace a washer on a tap cartridge?

Tap Cartridge Replacement – A tap cartridge replacement is needed to fix ceramic disc taps with lever handles. You might also need to replace the full-turn tap cartridge instead of the washer. Mixer tap cartridge replacement How to replace:

1. Turn off the water and open the tap to let the water out
2. Remove the screw holding the handle onto the tap cartridge
3. Remove the handle by pulling it off
4. Unscrew the shroud around the tap cartridge
5. Remove the tap cartridge with an adjustable spanner
6. Fit the new tap cartridge and tighten it with an adjustable spanner
7. Refit the shroud and handle
8. Turn the water on and test the tap

Why is my tap dripping?

Why does a tap drip in the first place? – It’s usually little things that cause the tap to leak and drip, and these can often be resolved without the help of a plumber. The issue is usually the rubber seals – limescale can form on them over time or they may become leaky due to material wear. These seals or O-rings can be replaced quickly and easily.

How do I stop my tap from leaking water?

How to fix a leaky tap and save water Before you start this repair, you need to do two things: 1. Get replacement parts Washers for most taps above come in standard sizes. However, some modern taps do without washers altogether or may have different seals.

1. See below for more on washerless taps.2.
2. Turn off the water supply (see below to learn how) You may find an isolation valve on the pipe below the tap you need to work on.
3. This needs to be turned with a screwdriver.
4. If there isn’t one, find the nearest stopcock and turn off the supply there instead.
5. Turn on the tap to make sure no water is coming out before you start to dismantle it! Fixing taps: the steps 1.

Remove the handle and cover from the tap (or the combined handle and cover) then unscrew the tap headgear nut to remove the body of the tap from the fitting. Cover the nut with a cloth if it will be visible while the tap is in use, to protect it from scratches.

1. It is important to secure the spout while you unscrew the headgear, in order to prevent the whole tap turning round.
2. This can damage the pipework or crack the sink.
3. Get a helper to hold the tap firmly by the spout or hold it with the hand not holding the spanner.
4. Use penetrating oil to loosen the nut if it is stuck, rather than using too much force and breaking your bathroom suite.2.

Once the body of the tap comes away, you can remove the old washer from the pin at the bottom. It may just pull off with pliers, or you may need to remove a small nut or screw. You should be able to see the damage to the washer that is causing the drip.

If the washer appears to be in good condition, then the valve seat inside the fitting may have worn down instead. This can be repaired at home, but it’s best to call a plumber as special tools are needed to regrind the surface of the valve.3. Fit the new washer. It may be a tight fit to get the washer over the pin.

If so, apply some petroleum jelly and use the side of your pliers or a spanner to push it down.4. Now you can replace the tap headgear, taking care to hold the tap securely when tightening the nut. Turn the water supply back on and check the tap is working properly again.

• Mixer taps Mixer taps come in a range of different designs but most consist of two taps attached to a single, central spout.
• These taps can be mended in the same way as single taps.
• However, you will need to work out first which tap is causing a drip from the communal spout.
• The simplest way to do this is to turn off the supply to each tap in turn and check which stops the drip.

Mixer units may also have a separate ‘o-ring’ seal at the base of the spout. This can be replaced without turning off the water supply, but make sure you get the correct size replacement before starting work. Washerless taps Taps with ball valves or ceramic discs are two modern designs that don’t have traditional washers to seal the pipe shut.

1. These usually have a mixer function and pivoting handles that control water flow and temperature.
2. These taps are less likely to need maintenance than traditional models.
3. However they do have various seals and moving parts that can go wrong.
4. If you have had them fitted recently, you may find the user manual gives enough information on how to dismantle the tap head and replacea leaking ‘o-ring’ or another simple part.

If not, it’s usually best to call in a plumber the first time something goes wrong and take note of how it’s done. It’s not strictly in their interest, but you could try asking them to leave a few spare seals for you to use next time! How to turn off the water If you don’t know how to turn off the water supply to your home, you should set about finding your stopcocks (called stop valves in Australia) straight away.

If a disaster happens and a pipe leaks, turning off the water quickly can make the difference between a damp carpet and major structural damage. The external supply Depending on your home, there may be one or two stopcocks that turn off the water supply. For houses, one can usually be found on the property border near the street.

This should be under a small iron cover, suitably labelled. You may have a water meter and, if so, you might find this under the same cover. (Most Australian and New Zealand houses have water meters, which are located above ground.) The stopcock is simply a tap but, as in Britain it is normally a couple of feet underground, you’ll need a simple tool called a ‘stopcock key’ to turn it.

• These are sold for very little money in DIY merchants.
• However, most homes come with one ready supplied by the previous occupants, so you may find one in your meter cupboard or garage.
• Caution In Australia and New Zealand, almost all plumbing work beyond simple tasks such as replacing taps or washers must be carried out by a licensed plumber.

In particular, it is illegal for anyone other than a licensed plumber to perform work on any system connected to the main water supply or the sewer system. The purpose of these regulations is to prevent the contamination of the water supply and other serious problems.

• It is essential to check with your local authority before undertaking any plumbing work.
• The internal cold water stopcock A second cold water stopcock is often found inside a property – commonly under the kitchen sink.
• This will be a large tap that you turn with your hand.
• When you find your stopcocks, this is a good time to check that you can turn them on and off.

They may become stuck if they haven’t been turned for years, and you don’t want to discover this when you are in the middle of an emergency. If you find a tap is stuck, spray it with some penetrating oil to loosen it and then close and open it to check it works.

1. The hot water stopcock Your home will also have a second internal stopcock for the hot water supply.
2. This will usually be found at the outlet of your boiler or hot water tank.
3. If you need to turn off the hot water, turn off the water heater at the same time.
4. Other shut-off taps You may find taps that control individual parts of the water supply elsewhere in the home.

For example, showers, baths and sinks may have valves in the pipes nearby that you can use to isolate these fittings without turning off the whole supply. A constant drip from a tap should be fixed as quickly as possible, especially if you pay for your water via a meter.

Even one drip per second can add up to more than 80 litres of water down the drain in just a day. A drip from the spout This is usually caused by a worn washer. Most of us know vaguely that ‘replacing the washer’ will solve this, but not where the washer in question can be found or, indeed, how to replace it.

The diagrams on the next page aim to make everything clear. They show the two most common types of taps, and the washer that wears out most often at the base of the handle unit. The washer forms a seal that prevents water from the pipe below from flowing out when the tap is closed.

1. It is made of rubber and, when this gets damaged or perished, it no longer makes a proper seal and needs replacing.
2. Tools for replacing a washer Depending on the type of tap you have, you will need an adjustable spanner or ‘monkey wrench’, a thin cloth or rag, pliers, a screwdriver, and possibly some petroleum jelly and penetrating spray oil to loosen any stuck screws and nuts.

This is an excerpt from (Kyle Cathie, £16.99). : How to fix a leaky tap and save water

Why is my tap still dripping after changing cartridge?

ANSWER: – The reason why a cartridge faucet leaks after replacing the cartridge can vary based on your water quality, the age of the faucet, and the type of cartridge. First, the leak may not have been caused by a faulty cartridge. Water is full of calcium and other minerals that make it highly corrosive.

Over time, the water can eat away at imperfections in the brass body of the faucet. These imperfections often occur during the casting process. Small bumps and soft spots in the brass can wear away. This allows rivulets to form in the brass. You may not even realize that they are there since they can blend in with the coatings on the brass created by the water.

When fixing a cartridge faucet, it is a good idea to buff the inside of the cylinder. This will leave a dark line that will allow you to see the rivulets with a flashlight. Your faucet may contain a ceramic, brass, or rubber seat that is meant to form a seal at the bottom of the cartridge opening.

The seat can become damaged with use so that it no longer fits correctly into the hole in the cartridge, which allows water to leak. The O-ring may also become cracked and cause a leak. The best rule of thumb is to replace all of the inside parts of a faucet at the same time so that you get a good seal.

Contact our Denver plumbers today! Check out more plumbing tips & articles: How to keep your pipes from freezing Plumbing tips to protect your home Conventional vs. tankless water heaters

Do all taps have cartridges?

You should not have to put up with the drip-dripping sound of leaky taps. Nowadays, the vast majority of modern bathroom taps use ceramic disc cartridges instead of rubber washers. In simple terms, this means no (or at least far fewer) leaks, and only a 90-degree rotation to turn the tap on or off.

Back in days of old, taps and shower fittings always used rubber washers to prevent dripping. Its a pretty simple method, and works quite well until the washer inevitably begins to wear out and along comes the dripping. We have all been there at some stage, attempting to succeed at squeezing one final turn out of that pesky tap that refuses to surrender.

Ceramic disc technology is the answer to these problems. With a ceramic disc tap or shower, all that is needed to turn a tap off is a quarter turn and the water flow will stop straight away. On top of that, ceramic discs do not wear out like conventional rubber washers and will just keep on going Ceramic disc cartridges are made with two ceramic discs, each with two holes for mixer taps or one hole for a pillar or two handle tap. One disc is fixed in place whilst the other moves with the tap handle. When both discs are in alignment, the water is allowed to flow through the tap and when they are no longer aligned, the water stops.

Even ceramic disc cartridges won’t last forever. For peace-of-mind, buy taps from a reputable manufacturer so you can easily source a replacement cartridge in the future. It might cost you a little more in the short-term, but you’ll kick yourself if you end up having to buy and install a brand new tap 3 years down the line.

Here at Drench, we have a fantastic range of ceramic disc taps at discounted prices. All modern taps, and some traditional taps will have ceramic disc cartridges. Shop taps here, On an average day you’ll find Dominic leafing through a menagerie of interior design reads, forever in a life-long search for the latest and greatest trends. He looks after our CGI designs here at Drench, often intertwining some of his favourite interiors with our newest products.

Ask him on any day his favourite colour and you’ll likely get an answer ranging from burnt orange to a deep, stormy teal. Dominic might not be the strongest DIY-er in the team, but with a family background in the bathroom industry he’s gleamed a raft of knowledge over the years most of which he can actually remember.

In his spare time you can usually find him musing through a good book, whipping up a fresh brunch or lounging in a sunny pub garden. Read more articles by Dominic Lees-Bell Sign up to our newsletter for the latest creative news, projects and more delivered straight to your inbox

How serious is a dripping tap?

How to Stop a Dripping Tap The steady dripping of a leaky tap can be one of the most irritating noises in the world. Not only can the sound of water dripping cause lost sleep and aggravation, but there is a real economic impact as well. A dripping tap can drive up the water bill in a very short time and it literally is hot water going down the drain.

How long does a washer on a tap last?

How Long Do Tap Washers Last? – Ceramic tap washers can last years, but other types can last for as little as twelve months depending on how frequently they’re used. Rubber tends to degrade faster than nylon and vulcanised fibre, and hot water tap washers deform more quickly than their cold water counterparts.