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  • Kitchen mixer tap problem

    From The Other John@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jul 16 11:02:04 2025
    Our 40+ years old tap has become increasingly difficult to turn off
    completely to stop it dribbling. I've replaced the washers with the
    same size and thickness ones and they work for a short number of
    operations then we have to turn them off harder and harder. I don't
    think it's a limescale problem. The two and a half bowl sink is built
    into a cabinet with the plumbing mostly hidden behind the back panel
    which would make it very difficult to replace the tap. What I was
    wondering was if I replace the washer based cartridges with the same
    size quarter turn cartridges will they work properly and seal shut or is
    the tap body the wrong design for quarter turn cartridges?
    --
    TOJ

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  • From David Wade@21:1/5 to The Other John on Wed Jul 16 11:23:01 2025
    On 16/07/2025 11:02, The Other John wrote:
    Our 40+ years old tap has become increasingly difficult to turn off completely to stop it dribbling.  I've replaced the washers with the
    same size and thickness ones and they work for a short number of
    operations then we have to turn them off harder and harder.  I don't
    think it's a limescale problem.  The two and a half bowl sink is built
    into a cabinet with the plumbing mostly hidden behind the back panel
    which would make it very difficult to replace the tap.  What I was
    wondering was if I replace the washer based cartridges with the same
    size quarter turn cartridges will they work properly and seal shut or is
    the tap body the wrong design for quarter turn cartridges?

    If it is a conventional design then have the seats become rough?
    Could a tool like this help.

    https://amzn.eu/d/70p1GUk

    I think the one I have just uses carborundum paper to re-finish the
    surface the washer mates against...

    Dave

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Other John@21:1/5 to David Wade on Wed Jul 16 12:52:35 2025
    On 16/07/2025 11:23, David Wade wrote:
    On 16/07/2025 11:02, The Other John wrote:
    Our 40+ years old tap has become increasingly difficult to turn off
    completely to stop it dribbling.  I've replaced the washers with the
    same size and thickness ones and they work for a short number of
    operations then we have to turn them off harder and harder.  I don't
    think it's a limescale problem.  The two and a half bowl sink is built
    into a cabinet with the plumbing mostly hidden behind the back panel
    which would make it very difficult to replace the tap.  What I was
    wondering was if I replace the washer based cartridges with the same
    size quarter turn cartridges will they work properly and seal shut or
    is the tap body the wrong design for quarter turn cartridges?

    If it is a conventional design then have the seats become rough?
    Could a tool like this help.

    https://amzn.eu/d/70p1GUk

    I think the one I have just uses carborundum paper to re-finish the
    surface the washer mates against...

    Dave

    Thanks Dave. I might go for that if no-one here thinks the quarter turn cartridges will work.

    --
    TOJ

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    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to The Other John on Wed Jul 16 16:12:40 2025
    On 16/07/2025 11:02, The Other John wrote:
    Our 40+ years old tap has become increasingly difficult to turn off completely to stop it dribbling.
    OK...
    I've replaced the washers with the
    same size and thickness ones and they work for a short number of
    operations then we have to turn them off harder and harder.
    OK...

    > I don't
    think it's a limescale problem.  The two and a half bowl sink is built
    into a cabinet with the plumbing mostly hidden behind the back panel
    which would make it very difficult to replace the tap.  What I was
    wondering was if I replace the washer based cartridges with the same
    size quarter turn cartridges will they work properly and seal shut or is
    the tap body the wrong design for quarter turn cartridges?

    Before you do that, invest in a tap seat grinding kit.


    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monument-DIY-Tap-Reseater-Cutter/dp/B0001P0FZE

    Corrosion in the brass seats makes the seal almost impossible to achieve.

    And persevere. I had what looked like casting flaws in mine and just
    kept on grinding till it felt smooth to a fingertip.

    New washer and its still OK after 18 months...


    Hang on. you said quarter turn, and you said washer. It can't be
    both....ah my bad. You want to replace WITH a quarter turn. No idea if
    it will fit.

    Mmm. It does look very much as if a ceramic kit will work. The seal is
    on an O-ring same as current and the thread looks the same on all the kits.

    Well I can pretty much guarantee a regrind and new washer will fix, if
    you want to keep the multi-turn

    The ceramic cartridges are cheap enough, but the last time I had one
    that dripped :-)


    --
    "If you don’t read the news paper, you are un-informed. If you read the
    news paper, you are mis-informed."

    Mark Twain

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  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to The Other John on Wed Jul 16 16:13:09 2025
    On 16/07/2025 12:52, The Other John wrote:
    On 16/07/2025 11:23, David Wade wrote:
    On 16/07/2025 11:02, The Other John wrote:
    Our 40+ years old tap has become increasingly difficult to turn off
    completely to stop it dribbling.  I've replaced the washers with the
    same size and thickness ones and they work for a short number of
    operations then we have to turn them off harder and harder.  I don't
    think it's a limescale problem.  The two and a half bowl sink is
    built into a cabinet with the plumbing mostly hidden behind the back
    panel which would make it very difficult to replace the tap.  What I
    was wondering was if I replace the washer based cartridges with the
    same size quarter turn cartridges will they work properly and seal
    shut or is the tap body the wrong design for quarter turn cartridges?

    If it is a conventional design then have the seats become rough?
    Could a tool like this help.

    https://amzn.eu/d/70p1GUk

    I think the one I have just uses carborundum paper to re-finish the
    surface the washer mates against...

    Dave

    Thanks Dave.  I might go for that if no-one here thinks the quarter turn cartridges will work.

    I think both are viable options.

    --
    There is nothing a fleet of dispatchable nuclear power plants cannot do
    that cannot be done worse and more expensively and with higher carbon
    emissions and more adverse environmental impact by adding intermittent renewable energy.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Other John@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Wed Jul 16 19:21:25 2025
    On 16/07/2025 16:12, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    Before you do that, invest in a tap seat grinding kit.


    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monument-DIY-Tap-Reseater-Cutter/dp/B0001P0FZE

    Corrosion in the brass seats makes the seal almost impossible to achieve.

    When I replaced the washers I don't remember seeing any corrosion or
    signs of wear on the seats but I'll have another look and see if a
    cutter could improve them. Thanks for your advice.

    --
    TOJ

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to The Other John on Wed Jul 16 19:22:46 2025
    On 16/07/2025 19:21, The Other John wrote:
    On 16/07/2025 16:12, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    Before you do that, invest in a tap seat grinding kit.


    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monument-DIY-Tap-Reseater-Cutter/dp/B0001P0FZE

    Corrosion in the brass seats makes the seal almost impossible to achieve.

    When I replaced the washers I don't remember seeing any corrosion or
    signs of wear on the seats but I'll have another look and see if a
    cutter could improve them.  Thanks for your advice.

    Run a fingernail around. Look for cracks or roughness

    --
    Canada is all right really, though not for the whole weekend.

    "Saki"

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  • From The Other John@21:1/5 to Roger Mills on Fri Jul 18 10:28:17 2025
    On 16/07/2025 21:53, Roger Mills wrote:
    As others have said, if changing the washer doesn't work for long, it
    looks like the seats need re-grinding.

    I think I might have solved it. I took the cold cartridge out to check
    the seat and it was clean, shiny and flat. I then looked at the washer
    and saw it had raised letters (brand name) on the side facing the seat.
    It was also creased from our very hard twisting so I replaced it with a
    spare of the same make and made sure the letters faced away from the
    seat. It's working perfectly now, I just wonder how long it will last.

    --
    TOJ

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