Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Apr 20, 2009 10:02 am How easy / difficult is it to change a washer in a standard bathroom tap? Our’s is dripping fairly relentlessly and I’d LOVE to not have to pay a plumber $90+ for come out and so such a small job. We have no other plumbing jobs we need, so it just seems like a waste. Also, sometimes the toilet seems to drip. Not outwardly anywhere (it’s not leaking), but sometimes all night there will be drip sounds coming from somewhere inside the base bit. What does this mean? Does it also need its “washer” changed? Lol Thank you! How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! Re: Can I change a tap washer? 2Apr 20, 2009 10:09 am It's easy... buy a tap spanner set, $12 Bunnings, buy some Teflon (Plumber's) tape, buy tap washers & fibre valve body washers. Turn off your water!!! Drain the pipe by opening your lowest tap. Prepare for some water escaping. Take off the cover (fiddly but easy). Remove the valve body with the spanner that fits. Take out the washer, fit new washer (some are for Hot, some for Cold - though some do both), wind 4-5 turns of Teflon tape on the thread, make sure that the tap is "open" before screwing home. Put the valve body back - make sure the fibre washer is in place. Screw it home tight with your spanner. Fit the cover. Turn your water on a little, check for leaks, then turn on full. Done. Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Can I change a tap washer? 3Apr 20, 2009 4:52 pm Quote: Remove the valve body with the spanner that fits. Take out the washer, fit new washer (some are for Hot, some for Cold - though some do both), wind 4-5 turns of Teflon tape on the thread, make sure that the tap is "open" before screwing home. Put the valve body back - make sure the fibre washer is in place. Screw it home tight with your spanner. Fit the cover. Thats not quite right. Teflon tape isnt needed it only complicates things. The red fibre packing washer seals the recess adaptor/ spindle to the tap body in the wall. First turn off the water at the meter. Open up the hose tap nearby. . Depending on the type of tap, you undo the securing button on the top, then you take off the handle. Most will pull off, some need to be tapped a bit with a shifter to loosen them. Then you take off the cover flange. Some unscrew, some wall top assemblies are just held on by a spring. Once the spindle/ recess adaptor is bare, you place a largish shifting spanner on the hexagonal face and then while holding the front of the spanner with your left hand you push/ gently hit with your open right hand on the end of the spanner in an anti clockwise direction. The tap should then simply unscrew. If the hexagonal face is behind the tiles, you will need a tube spanner. Buy a set as described earlier from Bunnings and fit one of those over the hex face and using a screw driver pushed through the hole in the end of it for leverage push up in a anti clockwise direction. Once youve removed the recess adaptor/ spindle take out the old jumper valve washer. Check inside the body in the wall for little bits of the washer left over. Remove these. Run your finger around the seat inside the body. It should be smooth. If the tap is older than say five or six years, youll find small pits and cracks inside. This means the seat (thats where the washer face makes contact) needs machining or reseating. For this youll need a reseating yool about $15 at bunnings for a hand one) this tool screws in to the thread on the body and you turn the handle repeatedly until it cuts out the pits and cracks in the seat. As a plumber, I always reseat or machine every tap I do. If you just change the washer youll find that theres always a small drip because the washer isnt making contact cleanly with the seat. Once youre this far you need to unwind the spindle from the recess adaptor and change the o ring. You need a 8.5 mm o ring. Replace the one on the spindle shaft with this. Use a small flat screwdriver to take off the old one. Lubricate the o ring and spindle thread with vasceline and reassemble. You now need a washer. Always use a brass 1/2 inch jumper valve. Never use plastic or nylon. They break after some time. A good jumper valve to use is a HYDROSEAL . It has a yellow cushioning piece on it which make the turning off motion easier. Put the washer in the spindle making sure the spindle is in the fully open position. Check the red fibre packing washer on the from of your recess adaptor spindle. If its in good order leave it. If it is ratty, replace it. DO NOT USE TEFLON. Screw the recess adaptor into the body in the wall and tighten. Replace the cover flange or dome. Then replace the handle and turn on the water. If your taps are quarter / half turn, they wont have washers/ jumper valves but ceramic discs. With them you need a kit to repair them. Youll know if they are, because your taps will turn only a quarter or half turn and no more. Also, some taps have a securing systen that has a small hard to access locking bush under the handle. If you have one of these you need a special tool to access them. Also if your rewashering vanity basin taps, be careful as in the last few years they have been using a very soft copper which twists apart if too much force is used. Good luck. If you post a pic I can advise you better. Quote: Also, sometimes the toilet seems to drip. Not outwardly anywhere (it’s not leaking), but sometimes all night there will be drip sounds coming from somewhere inside the base bit. What does this mean? Does it also need its “washer” changed? Lol The toilet leaking could be one of two things...or both. Theres an inlet valve inside your cistern If thats not shutting off properly, you need a new one. (you can rewasher it, but its easier to replace it) To check take off the lid and look inside. In the centre of most cisterns is an overflow tube. If the water level is high, and flowing down the tube replace the inlet valve, where the water comes into the cistern. If the water level is below the overflow tube, its the seating washer. There are many different types of these. If you post a pic of your cistern, I can advise you better. Be careful taking off the cistern lid. If its a newish cistern, some of them gave a special way to take them off. Just lifting them off with force can damage the valve underneath. If it doesnt come easily off, post a pic and ill tell you how to remove it. Re: Can I change a tap washer? 4Apr 20, 2009 5:32 pm vvs mand Quote: Remove the valve body with the spanner that fits. Take out the washer, fit new washer (some are for Hot, some for Cold - though some do both), wind 4-5 turns of Teflon tape on the thread, make sure that the tap is "open" before screwing home. Put the valve body back - make sure the fibre washer is in place. Screw it home tight with your spanner. Fit the cover. Thats not quite right. I am sure you're right VVS, especially about the detail regarding bits of washer- I've been doing my own for 40 years, no problem. More recently I do use Teflon tape - and I am sure it's not entirely necessary - but it gives me a warm feeling... Never reseated a tap in all that time, even with 100yr old houses. But these days I would tend to use the ball type (or the "O" ring type) washers as they seat well and don't leak (available in Bunnings - not the ones with springs they are a load of ****) At least I don't have to pack the valve stems with waxed string any more Thanks for your detail... By the way, you can buy the whole kit in Bunnings... "O" rings, fibre washers & washers (but I recommend the ball type or "O" ring type - they cost about $3 each but worth it IMO). Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Can I change a tap washer? 5Apr 20, 2009 5:52 pm The red fibre washer is the sealing mechanism. Teflon isnt needed and as I said, can complicate things. The taps we are talking about were around long before teflon was invented. The fibre washer was designed so as the thread could remain clean and unhindered, sealing where the fibre washer makes contact between the two brass faces. Any tap over five to ten years old is subject to dezinkification, in that the brass begins to slowly break down and develope small cracks and pits in it. Its minute debri from the casting process coupled with the long term affects of water begins the breaking down causing the cracks. Most taps ( I repair personally between 50 and 100 taps a week the guys working for me similar amounts) need reseating to work efficiently. You wouldnt find a plumber who would use the rubber dome jumper valves you mentioned. The rubber cuts into the seat gradually wearing away so that often they break into two pieces, with one piece jamming into the hole in the seat blocking the water flow. I've pulled out lots that were worn away in a short period of time. In short they wear out quickly. If a good quality brass washer is used and the seat is machined or reaseted, the jumper valve will last for years. Re: Can I change a tap washer? 6Apr 20, 2009 6:28 pm vvs mand The red fibre washer is the sealing mechanism. Teflon isnt needed and as I said, can complicate things. The taps we are talking about were around long before teflon was invented. The fibre washer was designed so as the thread could remain clean and unhindered, sealing where the fibre washer makes contact between the two brass faces. Any tap over five to ten years old is subject to dezinkification, in that the brass begins to slowly break down and develope small cracks and pits in it. Its minute debri from the casting process coupled with the long term affects of water begins the breaking down causing the cracks. Most taps ( I repair personally between 50 and 100 taps a week the guys working for me similar amounts) need reseating to work efficiently. You wouldnt find a plumber who would use the rubber dome jumper valves you mentioned. The rubber cuts into the seat gradually wearing away so that often they break into two pieces, with one piece jamming into the hole in the seat blocking the water flow. I've pulled out lots that were worn away in a short period of time. In short they wear out quickly. If a good quality brass washer is used and the seat is machined or reaseted, the jumper valve will last for years. Fair enough... not my experience, but I value yours. So what do you think of the "O" ring type washers? Is reseating necessary because dripping taps are neglected? I guess if it still leaks after you renew the washer you could reseat it - yes? Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Can I change a tap washer? 7Apr 20, 2009 6:53 pm No, not really. It has more to do with the quality of brass used to make the tapware and the quality of water. Its the gradual breakdown of the brass. As brass ages within water it begins to break down, in that small chips and ridges form in the brass seat as it ages. The washer will sit flush, but there will be areas where it sits high or low and water slowly leaks through. The washers you describe tend to hold it for a while, but as people tend to use more force as the washer begins to leak the seat usually cuts into it and wears out or eats into the rubber. Sometimes causing a donut shapped cut in it or just a wearing away of the rubber. All plumbers will always reseat the body. It takes 30 seconds. After the seat is reseated it has a shiney sharp new look. Reseating affectivly restores the seat to its original pristine condition. I always use a reseater which fits into a batttery drill, but for many years used a hand reseater which did the trick, but took longer. heres the reseater i use http://www.plumberschoice.com.au/page/shop/flypage/product_id/512/a/category/e/consumables_hydrosealproducts These are similar to the ones I use http://www.plumberschoice.com.au/page/shop/flypage/product_id/1221/a/category/e/Tap_Washers Often when you reseat a tap the first few turns will show how worn it was, in that part of the seat will be clean and the worn bits will still be dull. I use only brass washers with a neopreme seat or HYDROSEAL are also very good. They have a yellow cushioning bit which makes turning the tap off easier. They have an o ring on the face. That might be what youre refering to. Theyre really good for someone who is arthritic These are great, but I personally wouldnt put them in without reseating. http://www.ryemetal.com/downloads/wholesale/taprestoration0505.pdf Re: Can I change a tap washer? 8Apr 20, 2009 7:23 pm Thanks - makes sense - perhaps brass these days is a lower quality... "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Can I change a tap washer? 9Apr 21, 2009 4:03 pm You know, I am TOTALLY confused, being a really undomesticated person! I think I'll just get a plumber in. lol. I have visions of my ensuite flooding with water from both the taps and the toilet!! Also, what's weird is that the tap (just the cold water one), was dripping so much on Sunday that we went out for 2 hours, put the plug in the sink, and came back and the sink was almost completely FULL...it's now not dripping at ALL. HUH!? (we didn't just leave it on either. We've been turning it off really hard lately to prevent the drips) lol How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! Re: Can I change a tap washer? 10Apr 21, 2009 4:12 pm Hi Grace, How about finding a friend who knows how to change a washer and then getting him/her to do it? I had no idea however when I was renting, a nice plumber/handyman came out to change it for me and explained how to do it! It's much simpler if someone actually shows it to you. He took 5 mins to finish the job! Re: Can I change a tap washer? 11Apr 21, 2009 11:24 pm I second idealist's suggestion. Thanks to vvs mand and ed for the information they have provided. I'll have a go at stopping the leaking along the stem of the kitchen sink taps, now, trying the vaseline trick, vvs. I've reseated my taps myself for some time, and I'm not a natural 'handyman', but these things are often so much easier to do if you have someone to show you. My dad had trained as a carpenter and built their own house, but I'm afraid I learned very little from him - I didn't realize how valuable these little skills are. Pfiff Finally making progress again, with a clothesline (yippee) and some much needed little things being attended to over the holidays. 40 C on New Year's eve? We love our a/c! Re: Can I change a tap washer? 12Apr 23, 2009 3:43 pm Hmm. I might see if I can get the people who are coming to do our insurance kitchen repairs if they can just quickly do that...heheh. How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! that will depend on the kitchen bench depth. you'll have to specify it so it allows for both the tap and the sink 1 7392 7 5139 Brass or 2) Stainless steel made - which Kitchen tap is good for drinking.Brass kitchen taps in Australia contain lead… 0 6734 |