Plumbing Help Needed

[Allalonenow]

What tools do I need to change a washer on a leaking tap? It's not a Supatap, just an ordinary tap.
Where is a good place to find out how to do it, is it very difficult??
Any help or advice gratefully received.

a set of adjustable spanners (wrenches) like this

you can get poor quality ones that will be adequate for occasional plumbing work, in supermarkets and hardware stores, a set might cost you about £12. A really good one could easily cost you that for one.

Wilkinsons have some quite reasonable ones, but they are sold individually, not in a set. If you are looking at some in a shop, you will find that the jaws slide smoothly and accurately in good ones, and are loose and wobbly in cheap ones. A good tight fit is better as they will not slip on a tight nut, and will not round off the edges of the nut. I would not let cheap ones touch my car.

You may also find a pair of water pump pliers useful. The jaws are adjustable to about three sizes. Cheap ones will do unless you make a habit of it.

you will also need some screwdrivers, probably pozidrive, but you can usually pick up a mixd set of a dozen or so at a good price in a supermarket or hardware store. Look to see that they are stamped "chrome vanadium" which is a special steel used for good tools. Not chrome plate. Nothing else will do (same as for regular spanners). Cheap screwdrivers are almost entirely useless except as ornaments and they will annoy you. Test that it is a precise fit before turning. Look for an "X" mark across the cross head, which mans Pozidrive. Older phillips heads do not have it. The wrong size, or worn, driver will damage the screw and the driver.

You will also need a roll of PTFE tape (very cheap, get plenty), usually white, the yellow gas tape is thicker. If you can find silicon grease, get a tube or small tub. It is not easy to find outside plumbers merchants.

I am sure you will find a how to do it video on Videojug.

Get a few spare washers before you start, and turn off the water and leave the tap open. When you take it apart you might find it has a brass cartridge inside instead of a washer. Unscrew the old one and take it to the plumbers merchant to buy an identical one.

Always put an old towel inside the bath or basin so it will not be chipped when you drop your spanner, and put the plug in firmly to prevent screws falling down the drain.

p.s.

never buy any tool that has the word "Rolson" on it.

Usually not difficult to do.

Remove the cap which covers the screw (usually the hot or cold marker), you may have to praise off with a small screwdriver.

Undo the screw, remove the tap head. Now get 2 spinners and 2 clothes. Wrap the clothes around the tap then use one spanner to hold the tap in place and the other one to take off the nut (anticlickwise).

Remove the nut and you should be able to see the rubber washer. Just remove and replace, then re-assemble.

Old taps are easy. It's the new ones which are a pain as they all need dismantling in different ways. I broke our mono kitchen tap this morning trying to remove the head, so now we need a new tap.

I've replaced the washers in the bathroom taps a few times and they took about 15 minutes each.

Good luck

Oh thanks very much, I'll have a good read of your posts and find out what to buy, I was hoping Screwfix might sell what I needed.
It is an old tap, 1960s, I've looked via Google but they all look very different to my old fashioned looking taps.

That is a good tip about the towel in the basin, and putting in the plug, I will definitely do that.

We did used to have all the tools for this type of thing, they were my Dad's, but Ex has taken them all. Thanks again for your help.

this is a good website and has useful videos.

Oh thanks a lot, they have got a section showing dismantling my actual taps!!

Are groove joint pliers the same as water pump pliers? Would they do?

I don't know what groove joint pliers are, but ordinary water pump pliers are very cheap and easily obtainable.

If you are buying from Screwfix, they have a decent set of screrwdrivers at £15 though if I could see a set of six good ones for less I would suggest that. I looked on Tesco and the ones online are rubbish. Often you see sets in DIY sheds at a good price. There are some cheap Stanley sets around that are not good steel, but this set at £15 is chrome vanadium and has pretty well everything you could need.

Sorry to hear about your dad's tools.

have just looked at groove joint pliers and yes, they look like the same thing.

I like the look of the Witte Protop screwdrivers at £24:99 for a set of 5 and the Forge steel adjustable wrench 3p set for £19:99.
I wondered about the groove joint pliers as they came up on my search for water pump pliers, but got much better reviews for durability than the water pump pliers, they do look very similar.
All of the above are at Screwfix.

The tap washers come in packs of 100, so if I learn how to do it, I could maybe go into business

Thanks so much for your kind help.

the wrenches look good, but those screwdrivers look like plain steel, which is OK for opening paint tins, but is expensive for plain screwdrivers. Stanley FatMax have a good trade reputation.

OK, I'll have another look through the screwdrivers, I've followed your screwdriver link now, and they do look to be a bargain at £15, and give plenty of scope for other projects too, like a flat pack bookcase!!

I just had another look at that £15 set and it is very strange that they contain Philips screwdrivers but not Pozidrive. No-one uses Phillips any more, although they are sometimes useful on old screws.

i saw a big set of unbranded Chrome Vanadium screwdrivers on there, or the Fatmax set has Pozidrive. You will need sizes 2 and 3, and preferably sizes 0, 1 and 4 as well for general household work. Disregard the "bits" in the set, they are very cheap so they put them in to make up the numbers. They are not very convenient and often will not fit the job.

Fatmax are twice the price, but better.

I've ordered the Forge Steel Adjustable Wrench set (£19:99)
Irwin Vice Grip 10" groove joint pliers (£7:99) they got very good reviews
And a 12pc Fat Max screwdriver set (£34:99) as well as standard heads, it has Pozidrive and the older Philips heads which might be handy for some of the older items in the house.
Altogether it came to about £70, but I daresay calling in a plumber would cost that much at least, and I have got them now for future use.
I'll let you know how I get on, it will all be delivered tomorrow.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I do hope you have a lovely time

Once you have got the hang of it, you will be renovating all the taps in the house. If not the street.