Plumbing (tap) help please

[origamiwarrior]

Hello, we have a mixer tap the same as the one in the photo on our bath. Occasionally, when you turn either of the taps on, nothing comes out (you can keep turning them all the way open). Usually, if you then turn them all the way off, and turn one or the other on again (with or without pulling the toggle alternating shower and taps) they work again (with a bit of a gush).

We have a combi boiler. No other taps in bathroom or house affected.

Does anyone know what the problem is likely to be? And is it a DIY job to fix? Our bath is tongue and grooved in - would this need to be removed to make the repair?

Thank you for any advice!

Our shower did similar. It was completely scaled up inside.

Perhaps the cartridges in the tap are sticking due to being scaled up.

Might be possible to just replace the cartridges rather than the whole tap.

If "nothing comes out " even if you open both sides, it is probably the diverter mechanism. If one side works and not the other, it is probably the tap.

if the tap-heads screw up and down by more than one turn, it might be that the jumpers have come off the spindles inside. This is sometimes because the washers are badly worn. If you take it apart, clean off scale from the moving parts, fit a new washer, put the horseshoe clip back on, give the jumper half a turn, lightly lubricate with silicone grease, that may fix it. Taps with washers commonly last about 60 years, unless somebody tightens them down with great force.

If it has ceramic cartridges, and the tap-heads only move a quarter turn, you could try fitting new cartridges. These come in great variety and for some imports are unobtainable or very expensive.

You might like to start looking at new taps. I consider Bristan to be very good.

Thank you both!

The taps are full turn ones. Does that mean it has washers rather than cartridges?

If it's a diverter issue rather than a washer-jumper issue, would that explain the problem we see - nothing coming out from either the shower head, nor either of the taps, then when you turn taps off and try again, it suddenly works?

Taps with washers screw up and down, usually several rotations. On modern taps you may not see the capstain moving up and down because the spindle turns a jumper with a left-handed thread inside the tap. If the washer is worn out or has been squashed by a heavy-handed user, the jumper may reach the end of its thread and jam or stop working. You will understand this when you take a tap apart and wind it to and fro. Older people who grew up with worn-out washers sometimes tend to turn them off with great force. This is not necessary and damages the washers. It should be possible to turn the tap completely off with a finger and thumb, unless it has been damaged.

While you are having a shower, the water pressure should hold it in the "shower" position, once you've set it. The diverter ought to have a spring to return it to the bath filler after use (this is so it does not squirt on your head when the next user turns the taps on). Some mixers do not have a return spring.

p.s.

you do not have to take the bath panel off. The taps are made so they can be dismantled and serviced from above.

The panel has to come off if you need to fit new taps and remove the old.

If you have taps at the side of the bath, against a wall, you would probably have to remove the bath, or the wall, to change them. So don't get a bath like that.

However it is better if the panel is easy to remove. This enables you to dry out floods under the bath, and to service the waste or change the plughole.