Help with adjusting/mending taps

Phate · 13 Sep 2016 at 09:04

Hi guys,

Recently moved into a new apartment and we were told by the landlady that the previous tenants were...filthy. Never cleaned etc. She got cleaners in and did say to us that if anything is broken etc to make a list, give it to her and she'll take care of it.

One thing we have noticed consistently throughout the apartment is the taps. Almost all of them are difficult to turn off. The one for the bath my girlfriend cannot do, I have to.

Before we ask her to replace the lot. I'm wondering if a simple bit of maintenance can make them far more usable? I'm a bit of a DIY nut who will tackle most things. But I've never tackled a tap before!

So, some assistance would be appreciated.

All the taps are like this...

Is it just a case of unscrewing the screw, removing the white cap and giving the thing a damn good clean?

Sorry for the phone photos. I took these last night before going to bed on my phone!

TIA!
Jake

NoobCannon · 13 Sep 2016 at 12:42

I think i would struggle to turn the taps off if they didnt have handles....

the_r_sole · 13 Sep 2016 at 12:45

A good clean will probably do ok in the short term, problem is if they've been gummed up for years the mechanism will have been worn by people forcing the thing on and off...
Best solution and cheap too is to get replacement inserts, usually stardard sizes and a few quid, should sort any problems for a long time.
Also you might want to try and properly descale the tap body, I remember seeing a few YouTube clips of people doing it in place... I've also seen some videos of folk cleaning taps...

Mat · 14 Sep 2016 at 12:08

My guess it that if you can get a spanner on the nut, the whole insert will pull out. It might be a bit tight as there may be a washer in there but once it's out, it's just a case of replacing all the rubber washers and scrubbing it out with a scouring pad or similar. The screw will hold the spiral bit that goes in and out when you turn the handle. That could use some silicon grease.

Gammawolf · 14 Sep 2016 at 12:16

I'd just replace the valves (or get her to do it), but i guess you could try to clean them. Turn off water under the sink or at mains, open taps to drain and unscrew the valve with wrench and see if anything can be done.

Given the price of these things it's worth just replacing them if they are giving any kind of grief.

EG

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plumb-Pak-...3851025&sr=1-2&keywords=tap+replacement+heads

Thebug · 16 Sep 2016 at 15:52

http://www.screwfix.com/p/swirl-bathroom-basin-contract-tap-reviver-kit/12204#_=p

They do a bath tap set as well, 10 min job if you got isolation valves to stop the water