If you open a tap, and water seems to escape from a point somewhere around the spindle, it is probably the result of water leaking past the gland where the spindle turns. The water will only leak when the tap is running. To resolve this problem, you need first to identify the tap design: does it have a rising or a non-rising spindle (see Figure 4.6)?
WATER LEAKING FROM A TAP WITH A RISING SPINDLE
With this design of tap there is no need to turn off the water supply; you just need to turn off the tap fully while you work on it. The procedure is straightforward once the easy-clean cover has been removed, but this in itself can be a tricky task because you might find it difficult to take off the capstan head because it may not have been removed since the tap was first installed.
ensure you fit the right cartridge, i.e. left and right
ceramic discs
Figure 4.10 Cleaning and replacing ceramic discs
(see Figure 4.10). At the same time as you replace the discs, replace any rubber-sealing washer supplied.
Here is some guidance for this task (see Figure 4.11):
1 First, look for a small screw holding the capstan head on.
Look around the base of the capstan head, or under the plastic red (hot) or blue (cold) indication marker on top of the handle. Occasionally there is no screw.
2 Holding the body of the tap firmly, try to pull off the capstan head; if it is held on very tightly, a few gentle taps with a small wooden mallet aimed upwards might dislodge it. One trick to try is to open the tap fully, with the easy-clean cover also undone and raised as high as possible, and insert a block of wood tightly between the cover and the body of the tap.
If you then close the tap, with any luck the process will have jacked the capstan head off the spindle. Alternatively, using some penetration fluid might work. The amount of force required can sometimes be quite large and on rare occasions you might need to remove the tap altogether, to avoid unnecessary damage to the fitment.
With the capstan head and easy-clean cover removed, you will be able to see the packing gland nut. You will see that, when the tap is opened, water will discharge from this point and will stop when the tap is closed.
Tightening up the gland nut a little may be all that is required.
However, where this does not cure the problem:
1 Turn off the tap.
2 Unwind this nut and remove it from the spindle.
3 Pack a few strands of PTFE tape or some waxed string around the spindle and push it into the void into which the packing gland nut screws, poking it down with a small screwdriver (see Figure 4.11).
4 Replace the packing gland nut, tightening it just sufficiently to squeeze the new packing material within the gland.
5 Re-open the valve and, if necessary, tighten the packing gland more until the water stops seeping past the spindle.
6 Finally, reassemble the easy-clean cover and capstan head.
WATER LEAKING FROM A TAP WITH A NON-RISING SPINDLE With this design of tap, the packing gland has been replaced with a rubber ‘O’ ring (see Figure 4.6). Once you have removed the tap operating head, you will see that the water is escaping past the spindle if the tap is turned to the ‘on’
position.
To cure this problem:
1 First, turn off the water to the tap.
2 Remove the easy-clean shrouded cover and remove the headgear from the tap body as described earlier.
3 Now remove the circlip located at the top of the valve. Do this by placing a screwdriver between the open edges and twisting gently, thereby forcing it apart to slip it from the spindle. Unfortunately, this circlip will sometimes break, in which case it will need to be replaced (see Figure 4.12).
4 With the headgear in your hands, push on top of the spindle, unwinding it and removing it from the brass housing, exposing the ‘O’ ring.
capstan head
wooden blocks
PTFE tape fed into gland easy-clean
cover
removal of stubborn head (wind tap closed to jack
off the head)
screwdriver
body of tap
Figure 4.11 Repacking the gland
WATER LEAKING FROM THE SWIVEL OUTLET OF A TAP
This is the result of a worn-out ‘O’ ring, found at the base of the swivel spout. There is no need to turn off the water supply; just turn off the hot and cold taps. The first task is to remove the small retaining screw or locking nut at the base of the spout (note that some designs do not have this securing device). You will then need to turn the swivel outlet to one side, in line with the tap heads, and pull it off from the body of the tap to expose the large ‘O’ ring (see Figure 4.13). You can now swap this for a matching replacement, applying a little silicone lubricant as necessary. Where excessive wear has occurred, the problem may persist, in which case you would have to replace the tap.
circlip
‘O’ ring
removing the circlip
Figure 4.12 Replacing the ‘O’ ring in a tap with a non-rising spindle
5 The old ring can now be flicked off, usually with the aid of a small screwdriver.
6 Replace the ‘O’ ring with a new one, applying silicone grease to provide some lubrication.
Now reassemble the tap and test it. If this repair does not resolve the problem, it may be due to excessive wear of the spindle, in which case you would have to replace the tap.
Remember this
Failure to replace a worn ‘O’ ring on taps at the first possible opportunity may result in undue wear to the brass components, caused by the two surfaces rubbing together. This may make the tap impossible to repair.