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REPLACING A TAP WASHER
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If your tap is constantly dripping and will not completely stop the flow of water when it is in the closed position then the washer is probably damaged, or has perished and needs replacing. On most taps this is a relatively simple procedure and will cost a few pence if you do it yourself.
Most taps either use a washer or a cartridge to stop the flow of water, here are some examples of taps that contain washers-
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This is a very common type of basin tap and is found in many bathrooms. |
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This is a kitchen mixer tap. These are also very popular, although many are being replaced with modern versions that use cartridges and require only 1/4 of a turn to be fully open. |
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This again is a basin tap, but this is more fancy than a basic basin tap. |
All these three taps above look different, but they all work on the same principle and so changing a washer in any one of these taps is a very similar operation.
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The first thing we need to do is to isolate the water supply to the tap. This can be done by turning the isolating valve beneath the tap (if there is one) or you will have to isolate the water supply to the whole house as described here- |
After isolating the water open the tap to ensure that the water is isolated, then put the plug into the sink, so that no small parts can be lost.
Now we need to remove the tap handle so that we can expose the inner workings of the tap, this is slightly different for each tap and so a few examples are below.
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For the regular basing tap a small flat screwdriver is required, gently slide this underneath the tap cover and lift off the cover. |
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Now the screw that holds the handle onto the spindle is exposed it can be removed by turning it anti-clockwise. Once the screw is removed the handle will lift clear. |
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On the mixer tap you gain access to the retaining screw by removing the small plastic caps. A small flat precision screwdriver is best for this. |
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