So the cold tap on our Valpra bath mixer tap is spinning on the spindle and the tap isn’t turning on or off. Had a plumber out today who reckons we need a whole new tap and he needs to break through the wall from the next door room to get access.
Now the issue seems to be the white plastic collar has a spline on the inner part which grabs the top of the tap cartridge. The outer part has a spline which grips the inner part of the tap head.
It’s the smaller inner splines which are worn. Can I use PTFE to create more of a grip, or even better can I get a replacement for the white collar?
Understandably I’m not keen on starting to knock through walls in order to fix what seems like a relatively small part (worst case scenario I can bung a set of molegrips on the tap and use those I guess)
Any thoughts on how to repair?
Thanks in anticipation of the usual comedy grouting / mixer tap / beige tiles comments and hopefully some help
G
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Y7nAyM]Untitled[/url] by Graeme Matheson, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Z5LqrQ]Untitled[/url] by Graeme Matheson, on Flickr
In the time taken to ask the question you probably could have found out. (-: It’s probably what I’d do TBH. You mean the inside of the tap knob is worn, yes?
The part you need is a ceramic tap insert. Typically anything from £5 to £25.
I cant see why anyone would need to break out the back to get access to it, it unscrews from the top.
Search the make/model for the tap, and you should be able to get the correct insert.
Otherwise, turn off the water, take out the insert, then take it to a good plumbers merchant who will be able to match one up for you – there are many different sizes, with slight differences, so you cant just say ‘it looks like that’.