Plumbing & Fittings Discussions

Oh I bet you can ;)

I'm getting deeper in it :o Scientifically you are correct, and I'm sure it states in the instructions you must do xy&z. In my experience this is a way of covering themselves, and who can blame them. I can only say as I find, and if people choose to follow the rules I wouldn't frown or mock them for it, other than to say in my experience I have never had an issue with the way I install baths.

So you fit baths and do not realise properties of silicon functions best under compression and glass fibre deforms/flexes. Both being the reasons why the manufacturers and suppliers of these products (as linked above) advice contradicts your own. It hardly as if they could know more is it!

Oh dear I'm in trouble.... From my own personal experience I silicon all my baths to the wall resting on a battern, and never had one fail. I have even had to remove one months later as a new owner wanted to convert it to a shower tray in the end it involved an SDS to separate the two as it wasn't for moving.

Wickes,B&Q, plumbworld, bigbathroomshop and even unibond (sealant manufacturer) state to fill before application. (39) How to Seal a Bath with Wickes - YouTube (39) How to seal a bath - YouTube How to Seal a Bath Properly (plumbworld.co.uk) How to Seal Around the Bath (bigbathroomshop.co.uk) DIY Lesson 101: How to seal a bath (unibond.co.uk)

cheers - been here 12 years and dont plan on leaving 🤞🤞

Don’t know the answer but do know that Ifyou plan to sell, you will have to declare the defective drain issues.

Bear in mind that they will only be lined so the roots can still damage the pipe and probably the liner, the best thing to do would be to replace it with modern plastic pipe but more work and expense but could be cheaper long term.

That circlip just stops the spindle dropping down inside the cartridge, you would only want to remove it if you wanted to dismantle the cartridge itself, but you would still need to unbolt the cartridge first and pull off the blue bit, as the insides remove from the bottom. Turn the water off, support the tap and unbolt the cartridge, and as Bobster-cyw said, once you've identified the cartridge just bolt it back in until you can get a replacement.

I just repaired mine last week, exactly the same problem. Turn your water off and remove the cartridge with a spanner. I then found a matching one on eBay (just match up the measurements) and pop it back in. No more leaks (y) I wouldn’t bother with removing the circlip, just the whole cartridge. Mine was about £7 Obviously once you’ve ordered just pop the old cartridge back in for now so you can continue to use the tap.

Being a "spanner| is not a compliment.

Thanks for everyone’s input overnight. I don’t think it’s the ceramic discs that have failed as the tap isn’t actually dripping, the tear drop leak is where the circlip is. It’s not constant - only when the lever is pulled. I’m not that confident when dealing with water and as @spannerzone says, the last thing I want is a dismantled tap that’s out of use for a few days. I think the best thing to do would be to remove the circlip and see if I can pull the blue spindle bit out and see if there is a perished washer on that. I’m not sure the circlip is holding anything actually in place,(as it spins round freely (the same on the hot tap))more to stop the spindle from sinking downward (confused)

If it is leaking around the spindle, then it might just need a rubber 'O' ring to replace one on the spindle and a drop of silicone grease to lubricate it, if the OP can get the cartridge apart without breaking the ceramic parts. If the OP is in luck a generic cartridge might fit screwfix have a small selection starting around five quid. https://www.screwfix.com/c/bathrooms-kitchens/reviver-kits-tap-spares/cat820108?producttype=ceramic_tap_glands|ceramic_tap_cartridge|tap_valves|threaded_tap_glands&cm_sp=managedredirect-_-plumbing-_-tapcartridge

Wrap some old rag around it and get big pliers or grips around it and twist.

If you can do, try to rock (wobble) it side to side a little. That might be enough to encourage it to start moving for you. You could also try something that’ll improve the grip you have - rubber gloves as suggested, or really strong tape might help. If you have a set of pliers / grips that open wide enough, cover the tap with something to protect it and see if they help moving it. Again, small side to side movements just to see if you can get it started. Also, if it is one that’s screwed on, you may find trying to tighten it slightly is the easiest way to release it

Try some wd-40 spray on, wrap a bit of kitchen paper around it, nothing to loose and ,any help. Some can be stubborn as *****

Thanks all. Still can't get it off. It's really stubborn.

I'd be inclined to replace the taps, flexies and service valve

As it is not blanked off any time the water level in the trap is above the top of the 'spout' it will come out of it. So that's anytime from when you pull the plug to the water level reaching the bottom of the sink. For a temporary fix I'd unscrew the spout , cover the pipe with a plastic bag and screw the spout back.

Yep, I’d definitely take the main trap off and check for debris, or at least give it a good flush through with Mr Muscle and tighten the dishwasher connection piece.

If it is not used however - how is water coming out - this sounds like there may be a blockage in the trap and it is causing water to back up - is the sink draining slowly??

Re: Appliance nozzle blanking plug It's a McAlpine 40mm Blanking Plug for Traps and Fittings Part no: 228532

Or this and use the blanking plug supplied with you waste https://www.screwfix.com/p/mcalpine-v33s-compression-domestic-appliance-tee-piece-connector-white-40mm/4167p

So reading this it now appears you have hot water when the heating is on, what about when it is summer?? With an immersion heater it is usually a vented system, gravity fed from a header tank in the loft, the hissing sound you heard was probably the tank being filled from that. Is it possible you gas boiler is not a combi-boiler? if it is it may be the person who suggested checking out the diverter valve has a point.(that is the little silver box at the front of your pic) Modern combis usually have no immersion heater and run on sealed systems. I would of thought there will likely be two sensors in play one on the thermostat and another flow sensor, to close the divertor valve when the hot water is running.

Top man!

No problem, glad I've been able to help. When you eventually figure it all out, let me know. I'll be interested to hear how the setup you have with your gas boiler, immersion heater and hot water tank actually works out in real life!

Thanks a million! Couldn’t have worked it out without your prompts so much appreciated! The wiring does seem quite.. messy, so I wonder if there is a switch hidden in the wall behind that plate or if it’s wired into the controller. A job for the weekend 😁

Well done! There's no benefit in using the Immersion heater to heat your water on a daily basis, electricity is a lot more expensive than gas so always heat by gas if possible. However the Immersion is a useful backup if you need extra hot water at short notice, or if your gas boiler fails. The final question is, why is your Immersion heater heating your water when you have a gas boiler capable of doing the same job a lot cheaper? Are you sure you don't have an Immersion heater on/off switch on the wall somewhere, maybe a switch you never really noticed before, often near the cupboard where the hot water cylinder is? If so turn it off. I find it strange that a 3Kw Immersion heater would be wired directly to a consumer unit with no On / Off Switch or Isolation point in between but maybe thats the way they do it these days. If there's no switch then the Immersion must be tied in to your CH controls and there must be some way of selecting if you want hot water heated by gas or electricity but I'm sorry, I can't advise on that, my Immersion here has a simple on/off switch, everything in my house is pretty much "Old School"!