Want to fix a tap but cannot get the top off. ! HELP!
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- Опубликовано: 27 апр 2020
- Trying to get the top off of some taps can be a real headache. Once the brass collar has rounded off it seems impossible to undo. Here are some of the ways to get those taps sorted.
I also now have an Amazon shop for parts and tools at www.amazon.co.uk/shop/dereton33
Have been advised about the tap splitter set, but it is way too expensive for the odd tap. You could buy a new set of taps for the price. Good for plumbers who are fixing taps all the time though.
Saved some money on plumbers fees? Use the THANKS button.
Or through Paypal using my site link www.dereton33.com/page118.html
Many thanks Al. 
Хобби
This was so helpful for me today, thank you so much for making this video! I changed the washer on both sides of my kitchen tap all by myself. I'm so proud of myself and thrilled at how much money I've saved!
Fantastic!
Thank you. The cold tap stopped working on the bath, which means no one can have a shower because the water was coming out far too hot. A household of 7 in a heatwave needs a working shower. Decided to try to fix it myself and every single part of the tap was fighting against me and refusing to budge. Used this video step-by-step and managed to get the job done with a few new large, vicious-looking tools. Thank you again. We have a functioning shower once more.
That`s great.
Thank you very much for the great video. You got me out of a jam and saved me having to get a plumber! Really appreciate your very helpful advice and tips!
You are welcome!
Every time I need plumbing advice you appear to have uploaded a video in the last few days that is precisely relevant to my needs.
Are you sneaking into my house at night and inspecting my plumbing? This coincidence is getting a bit strange...
Many thanks for your worryingly tailored advice!
Happy to help!
Love the new intro Al! 😘 Another helpful video! As always, TFS, stay safe and keep well! 👍💗
Thanks so much Hazel, I knew I could not go wrong with MO.
@@dereton33 He/She? Is just adorable! ❤
very clear and helpful video. Thank you for taking the time to pass on your expertise and knowledge.
You are very welcome
Great video thank you I couldn't work out how to get the top off this tap for at least an hour. Life saver.
You're welcome!
Thank you so much. I could not get the tiny little top caps off. After watching your video - easy. Then I had to get the shiny "bonnets" off. Your video helped me again! And no chrome chewed up!
No problem 😊
Fantastic video. God bless you, my friend. Hope your health is good.
Thank you , keep well too.
You gave me the confidence I need to do it myself. Thanks!
Go for it!
Great video Al, hope to see some more soon!🔥👍.
Will do David and thanks
Thank you so much Sir. Your ideas really worked. Wandile from South Africa 🇿🇦
No problem.
Worked a treat. I followed your advice with the wd40, let it soak for a couple of hours and it came out no problem, and I was able to replace with another ceramic gland. Thanks again.
Great to hear!
Thank you very much for this. Got me out of a tough spot!
Glad it helped!
Thanks for this, could not have sorted the problem without it :)
No problem 👍
Top tap tips. Saved me a lot of time 👍
No problem Mark.
Good tips thankyou. It came in handy at 2am when i had to replace a tap washer in the hot water tap in the hand basin.
No problem 😊
I used all these tools in the past didn't work to remove the cartridge on the hot side the I used a deep socket and ratchet did the trick thanks for sharing this video with us stay safe.
Great tip!
Thanks for this video, there is another tool you can use to get the insert out, you can use a socket wrench as long as the insert is not rounded off.
Great tip!
Big thanks from Poland!;)
You're welcome!
Excellent video thanks. Had to use WD40, wire brushing and an 18” adjustable spanner to get the top off my tap.
Great tip!
Good video sir no problem with my taps at the moment but just enjoy watching your videos. hope you are well !!
Thanks, you too!
This is great - just what I needed
No problem.
Wonderful and so helpful.... Thanks 👍
My pleasure 😊
Thank you very much for your help, a very informative and interesting video, great practical tips
Take care
Sam
Ps I have just subscribed 👍👏
Cool, thanks. All the best Sam.
Bought a 22mm, £4.50, spanner to at least 'try' to get the head off my totally seized 1960s bathroom hot water tap... only to find it needed a 23mm, aaargh! I took your invaluable advice and found direct heat from a paint stripping heat-gun and a bit of brute force... freed it!!! It was only the top 2 bits of thread that were stuck... the lower threads were pristine! The rubber washer had completely crumbled away, but, only after FIVE DECADES daily use. Love your Tips & Tricks, Al...
Thanks Graham.
Thanks Al, very informative and useful to know. PS how long did it take to train up MO for his debut appearance on the vlog ?
Good question! She learns quick. Watched Dr Dolittle first.
Always great videos - thanks so much :-)
Glad you like them!
My spindle head is rounded..yes good tips on what tool to use..thanks heaps
Glad it helped
I use a correct size deep socket, so it contacts all the flat surfaces on the tap insert....gr8 vid as always...p.s uv trained Mo very well, maybe you can get him the job of weather forcaster after the news😁
She's certainty up for the job. Woof woof.
Excellent video; so well explained. Now I need to get a footprint grip to remove the cap on my Victorian taps. Could not loosen the ones in my bathroom.
No problem 😊
I thought the intro was you Al after a couple of weeks of not shaving 😁 The dreaded tap repairs, they either go well or are a battle. The cap is called a shroud - well that's what I call it anyway 🤔
I call it something else when it does not come off has ha,.
@@dereton33 I'm sure we both call it the same thing then Al 😁
i had same problem,ended up buying a tap splitter,it worked brilliantly,just saying Al.
Cost too much money for the average DIYer.
Thanks for the tip anyway.
@@dereton33 only 20 odd quid and no damage
Great video
Thanks!
Thank you kindly sir.
I had a stubborn fitting that would not come apart. I used a better tool and with a light tap with the hammer and the seal broke and came apart very easy.
Excellent!
Another great video, thanks. May I ask a question. My house has old plumbing with beautiful lead waste pipes from the sinks. I don’t want to remove this and would ask your advice on how I can fit a new basin/sink waste outlet to the lead. Thanking you in anticipation Steve
Yes, if you use a Macalpine trap it does actually fit over the lead and with the rubber washer squeezes on to the lead pipe.
Thanks for this advice. Much appreciated and can you send me the link to your shop please. Kind regards Steve
If you have the type of wheel wrench with the 2 size socket at the end 17mm and 19mm this should do it.
Has the benefit of having a long adjustable handle as well.
Use the pump wrench or Stilsons in upright position to hold the tap and stop it from turning.
A wooden mallet is also good for whacking the spanner before trying undo
Good tips thanks Rob.
Doing gods work mate
Feels like it sometimes.
Thank you so much!
No problem.
Hello, thank you for your reply. I tried to upload a photo of the taps, but couldn't. I thought you may recognise the taps. I have the same type on my bath, but they are individual. Do individual taps and mixer taps, which are the same type, all come off in the same way?
No unfortunately. Send me a picture of your taps to my email address. alanawall@aol.com
I some times use a blowtorch and that usually helps to loosen the cartridge up.
Thanks Alex.
Thanks, finally got it off with the stilsons
Great.
What about these new-fangled mixer taps with a lever that goes up and down - seems they need some sort of fancy cartridge with a joystick on top - are they repairable or do you have to find a complete replacement as one of mine keeps dribbling?
Unfortunately unless you can get a replacement cartridge forget it.
Great video Al...I have a similair problem..but can't get the screw to even turn...
Any suggestions?
WD40 leave for half an hour also sharp flat edge screwdriver tap out the cut for a better fit of a decent screwdriver head.
@@dereton33 many thanks..
great topic we have same problem removing our easyfit bristan vegas mixer kitchen tap. we took off the grub screw by the handle and top of the mixer tap will not come off any ideas how to remove the top
WD40 and a light upwards tap with a hammer.
Top Tip: That magnetised screwdriver or put the plug in the sink before you drop the screw down the hole.
Nearly, but not always, a good quality 17mm closed ring spanner will fit and is less likely to round off the brass.
"It will only take you five minutes" sayeth the customer and then, another seven dirty words. "While you are here, can you just"
Every thing only takes 5 minutes. So I heard. Ha ha. keep well Loafer.
I was going to suggest a long box spanner or a ratchet spanner esp if there is limited space. I was lucky as there was loads of space around the tap at my parents, my issue was their stop cock was shafted so I had to turn all the taps in the house on then change the tap head.
Molegrips? Also try tightening the head just a smidgeon to crack the seal, counter intuitive I know but does work, nice video by the way
Thanks for the tip!
Hello your videos are really clear but I can't find anything to help take my tap heads off. I have a cross head basin mixer tap with no grub screw and there is nothing on the top to lever off. The only connection which moves seems to be where the tap actually turns. It's a quarter turn tap. Any suggestions would be very welcome :)
Look for any round inserts on the back of the handle or on top they may be chrome looking to blend in.
Very informative video. Unfortunately I had already rounded the gland nut by time I watched it. I think they accidently used cheese instead of brass to make the gland in mine. I filed the nut to give me something to latch onto with an adjustable spanner, but still wouldn't budge. The thing that solved my problem was bashing it a fair amount from multiple angles with a hammer. So my advice to anyone else with nothing to lose (i.e. if you don't get it out, you'll have to replace the tap), don't be afraid to give it some (starting light, then more force if needed) with a hammer to loosen it, and filing the nut to reshape it. Best of luck people!
Being very careful not to damage the basin/bath/wall etc with the hammer!!!
Cheers.
I had to change the cartridge in my kitchen mixer tap recently, I ended up using a deep socket and ratchet to remove the cartridge.
Yeh some are so tough.
Very informative video. I'm trying to fix my taps but can't get the top off. They don't have anywhere to unscrew. there is no hidden Alan key screw.
Some taps are made not to be fixed.
I secure it with short sturdy piece of tube slipped over the spout, similar to scaffold tube but wider..
Good tip.
I have removed the top cap and the internal screw from a tap that looks just like the one on your video. I can’t get the top off following that despite WD40 and tapping with the hammer. There a sort of cover which does seem to unscrew but just spins round and round. Can you help?!!
The thread has gone on the cover piece. New taps Im afraid.
Happy Easter, wish i had not to deal with taps this weekend but there you go :), Can you help me please? I am trying to remove the cap on a tap in my bathroom but for the life of me I cannot find the way to remove the cap , usually you would get a flat head screwdriver and ping it off to reveal the screw , this one has left me clueless. Id there a way I can send you a picture of it such as to an email address ? Many thanks in advance
Yes send to alanawall@aol.com
HI, thanks for that. You didn't mention mole grips - are they a bad idea to split the tap?
Yes they are.
@@dereton33 thanks, I'll avoid!
Hi, what size spanner would you need for the brass barrel/ body bolt Derek... Just interested are they 17mm And are they all the same size for whatever tap you have.
They are all different sizes, you can get a tap box spanner set that does them all.
@@dereton33 cheers Derek I've got a few of your videos saved for reference, thanks for all you do.. You start at the beginning and work right through very informative and helpful for us just trying to get through the odd sticky situation 👌👍👍
Thank you so much, Ihad tried everything the other videos had sugested to get the main barrel of the tap released and something as simple as gently tapping the barrel all round it loosened with ease, I was considering either calling a plumber or buying new taps, again thank you so much
No problem David.
I still can’t get it off, tried with wd40, tapping, forcing... Nothing makes it move, what could be the problem? HELP 😢
The outside cover is usually held tight by limescale ( I speak from experience ) a tissue soaked in ordinary lemon juice wrapped round the offending seal and left for 30mins or so eats through it and the cover comes off .
Thanks Bruce.
Any tips on when a basin tap washer seat is cracked and therefore will still drip even with a new washer or new cartridge? I suspect I will have to replace the whole tap unit unless there is a temporary fix you could suggest?
There is a tool called a tap reseating tool which grinds the bottom of the tap flat.
@@dereton33 I do have a tap reseating tool but concerned about grinding down too far that I no longer have a tight seal with the washer.
Great video but didn't solve my problem of the rounding off of the brass 'nut' section, no matter what spanner or grip I used it was getting gradually worse. I needed to use a proper 17mm socket wrench but the splined shaft would not allow the socket to go far enough down onto the valve.
Solution: hacksaw the splined shaft off, socket then fits and the valve came loose in seconds with no slipping.
Thanks for the info Tony.
Perhaps you should have mentioned that Stillsons and probably all these other wierd plumber's tools have a correct orientation for use. If you use them the correct way round then they tighten their grip as you turn them but if you use them the wrong way round then they loosen which leads to more graunching of the tap.
I was hoping that would be obvious. But you could be right.
Hi. I have a cross-handled tap (2) and, the heads won't come off! I've tapped them, quite hard, with a soft-headed hammer. They don't have screws holding them. Can you suggest any other methods to get them off, please? Great videos!!!
Try WD 40, make sure there are no screws under the plastic insert at the top of the handle, sometimes well hidden.
@@dereton33
There was a screw under the insert that someone had spun the head into a circle. I managed to remove that. I soaked it in WD40 overnight and, I have a puller on order. I'm hoping that might shift it.
@@dereton33 WD40 didn't help. Please, suggest something else that I could try?
Appears very simple. My tap has a swivel lever with 2 arched holes either side. Can't find any screw to loosen inside though, therefore, cannot loosen the first layer off at all. Am I missing something?
They are allen key slots.
I'm having a problem with my bathroom tap and have been told it's likely the cartridge that's the issue. When I have come to remove it I've hit a stumbling block...on removing the shroud there is no nut so I can't remove the headgear with a spanner. I'm worried about damaging the thread with a wrench etc. Is this common and is there an easy fix? Thank you
This is quite common.
No easy fix
Thanks
No problem
I have 1960s Bolding tap with teeny coloured caps hard to get off help please!
Send picture to my email above.
A deep 18mm socket and long handled ratchet did it for me when the adjustable spanner kept slipping.
Thanks for the tip.
I use an adjustable spanner to get off a tight handle and a rubber strap wrench to loosen of the outer gland cover
Thanks for the info Paul.
@@dereton33 trainee plumber in the making Al!!!
What tools can I use to take off the top off the tap @1:22 to expose the screw? Where is the groove to lift off?
Small sharp bradawl to dig out the blue or hot insert once out it will exposé the screw.
@@dereton33 Thanks but where do you dig? There is no gap or groove and ive even used a pen knife to clear out any scum which isnt there. Is the groove below or above the gold border?
I've got a very tiny cap embedded in my tap, there is a screw under it, but I can't get it off, can you help?
Try WD 40 on it.
i have the exact same tap you show on the computer screen at the start of the video needs a new washer but nothing on that tap will budge and i have tried every tool known to man do you know what kind / name of tap it is please
Peggler taps. Get a larger hammer. Flood it with WD 40 for about a week.
@@dereton33 thank you so much what a star you are
Hi, at 4'57 you remove the cover that I just can't get off. You call it a plastic cover. I don't think it's plastic on the tap I have. How the dickens do I get it off?
Maybe pouring boiling water over that cap (to expand the metal) and then tap around the seal with a hammer, as you have done in this vid). I really need your help. I don't want to pay my (former) plumber £60-£80 for this job!)
Thanks.
Keep at it. Also try WD 40 on it.
WD40! Well, of course!
It's just a very odd tap. When the tap is open and I pull up on the tap itself, the rate of flow increases to what is a usable flow. But I can't use a tap like that all the time. Neighbour (builder) helping at the weekend. Thanks.@@dereton33
Get your self a impact gun socket adaptor and deep socket 17mm or 19mm should do it have that changed in minutes
Thanks for the info.
Hi I have one of these fountain taps and it looks like the tap and cover is one piece. Is that possible? I can't get it to turn a bit.
Some can be.
@@dereton33 how do I get the cartridge out? Do I need to buy a new tap? Ps I meant collar not cover earlier.
not able to get the screw out. that hols the tap top on any ideas please.
WD 40.
I didn’t know Robert Fripp was tap expert.
A good man that.
Or 12inch good pair of grips better leverage
Thanks for your tip.
Cheers Boss !!!! Xxxx
No worries
From Pink Floyd to taps. Isn't RUclips marvellous?!
Sure is would sooner be listening to Dark side of the moon.
I'm trying this very thing right now Al... I gave up earlier with an adjustable spanner before watching this as, whilst trying, I just knew they would round off the nut. I left it soaking with some penetrating fluid... (wife doesn't like the smell of it.. who would have know that ? LOL) You reminded me just now at 10:18 that I have the adjustable stillsons you showed.. (just found them) will try again tomorrow. Thanks for your videos Al.
Good luck with it Al.
@@dereton33 wow ..even the stillsons rounded off the brass nut...it was a low profile valve though. i think the nut height was only 5 or 6mm and only 16mm across the flats. New tap I'm afraid.. A new deck mixer tap is around £40. I measured the distance between the copper (fixed) feeds under the steel drainer sink and they are around 180mm apart.. seems like a common fit. just hope the drop down to them is common too.. EeeeK!
Tried everything I just cannot get the bit off that exposes the nut, I'm just gonna change the taps instead ... constant fast drip
Sometimes it happens.
Hi, i have successfully fixed my hot tap using this video 😊, but, i have a problem... The cold tap, I managed to get the little bit on top off, revealing the screw, but cannot for love nor money undo the screw which is the x type and looks slightly stripped. Even tried electric screwdriver but probably stripped it a little more. So, how do i get it out? To make it worse i have a glass shelf above the sink which happens to be too low for most of my 'normal' screwdrivers. Please help, someone... anyone 😢
Soak it with WD 40 for a day. Then tap the screw with a small hammer and screwdriver before attempting to undo it again.
How do send photo to you?
Use my email address alanawall@aol.com
If you film on front of a window, better lighting will make the details show up clearer.
Will bear that in mind.
vinegar, wait, spanner, no luck, more vinegar, wait overnight, spanner, nope, hot wet towel and vinegar, wait, fair number of gentle taps, spanner, wow, turning...
Bigger hammer required ha ha.
Better off removing and changing the tap entirely, these are notorious for jamming and just making life harder than it needs to be. Install an easy 3/4 turn ceramic body tap and you’ll never need half these tools again.
If only it was that easy.
first
You sure are. Ha ha.
@@dereton33Really useful video by the way. Im sure it will help a lot of people get out of a pickle. Keep up the good work!
Taking too long on one type of tap.
You have a go then.
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Am I that boring.