Thanks. Mine had no leaks as well, but I had to loosen the cartridge retaining nut to fix mine. You could try WD40, but is yours only sticking through part of the movement? If so, it may be the cartridge at fault, but you could try loosening the nut a little bit.
Thank you for sharing this video. I had the same cartridge in blue and mine broke inside the tap due to force closing the tap when it wasn’t closing properly. The bottom white/ pale white part with rubber ring stayed. I started thinking/ wondering if it stays in but was curious and tried to take it out with pliers and further damaged it. I started to think that now I will have to get the whole new tap but thought let’s see what happens. In the meantime I searched for the cartridge in google to see different images. At that point I didn’t see this version but on eBay there were some these types. I stopped my search and tried to take out the bottom part out and I had damaged it anyway so it had to come out or new tap. I finely managed to take it out with nosal pliers but it broke before it came out. I put the pieces together to be able to see the full image and it was sigh of relief that I don’t need to replace the tap but just the cartridge. It also helps me find the right size and type for replacement. I bought replacement from Amazon. I think this particular cartridge type doesn’t come out easily as the rubber ring and the legs probably click in the tap when you fit the new one. If at the time of fitting silicone grease wasn’t used properly. It also depends on how old your tap is. Mine was good (more or less) 10+ years old. As you can imagine some build up around the rubber ring seal and the legs of this type of cartridge which makes it harder to come out if it has been there for long time. I wish I could take it out as one piece but my fault for force closing it and braking it. Mine only started being stiff when I turned it on the cold only side but my fault for not fixing it early enough. The whole point of me writing my story in detail is that someone else might be going through the same and if bottom part is stuck it has to come out and you should be able to see the metal/ brass but no plastic parts if you take the cartridge out. Always try to use water friendly and long lasting silicone spray in the cartridge if you manage to take it out in one piece. Some lubricants can wash out with hot water quickly and make your tap squeak. Do not try to force close the tap. This might save you buying a new one. There is a chance to take it out in one piece and fix it. Don’t buy any expensive brand cartridges as they probably are made in the same factory as none branded but sold for higher prices due to having their name printed on it. All the best 👍
Seems quite stiff even after all that, I recon it's the type of material they use in it's making? I have a similar tap and I asked my dad why it's so stiff and he said that he can't do anything about it because it's the materials.
Great video... mine is both stiff and leaking but only on the hot side of the mixer tap....guessing i need a new tap cartridge and do the bits you did to loosen the nut too?
Thanks for this video, all the others show the cartridge easily being taken out and as mine was so tight I was starting to wonder if I was doing it wrong
Nicely done thank you 👍 My Grohe has a grub screw that needs a security hex bit to remove it, cannot take the top handle off its completely stuck argh! Isn't the '46850000' cartridge either, hate Grohe so much 🤔
No worries. Thanks. That's frustrating! Is it stuck because you can't get the grub screw out? You could try a small flat screwdriver if you were able to get it to grip in between two points of the security hex, provided the hex hasn't been overtightened. Might be a long shot but worth a try if you can do it. Good luck with it all.
Best bit of advice by far. The ceramic cartridge inside the tap is the cause of the problem; WD40/grease will really have little effect. Many of these cartridges are cheap imported (from where, I hear you ask? - guess.) affairs and don't last long. There are also dozens of different sizes and you need the exact correct one, to work. Save yourself time and trouble - both now in in the future: go to a plumbers merchants, ask what taps and cartridges they stock or recommend. It'll probably cost more than some poxy import, but when it needs changing (and that's what really needs to happen, not spraying with lubricant) you'll know where to get one.
Has it just started to get progressively stiffer over time or has it been like it ever since you moved to that house? It could be the cartridge is on the way out or it could be the retaining nut for the cartridge. The easiest way to test it would be to loosen the nut bit by bit until it operates freely. And as long as it doesn't leak after doing this you can just reassemble everything and see how it goes.
@@bossmanDIY I have the faucet for about 10 years. It happened recently. I spoke to a rep on the phone and told her the problem with using it as it is stiff in any direction. She told me to send her photos of my faucet as the illustration guide as 3 different photos of 3 different model numbers. The model numbers do not align with the photo. She said it sounds like the cartridge needs to be replaced but it is not under warranty. I sent her an email with photos of the faucet and the problem. She replied that I took wonderful photos of the faucet and again asked what the problem was as I may not have to purchase anything. I wrote back and repeated the problem again. That was about a week ago and I haven't gotten a response back. Maybe because of the holiday. I thought about not waiting and just buying cartridge part myself. I just wanted to be sure before I buy the cartridge. I don't have a 36mm wrench, socket or adjustable tool to loosen the nut or remove it. I'll have to borrow or buy one after the holiday.
@@lauras2519 OK I don't have much experience with these apart from the one I did in the video. I would try borrow a wrench and try loosening the nut slightly. It could be that there is a limescale build up that has caused it to stiffen up. From memory, someone else commented here that their's got stiff to operate but it came good again. If you are desperate, you could try multi-grip pliers if you had a set of those that opened up big enough but you have more chance of damaging the thread with those, depending on how tight the nut is. If the nut loosens easy it may be the cartridge at fault but if it's super tight to undo, maybe loosening it a tad will work.
Hi sorry I didn't clarify the leak part. The process for fixing the leak would be the same. (Follow the same steps to dismantle the tap/faucet) if it's leaking from the spout (dripping) it likely will need a replacement cartridge.
Hi, I have an interesting situation. For the last few months, my mixer faucet in the kitchen was getting stiff and even leaking a bit. Suddenly yesterday, the stiffness and leaking ceased. Trust me, no one in the family did anything strange or fixed it or anything. Comments on how this could occur? Can this perhaps be a precursor to a real problem about to happen? Unfortunately I don't have a shut-off at this tap location to do a self repair, and as I'm not really a DIY guy, I'm hoping the problem fixed itself and I don't have to work on it further. Thanks!
Hi Gerry, thanks for your comment. I haven’t had much experience myself, the one in my video was the first time I had dealt with a mixer faucet so not sure exactly what the cause would be. Without a shut off valve under the sink you would have to locate your main supply shut off. Not sure what you have over there but in Australia the newer houses have a rectangle buried box (somewhere near the street) with a plastic cover to access the valve or sometimes they are housed below a round plastic cover. At an older house we had an exposed shut off that was in a front garden. If you have flexible braided hoses under your sink you can sometimes kink them and use “vise grips” (adjustable locking pliers) to hold them kinked and isolate the supply that way. If the hoses are old though, you could risk damaging the hoses by kinking them. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it though. Fingers crossed it has fixed itself. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Maybe someone else here can give more info.
Sorry but I did not see how you make the lever moving fluidly again. Is it only WD40? How about soaking the cartridge in descaling liquid? Is this okay or damaging the cartridge further?
Hi, sorry for the late reply. 1:26 in the video. The cartridge retaining nut was screwed down too tight! I'm not sure about the descaling liquid but it shouldn't be nescessary to soak the cartridge itself.
sorry for the late reply mate. The allen wrench I used for the grub screw was a 2.5mm which is slightly loose, so it may be an imperial size (to be exact), but the 2.5mm should do the job provided that it hasn't been previously over tightened.
If you have removed the grub screw, it should be fine to tap it upwards with a rubber mallet or maybe pry it with a large flat screwdriver. I would try wriggling it by hand first and if you have any silicon spray you could try spraying that around the hole where the grub screw was. Good luck.
@@bossmanDIY I did. twice. 1 hour intervals. it wouldn't budge. I decided to just apply an oil based lubricant that has since resolved the stiffness issue... for now.
Excellent video and very helpful. You have a real knack in making these with the right balance of commentary and video.
Happy to help. Thanks for your kind words
Well done. Professionally explained. Very thorough.
@@RossTinney thank you 🙏
Just used the video to help me fix bathroom tap. Not exactly the same cartridge but video good enough to guide me through it. Thanks
@pclarkeyt happy to help in some way. Thanks for your comment
thank you so much. the one in our kids bathroom is stiff.. need to pull it apart but didn't have a clue how to even begin. legend : )
Happy to help. Cheers
Thanks for the video. Very helpful 👍👍🙏
@@ErnestJohnson-y5l no worries. Thank you
Your video helped me fix my bathroom tap. Just wanted to say thanks 😁
Happy to help cheers 😁
This is a great video - I WON'T be attempting this but still interesting to learn a bit.
Great detailed video. How can I fix a sticking movement (no leaks) - WD40? Thanks
Thanks. Mine had no leaks as well, but I had to loosen the cartridge retaining nut to fix mine. You could try WD40, but is yours only sticking through part of the movement? If so, it may be the cartridge at fault, but you could try loosening the nut a little bit.
Thanks for your support from Saudi Arabia, Assalam Alaikum!
Happy to help!
Thank you for sharing this video. I had the same cartridge in blue and mine broke inside the tap due to force closing the tap when it wasn’t closing properly. The bottom white/ pale white part with rubber ring stayed. I started thinking/ wondering if it stays in but was curious and tried to take it out with pliers and further damaged it. I started to think that now I will have to get the whole new tap but thought let’s see what happens. In the meantime I searched for the cartridge in google to see different images. At that point I didn’t see this version but on eBay there were some these types. I stopped my search and tried to take out the bottom part out and I had damaged it anyway so it had to come out or new tap. I finely managed to take it out with nosal pliers but it broke before it came out. I put the pieces together to be able to see the full image and it was sigh of relief that I don’t need to replace the tap but just the cartridge. It also helps me find the right size and type for replacement.
I bought replacement from Amazon.
I think this particular cartridge type doesn’t come out easily as the rubber ring and the legs probably click in the tap when you fit the new one. If at the time of fitting silicone grease wasn’t used properly. It also depends on how old your tap is. Mine was good (more or less) 10+ years old. As you can imagine some build up around the rubber ring seal and the legs of this type of cartridge which makes it harder to come out if it has been there for long time.
I wish I could take it out as one piece but my fault for force closing it and braking it. Mine only started being stiff when I turned it on the cold only side but my fault for not fixing it early enough.
The whole point of me writing my story in detail is that someone else might be going through the same and if bottom part is stuck it has to come out and you should be able to see the metal/ brass but no plastic parts if you take the cartridge out.
Always try to use water friendly and long lasting silicone spray in the cartridge if you manage to take it out in one piece. Some lubricants can wash out with hot water quickly and make your tap squeak.
Do not try to force close the tap. This might save you buying a new one. There is a chance to take it out in one piece and fix it.
Don’t buy any expensive brand cartridges as they probably are made in the same factory as none branded but sold for higher prices due to having their name printed on it. All the best 👍
@mrr34 thanks for your detailed comment. I'm sure others with the same problem as you will find it helpful. All the best!
Thank you so much for your great helpful video. Really appreciated this. 😃
Thanks for your kind comment. Glad you found it helpful.
Seems quite stiff even after all that, I recon it's the type of material they use in it's making? I have a similar tap and I asked my dad why it's so stiff and he said that he can't do anything about it because it's the materials.
Oh OK. It fixed mine. Did you try moving it up and down before you tightened the nut up?
Great video... mine is both stiff and leaking but only on the hot side of the mixer tap....guessing i need a new tap cartridge and do the bits you did to loosen the nut too?
Thanks. Yep sounds like you will need a new cartridge, and yes you will have to loosen and remove the big nut to access it.
@@bossmanDIY Thanks fellah.. keep up the good work 👏👏
@@brianmuffett2159 Thanks bud
Thanks for this video, all the others show the cartridge easily being taken out and as mine was so tight I was starting to wonder if I was doing it wrong
Happy to help
I needed a pair of pliers to pull mine out!
Great helpful video.
Thank you
@@chrisminter17 happy to help. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Nicely done thank you 👍 My Grohe has a grub screw that needs a security hex bit to remove it, cannot take the top handle off its completely stuck argh! Isn't the '46850000' cartridge either, hate Grohe so much 🤔
No worries. Thanks. That's frustrating! Is it stuck because you can't get the grub screw out? You could try a small flat screwdriver if you were able to get it to grip in between two points of the security hex, provided the hex hasn't been overtightened. Might be a long shot but worth a try if you can do it. Good luck with it all.
Thank you. Decision made. Buy a new mixer tap and call my plumber.
Best bit of advice by far. The ceramic cartridge inside the tap is the cause of the problem; WD40/grease will really have little effect. Many of these cartridges are cheap imported (from where, I hear you ask? - guess.) affairs and don't last long. There are also dozens of different sizes and you need the exact correct one, to work. Save yourself time and trouble - both now in in the future: go to a plumbers merchants, ask what taps and cartridges they stock or recommend. It'll probably cost more than some poxy import, but when it needs changing (and that's what really needs to happen, not spraying with lubricant) you'll know where to get one.
Thanks for sharing this. Sorted out my stiff tap issue. 👍🏻
Happy to help
My Hansgrohe bathroom faucet handle is stiff. It's hard to turn up, down and sideways. Is that the ceramic cartridge? It is not leaking.
Has it just started to get progressively stiffer over time or has it been like it ever since you moved to that house? It could be the cartridge is on the way out or it could be the retaining nut for the cartridge. The easiest way to test it would be to loosen the nut bit by bit until it operates freely. And as long as it doesn't leak after doing this you can just reassemble everything and see how it goes.
@@bossmanDIY I have the faucet for about 10 years. It happened recently. I spoke to a rep on the phone and told her the problem with using it as it is stiff in any direction. She told me to send her photos of my faucet as the illustration guide as 3 different photos of 3 different model numbers. The model numbers do not align with the photo. She said it sounds like the cartridge needs to be replaced but it is not under warranty. I sent her an email with photos of the faucet and the problem. She replied that I took wonderful photos of the faucet and again asked what the problem was as I may not have to purchase anything. I wrote back and repeated the problem again. That was about a week ago and I haven't gotten a response back. Maybe because of the holiday. I thought about not waiting and just buying cartridge part myself. I just wanted to be sure before I buy the cartridge. I don't have a 36mm wrench, socket or adjustable tool to loosen the nut or remove it. I'll have to borrow or buy one after the holiday.
@@lauras2519 OK I don't have much experience with these apart from the one I did in the video. I would try borrow a wrench and try loosening the nut slightly. It could be that there is a limescale build up that has caused it to stiffen up. From memory, someone else commented here that their's got stiff to operate but it came good again. If you are desperate, you could try multi-grip pliers if you had a set of those that opened up big enough but you have more chance of damaging the thread with those, depending on how tight the nut is. If the nut loosens easy it may be the cartridge at fault but if it's super tight to undo, maybe loosening it a tad will work.
@@bossmanDIY Thank you so much for your response.
Great vid Learnt a lot from this but how would the leak be fixed, I just saw the title but didn’t hear anything about a leak
Hi sorry I didn't clarify the leak part. The process for fixing the leak would be the same. (Follow the same steps to dismantle the tap/faucet) if it's leaking from the spout (dripping) it likely will need a replacement cartridge.
@@bossmanDIY okay, thank you
Thank you. A great video. Really helpful. Was able to sort out my mixer tap with your help. Brilliant.
Happy to help Martyn. Thanks
Hi, I have an interesting situation. For the last few months, my mixer faucet in the kitchen was getting stiff and even leaking a bit. Suddenly yesterday, the stiffness and leaking ceased. Trust me, no one in the family did anything strange or fixed it or anything.
Comments on how this could occur? Can this perhaps be a precursor to a real problem about to happen?
Unfortunately I don't have a shut-off at this tap location to do a self repair, and as I'm not really a DIY guy, I'm hoping the problem fixed itself and I don't have to work on it further. Thanks!
Hi Gerry, thanks for your comment. I haven’t had much experience myself, the one in my video was the first time I had dealt with a mixer faucet so not sure exactly what the cause would be. Without a shut off valve under the sink you would have to locate your main supply shut off. Not sure what you have over there but in Australia the newer houses have a rectangle buried box (somewhere near the street) with a plastic cover to access the valve or sometimes they are housed below a round plastic cover. At an older house we had an exposed shut off that was in a front garden. If you have flexible braided hoses under your sink you can sometimes kink them and use “vise grips” (adjustable locking pliers) to hold them kinked and isolate the supply that way. If the hoses are old though, you could risk damaging the hoses by kinking them. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it though. Fingers crossed it has fixed itself. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Maybe someone else here can give more info.
Sorry but I did not see how you make the lever moving fluidly again. Is it only WD40? How about soaking the cartridge in descaling liquid? Is this okay or damaging the cartridge further?
Hi, sorry for the late reply. 1:26 in the video. The cartridge retaining nut was screwed down too tight! I'm not sure about the descaling liquid but it shouldn't be nescessary to soak the cartridge itself.
Hi Bossman - thanks for the video and helpful tips - I used it to repair my sink mixer tap and it worked.
Happy to help
What size of hex key did you use mate, was it 2.5 mm?
sorry for the late reply mate. The allen wrench I used for the grub screw was a 2.5mm which is slightly loose, so it may be an imperial size (to be exact), but the 2.5mm should do the job provided that it hasn't been previously over tightened.
I don't have to remove the grub screw completely on my taps...
Good point, yes it's probably not necessary. Thanks for your helpful comment.
How to remove the handle if it is way too tight sticking to the cartridge?
If you have removed the grub screw, it should be fine to tap it upwards with a rubber mallet or maybe pry it with a large flat screwdriver. I would try wriggling it by hand first and if you have any silicon spray you could try spraying that around the hole where the grub screw was. Good luck.
Bossman DIY your reply get truncated at second half. Can you type the second half again? Thanks so much
@@miketsai75 I would try wriggling it by hand first.
If you have any silicon spray you could try spraying that around the hole where the grub screw was. Good luck.
@@bossmanDIY thanks for your kindness. But I tried all before! Any other insight you may think of?
thank you super helpful
Thanks for the comment. Glad I could help.
So what was causing the stiffness?
Big hex nut was too tight.
What size Alan key for the grub screw please?
Mine takes a 2.5mm but that's a bit loose, you could try a 7/64 it might be a better fit
Is cartridge standard size?
Sorry I can't help you with that question, I didn't replace my cartridge so i'm not sure.
That cartridge just wouldn't come loose😓
@@marcomotivated1499 sorry to hear that. Did you spray WD-40 or similar around it and let it soak in?
@@bossmanDIY I did. twice. 1 hour intervals. it wouldn't budge. I decided to just apply an oil based lubricant that has since resolved the stiffness issue... for now.
Your toothbrush made me lose focus when seeing the mixer tap. 😄
😆 sorry my toothbrush wanted to be in the video
@@bossmanDIY Haha just kidding. Great video. Thank you for sharing! 🙏👍