How to fix leaking bath tap?

[richie]

Hello

i recently moved house and attempted to fix a leaking bath tap.  I have replaced old valves with new brass valves (both hot & cold taps) however the tap still has a fast leak.  The water is warm so I think it’s something related to the hot water.   I have also tried removing the handle and tightening the hot water tap using a wrench but it still leaks.  

Appreciate if anyone has thoughts or suggestions?

thanks!

Community manager's note: Check out How to replace a tap washer for expert advice.

 

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Hi @richie,

If you replaced the two jumper valves correctly and the tap is still leaking, it's likely the valve/s is not seated correctly, and water is leaking past it. If this is the case, you'll need to use a re-seating tool to grind the tap seats so they are flat again. The tap seat which the rubber washer on the valve presses against when you tighten your tap becomes unevenly worn or damaged over time. It will get to a point where the valve can no longer seal due to the distortion.

I have a similar issue on a couple of my taps. Because I'm lazy, I've got away with using either a Kinetic 12mm Dome Nylon Washer Jumper Tap Valve or EnduraSeal 12mm Nylon Tap Valve or FIX-A-TAP Leaklock Tap Valve. This style of valve doesn't solely rely on the face of the seat to seal against. They're just a stopgap, though, and you might need to restore the seat sometime in the future.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[richie]

Hi @MitchellMc 

thanks for your quick reply.  I took your advice and decided to examine the tap seats and to my surprise there was another old valve seal stuck on the seat!  I needed to use a screwdriver to scrape it off as it cracked into small pieces.  Whoever last changed the tap valves simply didn’t check the seat and put new brass valves on top.  

I’ve attached a pic of the old brass valve and the debris stuck to the seat

Thanks again for your help!  With this community forum and my local bunnings store (Dural) I’ve successfully tackled another DIY job 😀

 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @richie,

That doesn't happen often, but I have experienced it myself before. Good to know my local stores are looking after you. I worked at Thornleigh for 18 years and regularly shop at Dural.

Glad to see you got it sorted. Well done.

Mitchell