How to tighten new but loose mixer tap

[Rusmer]

My old kitchen mixer tap was leaking so I purchased a new Mondella sink mixing cadenza on 15 February 2021 and fitted it to the sink. The spout swivel is very tight and I can not tighten the tap strongly enough so it soon works loose. what can I do? Do I need to get a stronger person to tighten the tap bellow the sink. Is there an adjustment to slightly loosen the spout so it rotates more freely? Is the unit faulty? It is not working as it should so should I return the tap and replace it with another new tap?

[StevieB]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Rusmer. It's fantastic that you've joined us, and thanks for your question.

Let me mention @redracer01 and @LePallet who may be able to help with your question. Our resident Bunnings Team Member @MitchellMc will be back on the site on Friday to assist, or perhaps you could phone your local store to get advice specific to this product before then.

Look forward to hearing about projects you have on the go around your home and garden.

Stevie

[redracer01]

Hello @Rusmer 

Welcome to Bunnings Workshop. Is your tap connected with a straight rod and a half moon washer held in with a nut? If it is you need to use a tap spanner kit ( as seen below ) The pipes slot in to one another allowing you to tighten the nut in a confined space. Below is a link of a video of a similar tool being used to tighten the tap assembly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A39XNZACFiE I hope this helps please post should you have any more questions about the tool.

Red

[Rusmer]

Dear Red,

No, the tap I brought has a plastic base under the sink with a rubber washer under the sink and then a round metal washer the plastic (ca 10cm) tightens onto onto a thread at the base of the tap. It is a Mondella Sink Mixer cadenza7.5L/Min. I tightened the plastic fitting as tightly as I can to the above sink tap assembly but it is difficult to get to and i can not tighten it enough to overcome the friction on the swivelling spout so the whole thing comes loose quickly.

It seems to me that the spout is too tight and does not swivel freely enough..

[redracer01]

Hello @Rusmer 

The base locking ring that holds the entire assembly has been tightened too much and is causing the spout to be locked in place. You need to slightly loosen this in order for the spout to swivel it must not be overly tight. Plus if that is the case and you have a plastic base you will need to use a plumbers basin wrench. Please see below. The basin wrench is a multi angle tool that will allow you to again tighten the plastic locking nut even in tight spaces. Please ask your local Bunnings plumbing specialist on how to use the tool.

Red

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Rusmer. It's great that you've joined us.

It's amazing to see you're already receiving assistance from the knowledgeable @redracer01. Personally, I haven't installed a sink mixer where over-tightening the fixing nut locks the spout in position. Generally, the spout is a separate piece that freely spins on the tap's body and is independent of the locking mechanism. I believe, though, that I've only ever installed mixers with the horseshoe fixing and not the plastic nut, and this might be an intricacy specific to those.

Since the plastic nut was difficult to get to, it would make sense that it has not been tightened sufficiently. Most sink mixer spouts are normally quite stiff as there are a couple of "O" rings that need to seal that section internally. Once the base is fixed securely, the spout will move quite freely. Start by tightening the plastic fixing nut with a tool. If that doesn't work, try redracer01's solution of loosening it.

Please let us know how you go.

Mitchell

[Rusmer]

Dear Mitchell,

Thanks for your suggestions. In actual fact, the spout does not swivel freely even when the plastic bolt is loose. It was tight when I first brought it. This makes me think that the problem might just be with the spout being too tight. 

What happens when I tighten the plastic nut below the sink (as tight as I can manage), when I swivel teh spout from side to side, the whole unit becomes lose . The plastic nut obviously is worked loose because of the tight spout fitting to the body of the tap. I am away over Easter so I can not try purchasing a tool to tighten the nut. Because the plastic nut is designed for a firm hand grip, I got the impression that hand tightening should be sufficient, ie that the fitting was designed for hand tightening (from memory, it is about 8cm long and about 3-4cm wide)? If this is so, it should not need a tool to tighten it

.

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Hi @Rusmer,

From the description, it sounds like the spout is overly stiff. When new, they can be quite hard to turn, and if the locking nut is not done up sufficiently, they can work themselves loose. This is something I've experienced many times before. However, if the spout doesn't want to turn at all or is very stiff, then there is a chance that the unit is faulty.

When you get a chance, I'd take it back and check another unit on the shelf to see if the spout has the same resistance as yours. We'd be more than happy to swap it over for another unit to try, and I can call ahead to the store to get a team member to take a look at it for you.

Mitchell

[Rusmer]

Dear Mitchell,

My tap spout was far too tight. I got a replacement and have successfully installed it. It is working perfectly. Many thanks for all your useful advice.

Russ

[MitchellMc]

That's great to hear, @Rusmer! Many thanks for your patience during the troubleshooting stage. I'm glad you got it sorted and now have a functioning mixer tap.

Well done.

Mitchell