Maintenance and repair within the household is unavoidable. Over time, most of our household appliances, fixtures and items in general require attention and replacement. One of the most common maintenance issues that will arise is the loathed leaking tap. In most cases, the average person may not have the solution on how to fix a leaking tap. Quite frankly, the issue may be more basic as we ask ourselves, “Why is my tap leaking?†Whether you find yourself faced with this problem as a novice or a professional plumber, one thing is for certain, a leaking tap cannot be ignored. The sooner the problem is tackled, the easier it is to fix.
The following ‘easy to follow steps’ should give some guidance.
- Turn off your water supply …and then open the tap to drain the remaining water.
- Unscrew the top plate that indicates whether it’s the hot or cold tap, with your fingers if possible.
- If not possible, use pliers or an adjustable spanner.
- Once the top plate is unscrewed, undo the retaining screw and remove the handle.
- The headgear nut can now be seen.
- Unscrew the tap body cover.
- If you find it a bit tough to unscrew by hand, use an adjustable spanner.
- Loosen the headgear nut with an adjustable spanner. If the nut is difficult to turn, wrap the base of the tap with cardboard instead and use a pipe spanner to grip it firmly as you apply force to the nut.
- Remove the headgear assembly by unscrewing the headgear nut.
- The washer is found in the jumper and is usually pressed in place over a small button OR held by a nut.
- If necessary, unscrew the nut that holds the washer in place with an adjustable spanner.
- Remove the old washer. Insert a new washer and push it into the jumper.
- Reassemble the tap in the reversed sequence.
- Apply a little grease to the threads on the base of the headgear assembly before placing it back in the tap body.