Weak bathroom hot water tap

MickeyD

The hot water tap in my (apartment) bathroom suddenly lost a lot of pressure. Bizarrely I can't remember how much the tap opened to get to the fully open position when it was working correctly so I'm not sure if its a problem with the tap itself or something like an airlock. All the other taps / shower work fine.

I had a look at the back of the sink to try and find a switch or tap to turn off the water so I could have a look but didn't see anything. I noticed there's some electrical wiring back there, I'm guessing to trigger the pump to start. Are there some things I can check to try get this working again or since there's electricity involved is it best left to the pros? I wouldn't have much prior experience with this sort of thing.

Thanks!

nmacc

The odds are that the electrical wiring is just the earth bonding. Triggering the pump from the tap is usually restricted to caravans and campers!

What kind of tap do you have? Photos are always good :-)

If it's a traditional multi-turn tap with a washer (your description suggests it is) and not the ceramic quarter-turn type, then the problem you describe is quite common and can be caused by a damaged washer or by the innards unscrewing themselves.

Not difficult to fix, but you will have to turn off the water first, usually at the valves on the pump in the hot press, but I'm only speculating, as I don't know how your apartment is plumbed.

Usually you prise up the top of the tap with a small screwdriver and then remove the screw that holds on the knob - put the plug in the basin first! The knob pulls off, usually after a struggle. Then you unscrew the tap mechanism underneath. Remember to brace the spout as you don't want the body of the tap to twist on the basin.

Put a towel around the tap and unscrew slowly as there will still be water in the pipe and you may have turned off the wrong valve. When you have removed the mechanism you may be able to see the problem. The tap unscrews in the usual way, but the bit that connects to the washer has a left-hand thread.

Change the washer before you put everything back together. It may help to grease the mechanism wit Vaseline, but don't get it on the washer. Just reverse the process to re-assemble.

If that sounds like a lot of work, it may be easier to buy a pair of Tap Tops in your local hardware/plumber's merchant. They're not expensive and they make the job a lot easier.

MickeyD

Thanks for the detailed reply!

The wire is probably only an earth alright, the wire is coloured as such and can only see the one. The tap is just a regular non-mixer tap. I'll have a go at fixing it myself following your instructions before I buy new taps. Would the washer be a standard size or would I need to take it down to the shop to match it?

nmacc

Probably 1/2". Traditionally basins have 1/2" washers and baths have 3/4", but I've encountered the reverse on occasion.