Hi Team

The one who is a wood shaving short of a plank needs help in sorting out the bath hot waters tap.

I recently put on my plumbers hat on and undertook a very complicated project I changed a washer on the bath tap.

For 2 – 3 weeks all as been well but now the tap in question is now gone very stiff to turn on.

Its like part of the thread as got a load of muck and bullets on it, once you turn it past the stiff or blocked part it goes easy but then goes stiff again. And if the tap as not been used for a little time it goes very hard to turn on, but again once used it all fine until the next time. The stiff area / part is intermittent.

Any ideas what I need to do to make it work better would be most appreciated.

I hop this makes sense and is not as clear as mud.

Hi Village,

Ok, there are a number of possibilities here.

1) you have overextended the valve spindle and it had come of the end of its thread (this can happen if the new washer is thinner than the old).

2) the end of the valve spindle where the washer sits has become damaged ( especially if it has at some point come adrift from the valve threads) and some of the brass has chipped off and got into the valve thread.

3) the valve threads are disintegrating as you are shutting the tap down too tightly.

Easiest solution to all three is to replace the valve.
All good plumbers merchants will stock a tap revirer kit (often its a Bristan product in a blue box) - cost about £8 +vat and comes with 2 new valves and knobs, adaptor pieces and blue / grey hard plastic spacers (so the valve does not need to be overextended) - fits 99% of tap bodies.

Before you fit new valves though just check the surface the washer seals onto in the tap is OK - if it is the taps will be good as new with the tap revivers fitted.

Thank you Mr Scotty most appreciated.

or a bit of vaseline on the spindle. turn a few times and it should be fine.