I've got the bath panel off and after some WD-40 action the inline
stopcocks under the bath taps work.   Is replacing the bath taps as
easy as it looks?  Should I use plumber's tape for the threads?

Thnx in advance.

Deville wrote:

> I've got the bath panel off and after some WD-40 action the inline
> stopcocks under the bath taps work.   Is replacing the bath taps as
> easy as it looks?  Should I use plumber's tape for the threads?
> 
> Thnx in advance.


Not really, the seal is made between the tap and the tap connector by 
the fibre washer - it might be worth replacing the washers though:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100136&ts=93451&id=33600

Other than that, the hardest part is actually getting to the taps to do 
up the back nuts and the nuts tap connectors - a basin wrench such as:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=14631&ts=93801

Can be helpful if space is tight.

It isn't a hard job - just fiddly - certainly requires no skill.

Deville wrote:

> Is replacing the bath taps as easy as it looks?


Perhaps.



> Should I use plumber's tape for the threads?


Dunno what that is, but the taps are sealed using a fibre
washer, which should be all you need.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Deville   wrote:


> I've got the bath panel off and after some WD-40 action the inline
> stopcocks under the bath taps work.   Is replacing the bath taps as
> easy as it looks?  Should I use plumber's tape for the threads?
>
> Thnx in advance.


No, the tap unions should have fibre or copper washers which seal against
the end of the threaded portion of the taps - so the threads themselves
don't have to be sealed.
-- 
Cheers,
Set Square
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

> Other than that, the hardest part is actually getting to the taps to do 
> up the back nuts and the nuts tap connectors - a basin wrench such as:
> 
> http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=14631&ts=93801
> 
> Can be helpful if space is tight.
> 
> It isn't a hard job - just fiddly - certainly requires no skill.


Sod that.

Get the tool, then do as I did - cut the tommy-bar off and bash a 12mm 
socket over the end (don't do what I then tried - and failed - drilling 
a hole through the pair to fit a cotter pin)

Then get an extension bar and a decent ratchet, and then, finally, you 
might have a half decent tool.

(Sorry, just spent last weekend doing the same bloody pain-in-the-arse 
(and elbows) job)

On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:23:18 +0100, Deville  wrote:


>Should I use plumber's tape for the threads?


You certainly can, but it's probably not needed or especially useful.

There are two sorts of thread: parallel and tapered. Both work in the
same way - they use the lengthways wedging action of a screwthread to
squash some sort of compressible gasket. The difference is that a
tapered thread can seal against the thread itself, but the parallel
thread must seal against some separate flat radial face instead - either
the end of the threaded tube (inside the thread) or some sort of
flat-faced nut (outside the thread). Usually a tap will seal with a
small washer on the end of the threaded tube, a bulkhead connector in a
cistern (toilet or loft) will use the nut and external washer.

On a tapered thread there's obviously no washer (and in fact an added
washer will be no benefit at all). However threads alone aren't a
perfect match, so thin PTFE tape is a useful sealing method.

On the parallel thread, you need the washer to seal. Stick what you like
on the threads, they'll just never get the compressive force to make a
good seal there. The same principle applies to compression fittings -
it's the olive that matters, not the nut.

You _might_ use PTFE tape on a parallel thread as an anti-seize
mechanism, but it's likely to be scrubbed off as much as it stays
behind.