Every time I install traditional basin or bath taps, I always use the Fix-A-Tap kit, as it centres the tap in the hole and also means that the tap should never come loose in its lifetime. I wrote this article decades ago -www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/how-to/taps/replacing-taps I might not have a video ready for next Sunday, as I’m busy working on site next week! I hope everyone has a great Sunday 😉

Thank you so much for getting under the sink with clear pictures. I was searching how to unscrew the part underneath and your video was the best!

@ultimatehandyman

Ай бұрын

You are welcome Thanks for the comment 👍

Thankyou so much for this tutorial, I appreciated you showing us under the sink as you did as my taps are secured to copper pipes like this too and not the bendy tube, i was worried how i'd be able to change the taps but seeing you do it gives me some more confidence to try, appreciate it

I had not heard of Fix-a-tap before - I was expecting there to be glue or something! Good video as always.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

I’ve been using them for years. A plumber mate of mine told me about them! Thanks for the comment 👍

Fantastic job filming under that basin! If only you could see that well when you were working on them. I usually have to do it blind and in the dark with water dripping in my eyes. The camera makes it look a lot easier than it is.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, basin taps and bath taps are always a pain to replace (as well as kitchen taps). I’m glad I’m not a plumber 😂

Chez's voice going up when he's straining. :) I always buy a brass nut also, as I seem to break the plastic ones.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

You should hear the swearing bits that I edit out 😂 Yeah, brass nuts are 10 times better 👍 Thanks for the comment 👍

@loafersheffield

8 ай бұрын

Keep the brass nuts off previous jobs as spares. You could chuck 'em in yer scrap bin, but plastic ones???? Euch!

We had our local housing crew fit a wet room and they deffo botched up the install of the tap's on our new sink. So of course knowing what i know they came off asap and reinstalled properly which illuminated the slight leak they left me with. I did not know that this kind of kit for fixing tap's in place properly existed. so thanks for bringing this to my attention. ive got one of those flip head basin wrenches but couldn't get it in to loosen the brass nut (some kind of weird fitting of the sink prevented me getting it in there), Ended up getting one of those box spanners which worked a treat for sure. bob on with the video buddy.

Never seen seperate hot/cold outlets always combined into a single outlet here in California, lol. Interesting, thanks.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

They used to be really common in the UK, but now most taps are mixer taps. Thanks for the comment 👍

Impressive, being able to work and film at the same time. I've change as few taps in my day and can only imagine how difficult that was.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

I’ve been told that I have the patience of a saint 😂 Apart from yesterday, when I was replacing a bearing on a lay shaft, I was knelt on my knees, bridging a steam pipe, undoing a nut using the open end of a combination spanner, turning it about 1/20th of a turn at a time. I have to admit to doing some real swearing- “who the f*ck designed this machine” 😂 Thanks for the comment 👍

You did an excellent job filming that. Apart from a kitchen sink they are the most awkward place to do anything. Thanks👍

@youubik

8 ай бұрын

I was working on a basin yesterday, they drive you nuts, couldn't get the screws in the wall

@Ribeirasacra

8 ай бұрын

I hate replacing bath taps.

@alexthomson7465

8 ай бұрын

Bath taps are a horror story too

@Art-is-craft

3 ай бұрын

It is a mixture of bad design and terrible modern component quality.

I had a bath tap that would let splashed/sprayed water under it, I found that the tap wasn't centered in the hole. Also the tap had a crap design as the end of the tap did not drop down which meant if you didn't turn the tap off fully it would run down the underside of the spout and go straight through the hole to under the bath :( Bought new taps and used the split-click washers you recommended years ago. They say they work for basins and baths, but I had to use a hole saw to get the middle bit out to fit the bath taps. Anyway, job done and no leaks after about a year, so think that one is a success. :) Cheers

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Brilliant Thanks for the comment 👍

hi I was having a problem with my makita battery charger and I found your video on line and done what you said and it fixed it, thanks very much for posting that video

@ultimatehandyman

6 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

You got off easy removing the old tap with that one, other day I did one, and the plastic nut was difficult to turn and the old tap was spinning with it... Access on it was really awkward. In the end I drilled a lil drill bit through it from above to lock the nut in place, held drill, and literally span the tap from above :) Happy days

Very simple and impressive way of demonstrating style 😊👍

@ultimatehandyman

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

Nothing like a good tap video on a sunday..... good stuff.. N x

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Thanks Neil 👍

As a plumber I have changed out many taps over the years. I don,t believe I have seen those fix a tap kits before. I shall have to get some and see if they are any better than the split Klick washers I normally use to centre the taps. I also like to use brass backnuts. Excellent practice to also change the fibre washers too. Really good video. One thing that could catch some people out though is on really old taps the thread tails are longer than the new taps creating a gap. Although this is increasingly rare

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, that’s a good point about the thread tails 👍 The split Klick washers are good for taps that are moving after they have been installed, as you don’t need to disconnect the nuts for the supply, but for new installs, I much prefer the fix-a-tap kit. Brass backnuts are 10 times batter than plastic, they should come as standard really, but I guess for tap manufacturers, it’s all about the profit margin! Thanks for the comment 👍

great video ,handy tips cheers

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Glad it helped! Thanks for the comment 👍

Thanks, taps always useful subject for home (where possible) fixers.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment 👍

I had a spindle which has pretty much seized up and was told to replace the tap. Watched the video to get a better understanding of what the process is.

@ultimatehandyman

5 ай бұрын

👍

Thanks for this I wasn’t aware of this product

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

You are welcome Thanks for the comment 👍

Nice job.

👍👍👍 Great video. Thank you

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

You are welcome Thanks for the comment 👍

Great video !!! thanks

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

You are welcome! 👍

I've found box spanners to be a little short sometimes especially small sizes for kitchen tap nuts. However if you have a set of them, the next size up or down may fit as an extension.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, sometimes I use a ratchet, extension bar and socket, then connect this to the other end of the box spanner 👍 Thanks for the comment 👍

Did you have to use a bar to tighten this? Thanks

Looks like an easy job on a sink and taps that look only a few years old, the sink that I have to change taps on is around 25 years old, and I'm no plumber, wish me luck.

@ultimatehandyman

5 ай бұрын

Best of luck with it 👍

Hi Mr Handyman Can u pls make a video on how to install a pull cord type vent-a-matic fan on a single glass window payne Thanks

Much easier undoing those tap connector nuts using a crows foot spanner👍🏼

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

Absolutely! (my set is at work) Thanks for the comment 👍

Are there any issues in the modern age with combining the taps into a single unit with a mixer valve? I am not from the UK, but I think they were kept separate to prevent cross contamination since the hot water is not always potable. Correct me if I am mistaken.

@loafersheffield

8 ай бұрын

You are correct. Mixer taps should have a check valve on the cold feed, to reduce the potential for bacterial, cross contamination. Mixer taps don't always work particularly if hot water is kept in a a gravity fed storage cylinder and the cold water is fed off much higher mains pressure.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

@loafersheffield A mate of mine had loads of problems with his overflow in the loft, he had several plumbers out to it. Eventually a plumber from British gas knew immediately that it was one of the mixer taps causing the problem. He replaced the mixer tap and it’s been fine since- that’s after other plumbers had changed the ball valve etc. 😂

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

@azrobbins01 Yes, you are right, as loafersheffield has pointed out. To be honest I prefer traditional taps, they are much cheaper and when they do fail, it’s normally just a case of fitting a new washer at 10 pence each! Some mixer tap cartridges are very expensive! Thanks for the comment 👍

@loafersheffield

8 ай бұрын

Cold at mains pressure goes across to the hot, backfills the cylinder and then back fills the cwst. @@ultimatehandyman 😆

I can't get in to use a box wrench to loosen the nut on the tap because the pipe is in the way. Is there anything else I can use?

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

You could try a ratchet and crow’s foot spanner 👍

What size box spanner do you find fits.

@loafersheffield

8 ай бұрын

It's a standard size (UK) the box spanner featured, 1 end fits basin/sink taps and the other end fits bath taps.

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

I think it’s 27mm one side and 32mm the other side. That should fit basin and bath back nuts 👍

@stephendeakin2714

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for that information.

👍

@ultimatehandyman

8 ай бұрын

👍

What’s has happened to your content now? Miss your videos every sunday morning

@ultimatehandyman

3 ай бұрын

Sorry, I’ve been busy working on site, then in January a huge tree blew over in a storm, it wiped out one of the garages and damaged the conservatory and patio area- I’ve been busy sorting that out! I’ll be making more videos soon 😉

Why do English people often use two separate taps? In Europe, only one tab, that can mix hot and cold, is used. Why are you using a rigid line to the tab? I always take the flexible ones from the hardware store.

@ultimatehandyman

3 ай бұрын

Plumbing in the UK is old, many of the older houses have rigid copper pipes. I don’t mind if taps are individual or combined, two taps are often much easier to repair and less expensive than fancy mixer taps. Flexi tails can create huge problems, especially if they burst (it happened to a friend of mine- it basically ruined his whole house).