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How to add a recessed tap spindle?

The bathroom tap in our granny flat has been dripping pretty bad and I can't turn the taps any tighter. It's a classic old bathroom sink with two ivory taps and faucet in between each. Bought Shaw & Mason Chrome Six Point Basin Top Assembly from Bunnings today , went to install and discovered the fittings are recessed about an inch in to the sink which meant
1. standard wrench couldn't reach in to undo the spindle, and
2. the new spindles do not extend high enough above the sink for the tap to fit on (see photos)

I feel like I need an extender of some sort?

Also though, as I can't get the tap on the spindle, I've left it off and just used a spanner to turn the spindle to shut the water off. However, I had to turn it so bloody hard to get the water to turn off completely which tells me the spindle wasn't the problem, so it must be the..... copper piping under the sink??? Help.

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @caseyh. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about tap replacement.

There's a bit to unpack there. So, have you been able to remove the old spindles and install the new ones? It sounds like you have, as you've determined, it's hard to use them to turn the water off. Just an FYI, we typically use a tap spanner for recessed spindles. It does look quite tight in there, so even one of those might not fit.

If we've installed new spindles and you are unable to install the cover flange because they are too recessed, you would need spindle extenders.

If you install new spindles and washers and the tap is still leaking or it hard to turn off it indicates tap seat is unevenly worn or could be cracked. To fix an uneven seat we use a tap re-seater to grind it flat. The seat is the part the tap washer pushes against to seal the tap.

Before you go ahead and try to re-seat the tap, just ensure you haven't left any remnants of the old tap washer inside, which can also cause this issue.

If you find the thought of reseating the tap overwhelming, I'd encourage you to enlist the services of a plumber.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

caseyh

Thanks for the reply @MitchellMc !

So I re-seated it this morning and that fixed the dripping which is great. I'll definitely purchase a tap spanner as the spindles are in there semi tight, but with my current tools I couldn't get a decent grip on it to tighten properly.

As for the height issue - I was eyeing off the Kinetic 15mm Wall Tap Spindle Extender as this seems to be what I'm after (it says wall tap, but I'm assuming its ok for basin taps too?). But just to confirm, does this extend the bonnet AND the spindle? The cover flange won't screw on because the bonnet is recessed too low, and even if it did, the tap head then won't be able to reach the spindle. Right now I have the tap heads installed without the flange but it looks unfinished.

Thanks again

MitchellMc

Hi @caseyh,

You can use them on a basin, it's just that they are typically used on walls, as that is where this depth issue most commonly occurs. It extends the whole spindle, which in turn lifts the height of the thread where the cover flange screws onto. At the moment I suspect the thread is too low for the flange to screw onto. Lifting the spindle 15mm will give you access to the threads. Likewise, if you were to say install a 30mm extender, the flange would screw on, but there would be a gap between the bottom of it and the benchtop.

Mitchell

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