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Hi, In my old toilet room is the water shut off tap for the toilet and bathroom. That is old and I need to use a spanner to shut off water completely when I need to change washers in the sink etc.
can I have suggestions on what to replace it with? Like https://www.bunnings.com.au/brasshards-15mm-chrome-loose-nut-mini-cistern-tap_p0401101
I think the wall water pipe is 15mm but I’m not sure.
I would pay for a plumber to do the actual install, tx in advance
Hi @Henski,
Do you need a spanner to turn the tap as it's stiff, or just to close it enough to stop the water? It sounds like the tap valve washer needs to be replaced, and you need the spanner because it's so worn down. Replacing the washer and possibly lubricating the inside mechanism should get it functioning properly again. I'd suggest turning the water off at the mains tap and disassembling this tap to check the condition of the washer. You can replace the valve washer and lubricate the internal spindle section.
You have a fairly old installation there, and a mini cistern cock is not a suitable replacement. This is likely an inline tap that intercepts the water pipe coming into the bathroom. To replace it, you'd need to go for something similar to this Kinetic 15mm Chrome Plated T Head Stop Cock. However, to replace it, the plumber will need to remove the tiles. It's far easier just to fix the issue with the current tap. If it's not the valve washer, then you might need to grind the seat flat with a reseating tool.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
You could also use the female version @Henski. You'll need a way to connect either version to your pipe. You'd need two Brasshards 15C x 15MI Brass Compression Unions for the female version if you have 15mm pipe.
I just wanted to reiterate that there is far less work involved and damage to the surrounding tiles required to rejuvenate the current tap than to install a new tap. To repair the current tap, it could take 30min with no damage. It could take a plumber half a day to install a new tap, all the surrounding tiles will need to be removed (which will likely break them in the process), and the wall cavity will need to be opened up. After the tap is swapped, you'll then need to repair the wall sheet and replace the tiles with something similar.
Mitchell
