Kitchen sink taps

[vicky whitworth]

Hello,
a few years ago I bought some reconditioned brass belfast sink kitchen pillar taps (not a mixer tap) on ebay. We have had a problem with the cold tap ever sink and the plumber's view is that it is no longer repairable. It drips and leaks and despite repeated washer changes, regrinding, and general teeth sucking it seems I need to replace it.

I HATE new taps which are always too shiny/brassy but I'm reluctant to buy old again from ebay because of this experience. Also the top tap is fine and since taps are expensive I simply need a new cold tap I suppose.

Any advice/thoughts? Where would you buy nice taps from?

Thanks, Vicky

 

[Moo]

Hmmm.
I'd be tempted to get a second opinion before doing anything drastic.

 

[Penners]

Well, if teeth-sucking won't fix it, then it's definitely a lost cause.

Kitchen taps fall into that "pretty or practical" category. In my limited experience the two characteristics don't often combine.

My own view is that practicality should absolutely trump prettiness. Fixed olde-worlde taps may look traditional and lovely, but they're not really very useful.

On the other hand, we have a modern, chrome-plated single mixer tap which is absolutely wonderful. Not only does it swivel, but you can also pull the head out on a flexible hose, choose jet or spray and rinse things or swoosh around the sink with it.

This isn't the same as ours, but it's the same principle: http://www.bestbathrooms.com/Pre_Rinse_Kitchen_Mixer_Tap/cid7547pr54088.html

 

[MdB]

I'm a fan of ceramic mechanisms (*). A quarter turn from off to on doesn't sound much but it is all that is needed and you don't end up putting any sort of pressure on the tap to get it to turn off.


(*) That is until they break which they haven't so far...
The hot taps also turn the wrong way which confuses guests. I'm just about used to it now.

 

[vicky whitworth]

I know, I know. My husband constantly goes on about the practical over beauty argument and, as you can see, I have had to come round to his way of thinking because the constant dripping is driving me nuts. But I just can't live with something modern. Moo, we're on about our fourth opinion but you have given me a flash of inspiration as there's a man advertising in our local paper who says he can mend anything. Maybe?

Does anyone know anyone who makes proper brass taps?
Vicky

 

[JoceAndChris]

What a nuisance. But, prettiness over practicality every time for me too.

These look nice, a reputable company, though I don't speak from any personal experience, but the price is reassuringly expensive and I'd expect the thing to work well:

http://www.crye.co.uk/category/kitchen-taps

 

[vicky whitworth]

Oh, Jose, they look nice. I will ask the company how shiny the brass is. Thank you for the link. Vicky

 

[Penners]

Si, Jose - eez very nice (maybe eez made een Barthelona?).

 

[robgil]

You could try here.

http://www.antiquetaps.com/

 

[JoceAndChris]

Si, Jose - eez very nice (maybe eez made een Barthelona?).

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Poor Vicky won't understand - she'll have missed the post where I object to being called Hosay - it's pronounced like Joss Vicky, though it's spelt Joce. Short for Jocelyn. Though you weren't to know, and nearly everyone gets confused by it.

Back to the taps - the Catchpole and Rye ones do look pretty shiny, I guess what you're after, if you're going repro, is an antique brass finish.

http://www.tapshop.net/french/

The quality of those may not be as good as the C and R ones though.

Rob's link is very nice but she might be off put by antique taps after the dripping torture. In my view, antique anything requires a degree of patience, though certainly very pretty to look at.

Just while we're on brass though " antique brass" in itself is a bit of a fake concept. You imagine that old brass is the colour of dulled down bronzy coppery near blackness, but that's only if uncleaned. I could show you a picture of some servants' bell pulleys my husband's restored - they now look as if they were made last week though they must be at least a hundred years old. The secret is in many weeks of polishing, and not using Brasso but museum quality polish, the product we've used is "Brilliant 1 - Metal Restorer" followed by " Brilliant 2 - Metal Restorer" followed by Renaissance Wax. Ordinary Brasso is ammonia based, attacking and wearing away your brass and leading to repeated, quick tarnishing. This polish doesn't tarnish, the bell pulleys have now been up a few months and are still blindingly bright, actually they look like gold. So old brass doesn't need to be dark and yellowy.

 

[Lime]

Hmmm.
I'd be tempted to get a second opinion before doing anything drastic.

I tend to agree.
In my young days there were three types of washer used in taps.
One was made of leather, the other two were a hard and soft rubber.
The soft rubber and leather were for the cold, the hard rubber was for the hot.
They were nothing like the tough, very hard washers available today.

 

[vicky whitworth]

That's very sweet of you, Joce. But it's entirely down to my sloppy typing and having a head too full of stuff and not concentrating on the task of typing correctly. I do know you're Joce and not Hosay. I'm so sorry.

I have a day of the water torture today as I'm working at the kitchen table with the incessant drip, drip, drip. I must do something about it.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Rags!

 

[Penners]

I'm working at the kitchen table with the incessant drip

Well I should tell him to go and get on with his own work.

 

[Keithj]

Is the leak between the washer and the metal? Is it caused by grooves or other wear in the metal face, so taht the washer doesn't seal properly?

I bought a fairly simple device that cut back the metal to a level, smooth state so that the washer sealed perfectly against it. I can't remember what the device was called, but I'm sure a plumber shop would understand.

 

[MdB]

Is the leak between the washer and the metal? Is it caused by grooves or other wear in the metal face, so taht the washer doesn't seal properly?

I bought a fairly simple device that cut back the metal to a level, smooth state so that the washer sealed perfectly against it. I can't remember what the device was called, but I'm sure a plumber shop would understand.

You are thinking of one of these:

It has been tried.

It drips and leaks and despite repeated washer changes, regrinding,

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Vicky,

Taps are not rocket science, they are simple mechanical valves. It should be possible to tweak / fettle / re-engineer your existing tap so it doesn't leak - it just needs somebody who is interested enough to analyse the problem and come up with a solution. And a client who is prepared to pay for that person. If you really want to keep your old tap I'd start working my way down the list of plumbers - somewhere out there will be an old boy who can do this sort of thing for you, but you'll have to get through a dozen tooth-sucking throw-it-away-and-start-again types first.

Good luck!

 

[vicky whitworth]

Thank you for all the advice. I have rung a man whose advert in the local paper says, 'Don't throw it away until I have had a look at it - the skills and patience of an old man in a comprehensive workshop could most probably solve the problem". He's suggested that it's been over-ground and that it could be built back up. He'll have a look at it but we'll need to disconnect it and be without a cold tap while he works on it. Now I have to persuade my other half that he does know how to disconnect a tap! I think I'll give it a go through as I love those taps. Vicky

 

[Flyfisher]

What a lovely advert! I hope it turns out to be as good as it sounds. I would ask for a fixed price for the job though, if possible. I'm sure the entire insides of the tap could be re-made with the appropriate workshop tools but it could be time-consuming and a lot will depend on how the chap charges for his time.

Before I started dabbling in such things, all our plumbing work was done by exactly the sort of "old boy" than Andrew mentioned. He only retired when into his 80s and was something of a legend in the local area.

 

[stuart45]

Re-seating tool.
Sorry, didn't look at age 2.