Tap washers - new ones a tight fit

[Jennie]

Hi all,
Just a general question. I have a steady stream of customers with leaky taps. Some taps have been a right pain to re-washer - old washer comes off OK, but new washer is incredibly tight to fit. The one I'm thinking of was an old basin tap, with a rim around the washer and a little screw holding it in place.
Is this difficulty the norm?
I've learned from youtube videos that re-seating the tap is normally the solution. The video said that rubber washers don't generally degrade, and it is tiny grooves in the tap seat that need to be ground down.
Words of experience would be much appreciated.
(Amazing to think I have my NVQ3 in plumbing, and am having tap washer problems).
Jennie

 

[JCplumb]

I've found different brands of tap washer to be slightly different.
My preferred brand is Pegler or 'HOLDTITE' and I keep half a dozen 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and a couple of 1'' on stock.
I've found unbranded ones to be a bit of a pain especially with the tap jumpers that have that surrounding brass lip as you described.
When the old washer is removed it's been squished for years so you may think it's a 1/2'' when a 3/8'' is the one that's needed.
I've only ever needed to re-seat one set of taps in about 15 years plumbing but the water's good round here, might be a different story in a hard water area.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

most of the Merchants sell a little green box full of tap washers and TBH ive never found using them a problem.

 

[townfanjon]

Personally I love a "tight fit "

 

[REDSAW]

utube know bowsquat!

tap washers all vulcanise over time and crumble up.
your buying the wrong washers buy from a proper merchant who will fill up a bag less than a tenner.

btw, one that looks too small will work anyway

 

[Stoney Ground]

Personally I love a "tight fit "

The lion sleeps tonight.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Rarely bother with washers if they are contract taps,pop a set of converters in,find the windings wear as well

 

[Masood]

The video said that rubber washers don't generally degrade, and it is tiny grooves in the tap seat that need to be ground down.

That's the danger of YouTube - any old muppet can post on there. As Redsaw said, rubber hardens, cracks and crumbles over time. It's pretty rare that a tap needs re-seating,
I find. Holdtite branded washers work well. Those green boxes of assorted washers contain loads of washers and jumpers that I've never needed to use so not the best value for money...

 

[Jennie]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Just changed some tap washers - now working fine.

 

[JCplumb]

I happened to have a job today rewashering a tap. The customer had lived in the house for 50 years and says the tap has never needed any work doing to it in that time.
Took an age to get the gubbins out, well about 15 minutes but that's a long time for something theoretically so simple.
The old one had split into a 1/4'' sticky dome around the jumper 'pin' and left what looked like an o-ring in the base of the tap which was the outside 2mm or so of the washer that had split off, so what was remaining of the old tap washer on the jumper was plugging the hole rather than sealing on the seat if you know what I mean?
Anyway, changed the bugger for a 1/2'' holdtite one and had a look and feel of the seat, it was still as smooth as a babies smooth bits after over 50 years and once reassembled, the tap worked perfectly again.

 

[dean.diy]

water hardness varies, I have to grind probably 75% of seats to eliminate cracks when
doing a washer.

 

[NickH]

I mostly use tap washers on the screws when I'm fixing a close coupled cistern to the wall.
Any brand will do.