Kitchen tap supply and fit query

[BobbyJoe]

Morning everyone,

I need advice on how much the following should roughly cost as I need my kitchen tap to be replaced as well as adding isolation valves as the last time the kitchen tap etc was updated was over 12 years ago.

• Supply and fit a single mixer lever tap (seen ones around £40) (old tap is leaking and the handles don't turn well)
• Supply and fit isolation valves (none so far)
• Supply and fit flexi hose pipes onto the copper pipes (none so far)
• Time of a local plumber in a small city
• Is there anything else that is mandatory to add on under the sink kitchen pipework's in flats these days as it was before 2008 anything under the sink was last replaced.

An estimate on what it should roughly cost would be greatly appreciated thank you.

 

[rpm]

As it is a flat may I suggest that you know where the stopcock is and check it stops water as it should. Don`t understand why you insist on having flexi pipes fitted tbh and I would double your budget on the tap for anything half decent. No harm in saying where this small city is and you may even get a member reply who lives in this small city.

 

[BobbyJoe]

Thank you (in Stirling), I had my bathroom upgraded and the plumber installed flexi hoses on the tap connecting copper pipes so I just assumed it was the norm to have on the kitchen pipes too. But if they are not mandatory then that's good to know as I think the isolation valves should be installed. Also what is the purpose of flexi hoses?

 

[rpm]

Thank you (in Stirling), I had my bathroom upgraded and the plumber installed flexi hoses on the tap connecting copper pipes so I just assumed it was the norm to have on the kitchen pipes too. But if they are not mandatory then that's good to know as I think the isolation valves should be installed. Also what is the purpose of flexi hoses?

Stirling, Scotland? Love it! Spent many holidays there when my aunt was alive.
Hard copper pipes is still the best but considered old skool plumbing, the downside with flexi`s is can burst when you least need it but good to fit the isolation valves.

 

[BobbyJoe]

Thank you for the advice, any idea how much it should all cost excluding the flexi pipes? (supply and fit job)

 

[rpm]

Thank you for the advice, any idea how much it should all cost excluding the flexi pipes? (supply and fit job)

Because costs vary so much I can only suggest trying 3 quotes. Taps can come rated for low & high pressure systems so be careful there.

 

[Scott_D]

Tap £50-£150 depends on style and budget.
Fitting £60-£100 if stop tap is working and good access.

do the plumber a favour and clear the sink and cupboard for when they arrive.

 

[Gasmk1]

I found you can't really give a price for this type of job as I could go really easy less than an hour of there could be any number of problems and may take 2 3 or 4 hours. like my own did once in house before this one

 

[RayW]

I would recommend a decent tap like this ... Franke Athena Monobloc Mixer Tap Chrome - https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/franke-athena-monobloc-mixer-tap-chrome/1463p It's that price for good reason.

 

[Ric2013]

Less than £50 tap is not going to be good. Some (many) mixers come with flexis, so you are stuck with using them. You don't technically have to have isolators fitted under every tap, but it's a good idea. Get decent quality ones e.g. Pegler, otherwise it just becomes another thing to go wrong though and you're better off not having them.

 

[Stigster]

Yep, I've l

I found you can't really give a price for this type of job as I could go really easy less than an hour of there could be any number of problems and may take 2 3 or 4 hours. like my own did once in house before this one

Yep, I've lost a whole damned morning to a set of kitchen taps before with the old set so seized in I had to cut them out. Also some can be ridiculously awkward with the access, needing to cut bits of wood or chipboard away and all that nonsense. I just did my brother in laws's kitchen tap at the weekend and on every fitting, whichever way I went at it I could only get about 1/8th of a turn on everything whilst lying on my back, doing lots of quiet swears under there. Oh, and neither of the service valves worked either, both letting by quite badly. 😡

Pricing such jobs is certainly awkward.

 

[bambers]

Less than £50 tap is not going to be good. Some (many) mixers come with flexis, so you are stuck with using them. You don't technically have to have isolators fitted under every tap, but it's a good idea. Get decent quality ones e.g. Pegler, otherwise it just becomes another thing to go wrong though and you're better off not having them.

Technically you do need service valves it’s now been part of water regulations for years now, it they are not there when you change a tap you should be fitting them

 

[Ric2013]

Technically you do need service valves it’s now been part of water regulations for years now, it they are not there when you change a tap you should be fitting them

My recollection of the regs is that it's a grey area in that the regs say something like 'there should be a reasonable number of isolation bla bla bla'. Also that, as the regs are not retrospective so long as existing work was compliant at the time of installation, even if there were a single isolator in a house, it would not be legally necessary to fit extra isolators.

I'd interpret it that, however, that if there were an isolator for the bathroom and one for the kitchen, that would be sufficient to meet the minimum requirements fo today's regs for a single-family dwelling is sufficient, but that's just my interpretation.

WRAS, however, states:

Q. DO I HAVE TO FIT A SERVICE VALVES WHEN INSTALLING KITCHEN OR BASIN TAPS?
A. There are no specific requirements to install servicing valves to taps, but some manufacturers may require them to be fitted so check their installation instructions. That said it is good practice to do so as it allows maintenance to take place without disrupting the water supply to the rest of the property.

Source:WRAS Installation FAQs - https://www.wras.co.uk/plumbing_professionals/advice_for_plumbing_professionals/installation_faqs/


In practice, however, I would fit service valves unless the customer is on a massive budget, or if they are going to be inaccessible (under a fixed bath panel, for instance).

On an personal level, I don't really see the point of having an isolator on every tap: if a plumber is working on a specific tap for what could be an extended period, it is very easy to carry out temporary isolation. In a small dwelling where there may only be 2 or 3 hot terminal fittings, having a single isolator for them feels sufficient, however I wonder whether any official interpreter of the regs would be brave enough to agree with me: far easier to interpret conservatively and cover one's own backside?

 

[SimonG]

I fit them as standard. No brainer really.