Unusual tap body

Jones82 · Jul 21, 2014

I'm repairing an old tap for a customer, around 25 years old. Its the standard tap washer body but unusually has a square head for the tap shroud to sit on, similar to the head on a lock shield valve but bigger. The tap is ornate brass with a screw and cover that sits on top of the shroud, kind of hard to describe!

The problem isn't with any of this but with the washer housing at the bottom, at some point in the past some muppet has replaced the housing with a generic tap reviver one, which is now too large/deep to sit in the tap body. Resulting in no flow of water, when the tap is fully open, every washer I try is too big/thick. My question is, does anyone know a smaller washer housing?

I'm thinking of buying a few reviver kits and hoping one has a smaller housing that will fit this tap, I'll remove the old housing and wind the new one into the valve.

The tap is very unusual and matches the suite, so impossible to change.

Thanks

Ray Stafford · Jul 21, 2014

I'm struggling to envisage it.

Any chance of a pic?

Jones82 · Jul 21, 2014

Nope sorry, tap housing could also be called a seating for the washer.

Imagine a normal tap valve, the bit at the bottom where the washer fits onto.

Plumbstar Tom · Jul 21, 2014

I'm visioning it 🙂 but struggle to see how it used to work but now doesn't. You could try a plumbers merchant and ask to see as many as you can (they love customer's like that). Purchases the tap revivers could be an expensive trial and error

SimonG · Jul 21, 2014

Not use a reducing bush and smaller tap reviver? Or split a tap washer in half?

Best · Jul 21, 2014

Are you sure the new works someone has fitted haven't came apart inside?
By that I mean, the washer part is too low due to the threaded part of spindle being too far up usually because the bottom internal O ring has worn letting water inside the works?