Replacing a tap - an easy way to do it yourself

From toilet taps to bath taps, this blog tells you how to easily replace which tap.

Bathroom and Tile Inspiration Bathroom inspirationReplacing a tap - an easy way to do it yourself

Replacing the toilet tap,washbasin tapandkitchen tapinvolves roughly the same process. All three are easy to install. Alltapscome with the materials for assembly and you will always find the assembly instructions in the box. Read them carefully first. The toilet tap is usually attached to the underside of the basin by means of a large ring. Because a toilet tap is purely a cold water tap, only one flexible hose is supplied with a 12 mm compression fitting. Place the coupling over the 12 mm copper pipe and tighten the compression fitting firmly. If you mount the compression fitting on a wicu pipe (soft copper pipe), place a support sleeve in the pipe to prevent leakage.

Both hot and cold water come out of a basin tap. Two flexible hoses are therefore supplied with it. When connecting the water, make sure the cold and hot water supplies are on the right side of the tap. Connecting the basin tap is otherwise the same as for a toilet tap. The kitchen tap and basin tap are very similar. The only difference is usually that a kitchen tap is larger and has a higher spout. Connecting them is the same.

Shower valve and bath tap replacement

Shower valvesare mounted to the wall plate in the shower using S couplings. It is important that the centre-to-centre distance of the shower valve is the same as that of the wall plate. In old houses you may still find a centre-to-centre distance of 12 cm. Nowadays, the standard distance is 15 cm. If there is no wall plate yet and you have to buy and install it yourself, go for 15 cm. This gives you a much wider choice of shower valves. Not every shower valve is available in the finish with a centre-to-centre distance of 12 cm.

Wrap the S-couplings on both sides with Teflon tape and screw them into the wall plate. Use a spirit level to check whether the ends of the couplings are neatly horizontal. If this is correct, place the tap rosettes on the S couplings and then you can mount the shower valve. Do not forget to fit the gasket ring, otherwise there is a risk of leakage. Once the tap has been replaced, reopen the main tap and check that everything is watertight. The bath tap should be replaced in the same way as the shower valve. Bath taps are only available with a centre-to-centre distance of 15 cm.