Baffling Bath Tap

[paulbaker1954]

I need to put new washers on my Bath Taps. Its a shower mixer with a pull/push shower/bath swap and two taps. Take a look at the picture below.

The taps are chrome and for the life of me I cannot see how to get the knobs off to be able to get at the rest. There is no obvious cap that comes off, no allen screws anywhere on the knobs. I have run a sharp knife around the rings on the top and also tried to see if the very top piece (where marked with H and C) will unscrew by tapping at it with a screwdriver.

I have tried pulling hard upwards in case they just pull off and also tried levering with a large screwdriver - all with no joy. I didn't want to welly it harder in case I damage the taps.

Has anyone dealt with anything like one of these or maybe even recognise the make so I can contact the manufacture r

 

[dontknowitall]

Can't be 100% sure but the head will unscrew into two pieces with the top half being much smaller than the bottom half.

If you look for a join in the chrome this will be where it unscrews. Will probably require some effort though. A littlem more effort than unscrewing a difficult jam jar. Try both taps since when you've done one then you know what you're trying to do with the other. Has the basin got the same taps? Try with them as well.

 

[paulbaker1954]

Thanks dontknowitall I have examined the whole damn tap and cant see any join anywhere at all. I have even tried sliding a sharp knife in to each of the rings to see if I can see a noticeable join but there just doesnt seem to ba any join. So am still very confused

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

i beleive the top dome part unscrews and comes apart from the rings bit.

Try your palm flaty on it from above and unscrew

you will be fighting against years of soap scum and limescale though

any sign of a manufacturer on it?

 

[paulbaker1954]

Hi Tom

Already tried to unscrew this top piece by putting a screwdriver tangential to the edge and whacking it. Absolutely nothiong doing!!!

In fact if you zoom up on the picture you will see the mark made by the screwdriver end !!!

Anyone else any bright ideas!!

 

[franz]

the dome should come off,its going to be really tight,try edging it off all round,whacking it with a screwdriver wont help.

 

[Spike295]

Hold the tap with one hand, put the palm of the other over the dome, press down with a little weight & unsrew anti-clockwise, i have dealt with similar taps & if they don't join at the dome then i would suspect they just pull off, pretty sure they unscrew at the dome tho!

 

[unguided1]

you could by some tap restorers, the take hammer to..............

 

[paulbaker1954]

OK i have tried unscrewing the dome - no chance not even tapping tangentially with a screwdriver

I have tried unscrewing the top of the tap in case there is a split somewhere - no chance

Only last option is if the domes lift off, but there isn't even a chink of a gap to get anything in to prise the cap up and to add insult to injury the domes are rounded so I cant even get anything under the cap to try and knock it up

I am now id despair mode and about ready to admit defeat and buy a new set of taps but before I go for the last resort maybe someone has been here before!!!!!

Groan - I am a mechanicala engineer and whoever designed these damn things in the first place should be out squarely against a wall in my opinion!!!

 

[dontknowitall]

Try a Stanley knife around the join in the chrome.

Also, there was another thread on this forum in the last few months about these taps (not my thread about a tap with a gold coloured handle). This has pictures on it and he did get there in the end.

 

[MickBrown]

Last time I dealt with something similar I drilled through the top and unscrewed the caps and then replaced with new caps, not the same caps but similar.

 

[paulbaker1954]

I would go for the Stanley Knife option if I could see an obvious join but there really doesnt seem to be one

Do you have a link to the other thread??

 

[paulbaker1954]

Finally they are off !!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone has this problem again note that

1) It is just the top domed piece (etched H and C) that UNSCREWS
2) WD40, an overnight soak, a bit of gentle heat and then push down hard and unscrewed using, believe it or not, one of those rubber things for taking stubborn tops off jars!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[unguided1]

Finally they are off !!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone has this problem again note that

1) It is just the top domed piece (etched H and C) that UNSCREWS
2) WD40, an overnight soak, a bit of gentle heat and then push down hard and unscrewed using, believe it or not, one of those rubber things for taking stubborn tops off jars!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to say well done for your perseverance I have to confess as a person with little patience I would have put in a price and replaced the whole bathroom!!!!!!!!

or taken a hammer to it chimp style!!!!!! well done

 

[franz]

Well done!!!
We knew that all along, didnt we??????(i dont think so)

 

[sdsparks]

Pump grips with some rubber to prevent damage

 

[dontknowitall]

Well done! Took you long enough though didn't it?!!!