Unexplained problem removing tap cover

[plunger123]

Yes I think that is the problem. Just smack the shroud to shock it loose. You will need to hit it all round.

 

[hippo49]

Yes I think that is the problem. Just smack the shroud to shock it loose. You will need to hit it all round.

Hi again plunger123 and moonlight. Thanks to you and others for continued interest in this problem.

But if the theory is correct that the spindle won't turn because I've actually wound it down hard on to the washer seat because the shroud is corroded on to the tap head, then if I try again to unscrew the shroud after gently whacking it (as I was trying to do in the first place) there is quite a risk that the shroud and tap head will continue to turn together, the effect being that I will wind the spindle even harder on to the washer seat and I'd be even worse off?

So, would I not be better to try to reverse the process of winding down the spindle by turning (tightening) the shroud/tap head again clockwise a little, and so hopefully freeing up the spindle again, then open the tap fully as I should have done in the first place? Then I could attack the shroud/tap head again.

Alternatively I wonder if I should put a spanner on the tap handle cross and try to turn it anticlockwise to open the tap fully. before attacking the shroud/tap head again. At least then if I got the shroud/tap head combo off together I would be able to tackle them remote from the sink and pipe.

What do you think?

 

[plunger123]

Just be sure you can turn the water off. Also if its a cold tap if the geyser is higher than the tap and the vacuum breakers dont work you can get hot water back syphoning through. I would just try cranking the tap open and then just carry on turning it out. If the waters off and it comes out headpart and shroud you can then work on it easier. You could also spray some wd40 down the hole in the shroud and let it sit overnight to try loosen it up. Ive never done that because as a plumber time is important. I have often taken it out and then it allows you to whack it easier.Sometimes by turning it with a crescent spanner you can actually pinch the shroud so it actually makes it tighter on the headpart. Its hard to explain but the shroud is thin walled so if you turn it with a crescent spanner it actually makes the shroud oval and tightens it. Ive even taken a water pump pliers and held the thread and then turned the shroud off when I have it out the tap.But be careful if you do this. But i believe if time is on your hands I would try the lubricant spray first then a bit of heat and some smacking and it should come off.
Dont be intimidated by it.

 

[moonlight]

If you look at this tap insert you will see the bottom below the thread has a hexagonal nut. If you have wound your tap so tight down on the seating, it could have dropped too low. And unless it's in the correct position you will not be able to lift it. You need to bite the bullet. Top off, hot water on shroud. Get you spanner or tool on the shroud. You have nothing to loose. If you are concerned this is not a job you are comfortable with. Find a plumber. We all have ways of getting these open. Good luck

 

[Stigster]

I normally just use a blow torch but I know how much to heat it.

Same here, I'm not talking about nuking it with a torch, just giving it a bit of a quick blast and a bit of a waft with the flame. If it doesn't come loose, go at it a bit more. I can use a blowtorch to form some types of plastic pipe without burning it even using MAPP gas so heating a tap is no worries for me at all and the same for most plumbers who've had to do this kind of thing countless times before I'm sure.

Apologies to OP for me not being clear enough on that. I appreciate my "nice and hot" could certainly mean different things to different people. I'll try to be clearer on that one in future.

 

[hippo49]

Hi everyone who helped me with this thread. SUCCESS!

I've been very busy with other things this past week and so hadn't got back to the job until today, so I apologise if you all thought I'd finished it and forgotten to thank you.

In the end I tried the method of tapping the shroud all round on the flats using the plastic handle of a screwdriver and then using boiling water on a cloth to heat up the shroud. That looseened the shroud in an instant, so much so that I could hardily believe that the torque I'd applied previously didn't loosen it.

Getting the tap handle off was no real problem - I just forced it off by unscrewing the shroud upwards against a pair of pliers around the spindle.

Next I had to loosen the spindle. You'll remember that that had tightened hard on to the washer seat because I hadn't opened the tap before starting. That came fairly easily too.

Finallly, just when I thought the biggest challenge was still to come, the taphead practically fell out in my hand! I can only conclude that I had in fact loosened the taphead slightly before the whole lot seized up because of the spindle seizing on the washer seat.

Whatever the reason I'm just glad it's done. Thank you all again for your interest and help. Not only have you saved me a lot of money but also I've learnt something: never again will I try to replace a washer without first opening the tap fully.

Now for the next dripping tap....!

 

[Stigster]

using boiling water on a cloth to heat up the shroud. That looseened the shroud in an instant, so much so that I could hardily believe that the torque I'd applied previously didn't loosen it.


never again will I try to replace a washer without first opening the tap fully.

Well done mate!

When metal expands and contracts at different temperatures the forces can be pretty incredible. By expanding the metal of the shroud using heat, huge forces are generated and it was easy for it to break free from the corrosion, gunk, scale or whatever it was holding it firmly in place. Heat does wonders for stuck parts in all things mechanical. Sometimes the process is used in reverse too, not so much in plumbing but in engineering and manufacturing, some parts are firmly joined by making two parts a ludicrously tight fit, heating one part, joining them (things like a wheel on a spindle) whilst scorching hot and then letting it cool and shrink into place.

As for opening the tap, we would normally isolate the supply, open the tap to prove that it is actually isolated (never, ever assume!) and leave it in that position whild doing the work.

Great to hear you've got a stubborn job done and learned something along the way. That's why I love the forums because I learn things here all the time too.