A guide to fitting Wall Mounted Taps

Changing a bathroom or kitchen tap can bring a new lease of life to that room. There are many different styles of tap available from ultra modern stainless steel minimalist wall mounted mixer taps to more traditional gold finish pewter pillar taps.

When fitting a wall mounted tap there are a few key steps to follow. If this easy guide is followed then any wall mounted tap fitting should run smoothly and without problem.

When changing a wall mounted tap one of the hardest and most important steps is removing the old taps.

Removing an old tap

1. Make sure the water heating system and stop clock are switched off and that the remaining water in the system is allowed to drain out through the taps. A good idea is to turn on taps that are lower down in the system to ensure maximum drainage and to avoid dripping.

2. Using a claw spanner undo the tap connectors and back nuts underneath the sinks or basin. If the tap begins to turn get somebody to hold the tap still or use a wrench to steady the tap. If the tap will not move do not try turning the tap whilst keeping the nut still else the tap may damage the enamel on the sink.

3. Remove the old taps and the waste fitting if the new tap has a pop-up waste feature incorporated.

4. Once the taps have been removed the holes in the wall have to be cleaned of any old sealing compound.

Before fitting the new tap

1. When fitting the new pipe work within the wall use plastic pipe work products where possible and keep joints to a minimum.

2. If copper pipes are used they need to be protected by plastic or insulation material to prevent corrosion from plaster and concrete.

3. It is important to thoroughly flush the supply pipes to remove any swarf or impurities before connecting the wall mounted tap. This procedure will check there are no leaks in the pipe work.

Fitting a new Wall mounted tap

1. Fit the tails of the tap first by screwing a chrome flange onto the large threaded part of the tail. Put a large flat washer into one of the nuts at the back of the wall mounted tap and screw the nut onto the tail finger tight. Repeat for the other tail. Adjust the tails until they are positioned correctly for the ½ inch threads to go through the hole in the sink. Fully tighten the nuts and screw the chrome flanges fully forward to the nuts.

2. Place the tails of the wall mounted taps through the holes in the sink.

3. From behind the sink, put the two white washers then the two stainless steel washers over the tails and secure with the brass locking nuts. It is important not to tighten the nuts too tight as this may damage the sink. If necessary screw the flanges back to the sink. The wall mounted tap should now be securely fitted to the sink.

4. To fit the flexible hoses, put a ½ inch flat black washer into the female nut on one hose and screw it onto the tail. Repeat on other hose.

5. Screw the other ends of the hose straight onto the hot and cold 15mm copper pipe work. It is important to note that the hot should be connected to the left side of the wall mounted tap and cold to the right when looked at from the front. The spout can then be screwed onto the body of the wall mounted tap, carefully avoiding damaging the finish on the nut at the base of the spout.

6. After checking all new connections, turn on the mains stop cock. Close all taps except the new wall mounted mixer and as the system starts to refill check for leaks. Once satisfied that there are no leaks the water heating should be switched back on.

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