Taps

Q: My tap keeps dripping - what should I do?

A: You have two options:

1. Do nothing. The downside of this is that it is both annoying and expensive. The tap will be ruined due to the seat being worn away, requiring a costly replacement. And, if it's the hot water tap, you'll be wasting precious energy. If you have a water meter, you'll be paying for the water, too.
2. Repair the tap as soon as possible. This is a cheap repair compared to a full replacement, as above. Replacing a tap washer is easy. The hard part is turning the water off, if the valve can be found and it works. Taking the tap apart can also be hard, though not generally. If it's the hot water tap, you can turn off the hot water at the hot water cylinder.

Q: What if a tap gets stuck open?

A: Usually, this emergency has been building up over time. The tap may have needed an extra turn or so to stop the water, and the continual force of tightening it has eventually strained the shaft. As is often the way, it's best to remedy problems at the first sign that something is amiss with the plumbing system.

In this case, a new tap needs to be installed. If it's a hot tap stuck open, turn off the outlet tap from the hot water cylinder so you can save most of the hot water until your plumber can attach a new fitting.

If your local council has been working on the main in your neighbourhood, pebbles and grit may get into your pipework. If this happens and the taps are blocked - or worse, jammed open by the debris - give the council a call and tell them what's happened.

They should send out someone promptly to flush out the systems and get any bits and pieces out of the taps. If you do notice any problems, try to minimise the taps you have to use.

For this, and other plumbing emergencies, it's important to know how to turn the water off at the toby and the hot water cylinder.

Q: Do you have any advice about choosing bathroom and kitchen fittings?

A: Many taps and mixers are designed for use specifically on mains pressure or low pressure systems only, and the wrong tap on the wrong system can lead to very disappointing performance.

If you're choosing fittings, it's a good idea to consult with your Master Plumber to see what your hot water system is and what taps will work on it. A lot of imported products are designed for mains pressure and won't work effectively if you're on a low-pressure system.

Many is the plumber who has had to come behind and fix up a job done with elegant but functionally disappointing fittings.

Fittings and fixtures made in NZ generally have the advantage of being made to suit local conditions and are backed up by the product knowledge of the manufacturer.