GUIDE TO REPLACING SHOWER TAPS
Sometimes a simple upgrade of the taps and handles can be all you need to give your bathroom a significant improvement. Hard water may be leaving unseemly residue, making your spout or shower head not only appear crusty, but perform poorly. The same residue can be accumulating in your taps, making replacement a must. Otherwise, your water flow will be adversely affected and turn a relaxing shower into a nightmare.
Replacing a leaky or outdated faucet can be quite easy with the right tools and skills. In fact, it should normally take no more than an hour. Remember that whenever you are in doubt, it is best to contact a professional plumber from Active Plumbing. Here are the most important things to keep in mind when you are replacing your shower taps.
PICK OUT YOUR NEW TAP
If you are only replacing an existing faucet, you can pick the same style of your existing one to make installation easier. Take a photograph of the existing taps and take it with you don’t Wait until the old components have been removed, take the photos to the hardware store or plumbing supplier so you can pick the new components precisely. You can also remove the handles and have one with you. Many shower parts can be purchased as a set to ensure that you have everything you need, including new handles.
REMOVE TAP HANDLES
You should not need to turn off the water connection to your shower and tub off. Position the tip of a screwdriver under the edge of the decorative cap on a handle to remove it. Repeat until you have removed all decorative caps. Turn screws in the center of the handles counterclockwise to take them out, and pull them off. Remove screws connecting the decorative plates behind the handles. Take them to the hardware or plumbing supplier for an exact match if in doubt buy a different style of tap which may suit you and your bathroom better.
REMOVE SPOUT, SHOWER HEAD, AND SHOWER ARM
One of our professional plumbers will , use a hex key wrench of shifting spanner to remove them. Otherwise, use a pipe wrench to hold the tub spout and turn it counterclockwise to disconnect it from the threads. Using the same pipe wrench, we will hold the part of the shower head that connects to the shower arm and loosen it by turning counterclockwise. Remove the connecting end of the shower head by turning counterclockwise by hand. Remove the shower arm with the pipe wrench if you also want to replace it.
INSTALLING NEW SHOWER TAPS
We will Begin at the tap, then move on to the shower arm and spout connections. Then remove the old spindles and flanges, use a reseating tool to hone the recess seats in the wall and install quality tap washers usually hydroseal or similar then using a box spanner screw the spindled clockwise then seal the penetrations to stop any excess water from penetrating behind the wall and installing the new tap flanges and handles. Hand-tighten a threaded nipple (you can use either brass or chrome plated) When the wall covering is in place, take them out and install the shower arm and tub spout.
