How to Change a Tap Washer – Home Project:

Theres nothing quite as irritating than visting your bathroom/,laundry or kitchen only to find that you have a leaky tap and the resulting waste of water it produces.

Many New Zealand households still have the old-fashioned rubber washers fitted to their taps. In time of course these washer wear out and require replacing. The process to change a tap washer is easily possible and can be performed by using our guideline outlined below.

Before embarking on this project its important to first turn off the main water supply and drain any water left in the pipes

– Firstly remove the tap cover –.

–Next undo the cartridge using a spanner or adjustable wrench –

– Locate and remove the washer situated at the bottom of the cartridge. Some taps require you to undo a small screw first –

– Clean the cartridge with steel wool if required –

– Refit the cartridge back in its place using spanner and tighten lightly –

– Replace tap cover –

– Turn the tap to off position –

– Turn the main water supply back on –

Tips on selecting the washer:

• Blue 15mm and 20 mm washers are suitable for hot and cold taps.
• Basin taps are usually 15mm and bath taps 20mm.
• Red fibre washers are good for use with hotter water as they are a stronger rubber
• Dome washers are a good option if the seat of the tap is a little damaged. This can happen when a tap has been leaking for a while and has caused grooves to appear in the seat so it is no longer smooth and flat.