FAO Anyone who knows about DIY - advice needed

OK Please give me some ideas other than to cll a very expensive plumber!!

I have just tried to run a bath and there is no ,ore than a dribble comes out of the hot water tap, the dribble will continue if left on but it will take me till christmas to fill the bath!

The hot water is fine from the kitchen tap and the sink in the bathroom but not from the bath tap. It also seems like the tap won't turn on as much as it should ie it only turns about 3 times and the water doesnt start to come out until it is fully turned.

Anyone any ideas

We had something similar recently on the hot basin tap in the downstairs loo. We solved it by changing the top part of the tap, but that only works on certain tap styles. I hated those taps too had I known it was so easy I would have changed them ages ago.

Its a really old tap, its so old you cant tell which is hot and which is cold. It has never esactly had an amazing amount of pressure, but there is little more than a trickle. Are new taps easy to fit. I am not to bad with instructions OH is less than bl00dy useless!

sounds like the wasaher has seized...

switch the water off
unscrew the top of the tap
squirt some WD40 on the screws
put tap back on
switch water back on

test

if still stiff/no water
then i have no idea!

We had the opposite problem - ours seized open!

good luck!

Am in the process of draining the water at the mo!! Have switched cold and hot water off, and am letting taps empty as I type.

Will then investigate this will either go REALLY WELL or REALLY Really WRONG

From the symptons you've given us IMO it's definately the tap. So it might be:-
a) The thread (In which the tap handle turns) has corroded so it can't be turned as much as necessary.
b) The old sealing washer may have degraded and is blocking the pipe.

Changing the whole tap assembley is easy enough, the big problem is dealing with all the water which will flow out (Obviously you need to shut off the water at the mains input)

Here's what I would do:-
1) Go to your local plumbing merchant and buy some 'end caps' of various sizes.
2) Come home, turn off the water at the mains and remove the whole tap assembley
3) Find the 'end cap' that fits your thread and screw it on the pipe, turn the water back on.
4) Take the whole tap assembley back to your plumbers merchant and ask for a replacement. Be prepared to wait a few days while they get one in for you
5) When the replacement tap assembley arrives turn off the water, unscrew the 'end cap' and screw on the new tap assembley.
6) Don't throw the 'end cap' away 'cos you might find the plumbers merchant has ordered the wrong type (Yes, I know he had the old one in his hand when he ordered it but that don't mean the one they get for you will be the right thread, yours are probably imperial and all modern ones are metric so adapters might be required )

If you're lucky step 5 will be the end of story, if you're not you have to go back to step 3 (As I did one one occassion) and proceede from there

HTH

Here try this, it happens in our house very often it's caused by a air lock in the hot water pipe.
Turn on the bath tap and the kitchen tap together, then when you have them both running slowly as long as they are both running turn off the bath tap, and leave the kitchen tap running till if f@rt's and blubbs and all the air is out, then turn it off and turn on the bath tap. problem should be fixed.

Actually WD40 can work wonders and is a lot cheaper than replacing the whole tap assembley. It does take time to work it's magic 'tho, so fitting an 'end cap' while working on the tap assembley is a good idea.

ZB thanks will try that next as at the moment disassembly has commenced!!!

Save screw undone and tried to undo nut but it won't budge so have sprayed it with WD40 to try and loosen it so I can remove the "bits" and replace washer and spray working bits with WD40, have switched water off and live on the groud floor so if it all goes wrong it will only be me and my house that are affected!!!

Phew at least you remberd to turn the water off, Not something I would have rembered to do, all this for a bath.