Top Tap Tips: Your Ultimate Guide to Tap Spares
Often, when your tap* becomes leaky or faulty it can be quite the hassle to sort out – especially when one is not equipped with basic knowledge of tap spares. This quick guide aims to provide some beginner steps into the world of tap spares, without overwhelming or complicating things. Here, we will explain what tap spares are, the different types and identify possible problems of faulty taps with their possible solutions.
*note: ‘tap’ here refers to both bathroom taps and kitchen taps.
Learn about spares with ease, and help grow your confidence when faced with a challenge, quickly and simply!
What are tap spares?
Simply put, they are spare parts for your tap that can be exchanged if an existing one becomes faulty – without changing your entire tap. This will save you time and money.
Types of spare parts:
Generally, inside a tap, you have the cartridges (which is the same thing as a valve), handles, o-rings, indices, aerator and flexis. Each of these vital parts individually offer a specific use to the tap, but when combined together collaborate to provide a beautifully working item for your luxurious use. So when your tap becomes faulty/leaky it can be very difficult and troubling to pinpoint the whereabouts of the said problem if one has not encountered such an issue before.
As such, this simple guide aims to prep you with the basic knowledge of tap spares, helping you potentially learn about your tap problems, giving you top tips for purchasing parts to grant you the help you need more efficiently!
Below you will find a table summarising what these essential spares are, where they can be found in the tap, their use and potential problems that could arise if a fault is found!
These individual components work together in the tap, all contributing to ensure everything runs smoothly. Now if there seems to be a fault in your tap, it may be easier to deduce which part may be faulty! Below is a visual example of the tap spares inside a kitchen sink tap:
Please note: sometimes there may be underlying problems if your tap is faulty, that is not associated with tap spares, e.g. plumbing/water problems etc. Always double-check or call the original place of purchase to ensure you are getting the right part for your tap. Do not hesitate if you ever have problems or issues with items purchased from Baker & Soars, our Sales Team and Technical Team will always be happy to help!
Identifying the possible tap problem:
To recap, if your tap is experiencing leaks from the handle when turned off, perhaps the cartridge inside is faulty and will need replacing. If harsh chemicals have been used on the tap and the handles have started to tarnish, replace the handles in lieu of buying a whole new tap. In all cases, contact the company whom you’ve purchased the tap from, before buying any tap spares of your own accord.
Fixing your tap:
Once you think you’ve identified the possible fault within your tap, you should return to where you have bought it from and confirm your thoughts with their diagnosis. With their help, they can offer you a replacement part free of charge if it’s under warranty, or a whole new tap depending on the issue.
In these circumstances, it is essential to have any paperwork, like invoices, available with you from when and where your tap was purchased. This will be very helpful when looking for a specific spare part!
It is very important that you register your tap under warranty once purchased, with the supplier or manufacturer. Your tap will then be under warranty, enabling you to obtain the spare parts of your tap free of charge. If it is out of the warranty period then you will be susceptible to charge. It is also important that you go to the original place of purchase*, as they have all the information, and it’ll be easier for them to obtain the original and genuine spare parts. It is also important that the spare part you buy is genuine for your tap because each tap has its own different cartridges and parts.
*original place of purchase:Â upon buying any bathroom or kitchen item, check you are purchasing from a reputable company so if you were to encounter any problems you will have less hassle! We recommend buying from your local plumbing/bathroom store and checking reviews (such as Trustpilot, Google, Facebook and Yell) prior to purchase.
Important disclaimers & things to keep in mind:
-You will not be able to always identify all problems by yourself, and that is alright! Help will still be available, ring the company from whom the item was purchased. If you’re really struggling, we are always happy to help!
-Underlying problems may be an issue. This guide is not an extensive list of tap faults, as its aim is to equip you with the very basic knowledge of tap internals. Always contact the original place of purchase.
Recap of Top Tap Tips:
At this point, you should feel more confident about basic tap internals than you did at the start! Now we will summarise what one should do if encountering a leaky tap:
1. Read blog and familiarise yourself with tap spares
2. Contact company the tap was purchased from – have any invoicing to hand to prove purchase
3. Buy replacement part recommended by the company – ask if under warranty
Be sure to also…
-> Register your tap under warranty!
-> Go to the original place of purchase.
-> Buy your taps, and bathroom bits and bobs, from a reputable (local) company. Check their Google reviews and reputation.
We hope this guide was of use to you! If you have any queries or questions, you can contact us by telephone or email on 0116 232 3222 and sales@bakerandsoars.com
Tags: Guide, Plumbing, Spares, Tap Tips
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