In the middle of your kitchen, renovation work is pending. Does the kitchen sink need to be replaced, or does the kitchen tap take priority? At Floors to Walls you will find suitable bathroom products for all your specific requirements and installation scenarios. Kitchen taps are fitted over your sink and are responsible for supplying cold and hot water for all your cleaning or rinsing needs. Available in a variety of styles, including dual lever or single lever mixer taps, kitchen taps can also be fitted with different accessories such as sprayer attachments. Kitchen taps are generally fitted into a single hole directly on the sink top. It is, however, possible to find wall-mounted taps which feature a separate lever or tap. No matter if you intend to install a new sink or replace an old one, putting in a kitchen tap should be a quick and easy task.
Steps:
- Preparation
- Assembling the mixer tap
- Installation
- Connecting and testing
1. Preparation
Start by shutting off the water supply and turning on several taps to drain the system.
Replacing the old tap
If the goal is to replace your tap, make sure that the new model is compatible with the hole already in your sink or worktop. Taps are generally designed to fit in a hole with a diameter of either 40 or 45 mm. Next, remove the old tap.
- Unscrew the two flexi tails and mark the hot water hose
- Unscrew the tightening seal underneath the tap
- Remove the tap
Installing the new tap
- Using the size of the tap body, find the most central point on the worktop.
- Pre-drill a hole measuring 4 to 6 mm in diameter.
- Use a drill equipped with a hole saw bit to drill a circular hole to match the exact dimensions of the new mixer tap.
- Sand down the edges of your hole with a piece of sandpaper.
For a clean result, you can apply tape to the worktop before using the hole saw in order to avoid scratching the surface.
2. Assembling the mixer tap
- Start by screwing the two flexi tails into the tap body by hand. These are usually equipped with rubber washers. To be safe, you can do an extra quarter turn with an open ended spanner or a pair of pliers.
- Next, insert the threaded rod into the tap using a flathead screwdriver and tighten.
- Finish by inserting the seal.
3. Installing the new tap
- Clean and degrease the spot where the mixer tap will go.
- Insert it into the slot, being careful not to kink the flexi tails.
- Position the washers and the tightening seal from beneath the sink. Next, screw everything together firmly.
- Before tightening all the way, it's important to be absolutely certain that the tap is facing the right direction.
Connecting a mixer tap usually consists in simply screwing the flexi tails to the water supply pipes, being careful to connect the hot and cold water lines to the right pipes.
4. Connecting and testing the new tap
- Once everything is connected, turn the water supply back on and test the hot and cold water.
- If nothing leaks and you are able to change the water temperature by moving the lever, then your mixer tap has been successfully installed!
