leaking/broken bathroom tap.

[JonnyG]

Just checked out our caravan before our first outing over Easter.The bathroom tap is broken where the water pipes connect to the tap, and so when pressurised water is running down the pipes, not much but enough. Clearly a new tap unit is needed, but at 60 plus notes on the internet, i begrudge paying that for a tap i don't actually use.besides which Its not likely i would have time now to change it.
Any suggestions welcome on how to plug up the two water pipes, which i assume are under pressure all the time?

 

[Damian]

Can you describe how the pipes are connected to the tap?

 

[JonnyG]

Hi damian, the bottom of the taps has a plastic part with two plastics pipes that swivel, onto these plastic pipes you push on the water pipes and tighten up jubliee clips.
This plastic part is held in by a cir-clip, but it seems the groove that this cir clip goes through has broken away so it does not hold it tight, and water is dripping out of it and down the water pipes that feed the tap.

 

[Damian]

Thanks for that info.
I am assumng the plastic water connections into the tap are coloured red and blue and are angled?
If so, you can, as a temporary stop measure take the hoses off and either plug them with the stop ends which you wil find here:
http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan/water/water_supply_fittings.aspx
or get new connectors here: http://www.waudbys.co.uk/products/reich-spares.html

The tap will have to come out(unless you can see the retaining pin) as the connectors are held in place by a pin which may be a plastic or metal and if plastic just pulls out or if the straigh tmetal, needs to be pushed out with a very small phillips screwdriver

 

[JonnyG]

Magic Damian. Just the info I needed.

 

[mickk]

Hope you get your taps sort soon, but prevention is better than cost of replacing, you should have drained down for winter

 

[JonnyG]

I don't recall saying I didn't drain down! indeed the tank is emptied before we even leave a camp-site, Always.
We have been to JR leisure were we found the actual nozzles for £1.26 my blue one [cold]appeared to have a bit broken off where a small metal rod pushed between the rims of both nozzles [hot and cold]to hold them tight in position.

 

[mickk]

Hi JonnyG
sorry it sounded as if you had not drained down, glag you have sorted some cheaper parts & soon get it fixed

 

[Damian]

Glad you got it sorted, and at a lot less than a new tap.
It does not matter how carefuly you drain the system, some water is always trapped in the ceramic cartidge or connecting pipes and with the winter we had, the cold was bound to find it.
The only other thing you can do to try and prevent it happening again is, after draining, blow down the taps from the spout end to blow out any remaining water.

 

[JonnyG]

So it could indeed still be down to water expanding to ice over winter!

 

[Delt1c]

Had a similair thing many years ago, drained the system but found a cracked tap at the begining of the next season, Now when I drain the system I blow the sytem through each tap by inflating a balloon and attatching it to each tap to blow excess water out and then leaving all taps open.
This isnt a problem only affecting stored vans. I use the van 12 months a year and during the really cold spell last winter I even though I was using the van I had to leave cupboard doors open with heating on overnight as even inboard pipes were freezing.