It is very common for a stop tap or an outside tap to start leaking from the gland nut, this can easily be repaired using an adjustable spanner, and some PTFE tape or string and silicone grease.
Thank you SO much for this. As a non-plummer I had put up with our garden tap leaking out of the top for a couple of years. Today, I went and gave the nut a small twist and - bingo - no more leaking. Can't believe it. I actually laughed out load! Again, thank you!
Same here Neil. Leaky internal stop cock led me to this video which showed me how to fix. Then, I thought I'd have a go at the outside tap as that has been leaking from the gland for as long as I can remember. 10 minutes later, re-packed and no leaks!!
7 years ago. This video and your fast reply to a comment made on your "How to change a stop tap washer" video sorted my mothers tap.. And now I watched it again to do an old tap in my house - Perfect again !! Your vids have help me out so many times, for many things .. many thanks and keep up the great content !!
Excellent, excellent, excellent video!!! Most things are possible once you have the know-how but that's only possible when there are people like you who are prepared to take the time to share your knowledge. So much easier to follow than it would be from a book. Many thanks!
Thank you for that, saved me clambering about under the sink to find the outside tap isolating valve. I didn't realise you could do the job with the water on! Great video.
A job that I have been putting of for some months now. Turned out the gland nut just needed tightening. Added to favorites for future. Thank You for this video. Ultimate Handyman has saved my day (and pockets) again :)
I thought if I unscrew the top nut it would spray out so wouldn't have dare try it but after watching this I had it fixed in 5 mins, thanks mate great video 👍
Thanks alot UH, I never even realised that my tap was leaking until I watched this video! Thanks for the comprehensive guide mate, another job done and more brownie points for yours truly. Cheers. N.
Thank you so much for this quick DIY trick. You have saved me time and money from replacing the whole cartridge/valve or having to hire a plumber to change a new stopcock. It really works. Lucky for me, tightening it solved mine, didn't have to open it up and add PTFE.
Many thanks, great video, great advice, saved me the cost of calling a plumber at 10pm when the old seal failed completely! Thankfully had some PTFE tape to hand. Thanks again
Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. You have helped me in my heating engineering course work. Thank you for being helpful in details professionally explained
Thank you for the "first thing you should try to do..."! It's a horrible old tap and I re-packed it when we moved in a couple of years ago. I should have thought of just tightening the nut myself, but in the moment when I was saying things like "Oh bother, that tap is leaking again" I wasn't really thinking anything except technical terms of four letters!
Old vid i know but still relevant and helpful. My main stopcock started leaking after I had to turn the water off to change a tap and nipping up the flange didn't help. Would never of thought that I could take it apart with the water still on. Took 4 lots of PTFE tape but leak currently stopped. Thanks again
How clear and simple was that? You saved my bacon. I didn't know it was leaking till I tiled the kitchen floor, and thought I would have to wait for a plumber to fix it. Great work, thanks.
This video was exactly what I needed to stop my leaky tap! Always thought it was gonna be a horrible job. It took longer for me to find my spanner than to do the actual work!
@@ultimatehandyman THANK YOU SO MUCH! for _years,_ i've been wondering if the gland was different from the bonnet, but thanks to your amazing video, i see now that the gland is just part of the bonnet! could you also please tell me why they sometimes call it "gland *bushing"* instead of just gland? like, what's the point of mentioning the word "bushing"?
Great vid thanks, was able to confirm my suspicions where my stop tap was leaking and fix, rather than waiting 24 hours for a repairman to come out. Had to turn the water off at the meter though, as tap handle screw was corroded so had to open stop tap fully to give enough spindle to slide gland nut up. 2 turns of PTFE tape and job done! Thanks for posting.
Cheers, mate! "The first thing you should try..." (tightening the nut..) worked.. I've just been pissing about with putty and making a real mess to no avail.. saw this video, tightened that and bam.. stopped.. Thanks. 👍😅
If this works a big thank you. Not a method I would have thought of using. I was thinking of trying to replace what ever the original seal is that leaks
As a woman with not one ,but two ,leaky garden tap' s & absolutely no knowledge of pluming I can not wait to try out your helpful information , in the hope I will also be able to save money by not having to call a plumber !
Nice one mate, had this same problem on the stop cock for the mains coming into my house, was going to buy a new stop cock for £3-50, then have to isolate the mains outside at my water meter to allow me to fit it, but saw your video, tightening did not work for me, so used p.t.f.e tape, job done, dry as a bone now saving me a few quid and time, thanks.
I've watched this 6 times, replaying the bit where you explain that you don't have to go mad tightening up the gland nut. I'm still laughing! I can do that now. Thank you, I thought you were great.
Excellent video. Just what I needed to explain how to solve the leaking stop cock. Thanks for taking the time to upload. I thought I would have needed to turn off at the street stop cock to re-pack but your video explained that I would not end up flooded when removing the gland nut. Good job as I did look at the street stop cock and after removing all the debris to find the tap, there was no way in a million years that was turning! That's the next job. I guess that's a water board job.
I recently did a job at the brother-in-laws, when a plastic pipe fitting sheared. I repaired the pipe using a UTC ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_k5NS5Y-KHg.html He turned off the stop tap in the street, but it was passing. He phoned the utility company, and they just told him to use a pipe squeeze off tool, or freeze kit! I guess it is different if the stop tap is seized, as they have to provide a means of isolation, although they still might argue! Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman Just has this reply from UU. Seems external stop tap are no longer maintained or fitted to new properties I was told. I can advise as a company we do not maintain or install external stop taps anymore, as they don't serve the company a purpose. By Law all properties must have an internal stop tap fitted in case of emergencies, if yours has seized we would recommend contacting a WIAP's approved plumber to repair this for you. These plumbers can carry out any private work or repairs that need to be undertaken using alternative methods, like freeze or squeeze, to shut off a supply. This meaning there would be no need for use of an external stop tap. In cases where these alternative methods have been attempted but can't be used we can look into raising a turn off/on appointment for our engineers to attend to assist where we can. If you would prefer to have an external stop tap for your peace of mind then you can have one fitted within your boundary by an approved plumber.
@@ultimatehandyman That's what I thought. I was told by the agent at UU that that stop taps were originally put in so that supply could be cut for non payment, (not sure how true that is) and that new builds don't have external stop taps, (again, I can't verify that). I did ask what would I do is in the unlikely situation there was an escape of water from or on the external side of my stop tap and they said they would respond to an urgent water escape call to come and turn it off in the street. Which doesn't make sense. Better to sort it now in my view. I best get a freeze kit handy just in case!
@@MartynDews A pipe squeeze off tool might be better (if there is exposed plastic pipe), as many freezing kits won't work on mains pressure water, even the ones that do work on mains pressure water will only work, if the water is static, so in the event of a burst pipe they will not work. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AMlZecaSfTY.html&t
If i isolate the water to the bib tap can i put tha ptfe on in the open position as the screw on the tap handle has corroded an doesn't want to come off, it would give me a bit more room to put the ptfe on.
Great videos tutorials and advice..thank you Sir. I have a 3/4 brass stopcock under my sink which is the feed/supply for the house which has been in about 40 years and is now reluctant to turn either way...can I still buy a replacement head for this unit please which I think would be the easiest option. Thank you.
It's impossible to say, you would just have to get one and see if it fits, I'm afraid. The chances are that they are not quite the same 40 years down the line. Obviously you will have to isolate the water at the outside stop tap before attempting it ;-) Thanks for the comment 👍
I served my time as a plumber in the 60s-we used to carry a hank of hemp and a tobacco tin of tallow- what you are doing is re-packing the stuffing box but no doubt some would find this (correct) term offensive nowadays.The same technique is of course applicable to most taps,I still think untwisted string and tallow/lard far superior to PTFE when fitting an outside tap as it allows more flexibility when adjusting the tap to the correct 90 degree angle.Try doing it in an unlit outside lav in the dark-happy days!.
When fitting an outside union tap you have to rotate it backwards so that it ends pointing vertically down. Therefore, not just a watertight seal is required, but also to lock the tap in position, which PTFE doesn’t do. After research, it seems Loctite 577 is highly regarded. However, the cost is prohibitive to someone who would not use it a lot (approx £25 for 50ml), but also not available at Screwfix/|Toolstation. Can any plumbers recommend a cheaper alternative?
If the tap is not facing downwards, unscrew it and add a lot more PTFE tape, then use a long spanner to tighten it, so that it tightens up facing in the exact right position. You do not need anything fancy- just PTFE tape ;-)
Do you mean a ball valve? If so they are not often used in the UK for water isolation purposes, the Utility companies etc. all seem to use a traditional type of stop tap like the one in this video.
I've been changing the washer on a basin tap but now I have a problem. I can't screw the gland nut back into the tap mechanism. The threads just will not 'bite'. I really push hard on the gland nut whilst trying to get the threads to bite but just can't do it. There's a small O ring and a thick hard rubber washer in the mechanism. The tap's not dripping any more from the spout but it leaks from the gland nut when I turn the tap on. Can you offer advice how to solve my problem? Thanks
My problem is that I can’t turn the tap off. The only way I can stop water coming from the tap nozzle (not under the packing gland itself) is to use a wrench to over tighten. Any ideas?
It sounds like the washer might be damaged. If you can isolate the water supply elsewhere, they are normally easy to replace- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XAPnepUbWvE.html&pp
Strangely enough this video just came up on my recommendation feed ... I just fixed a leaky stop tap earlier today using this method .... What is your view on eventually replacing my stop taps with Lever ball valves as I've been told they are less likely to leak over time . The stop Taps in my home seem to need fixing every few years or so ....
I'm not sure about the lever stop valves. If they go wrong you need to remove the whole valve to service it, whereas a stopcock can be serviced without removing the whole valve ( you can change the washer or replace the packing gland). I'm sure many people have fitted them as well as the stopcock though.
@@Keeping_IT_Simple What you can do, is isolate the water in the street, drain down the system. Buy a new stop tap and just swap the head gear over (large nut in the middle of the stop tap), this replaces the washer, packing gland, spindle, handle etc. Most stop taps are made to the same standard, so many of the parts are interchangeable (not all). Or before trying that, you could try repacking the gland using some string and silicone grease that is suitable for use on potable water. I think the packing gland is normally made from graphite (the ones I have seen have been), In fact, I have just found these- www.bathroomspareparts.co.uk/15mm--12-stuffing-box-gland-for-stopcock--tap-price-each--eb10023-15578-p.asp
@@ultimatehandyman Wow amazingly helpful & supportive of You Sir!! And on a video that you published 7 years ago too!! if this is the sort of level of service You give, it's a shame You are not nearer to me or I would just get You in to sort out my plumbing in person! I think the next time it starts dripping ( usually 2 - 3 years ) I shall just replace it. Luckily as its on the feed to my header tank I can isolate it internally to the flat so should not be too difficult ( famous last words anyone?) Thanks Again Take Care
Hi how do i repair a garden tap which doesnt close shut but just goes slightly tight and if you try tightening it more it just spins open. Like the threads are slipping
It sounds like the head gear is damaged. Replacement of the tap might be the only option, although on some you can just replace the head gear. I'll make a video of this when I get chance ;-)
Not sure, sorry. If you could post a picture of it here one of the plumbers might be able to advise- www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/forum1/plumbing-forum-f8.html It's free to join BTW.
You can re-pack the gland with the handle on, but it is more difficult 👍 It is possible to drill the head off the screw, but it’s not easy to do. Some techniques here might help- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_mTFQbaT3Zc.html&t
Another excellent video, thanks. I suppose you could use jointing paste with string instead of silicon. I think you said you do not have to turn the water off but just close the tap or stopcock, did I hear correctly?
Yes, you don't normally need to isolate the water elsewhere when repacking the packing gland, just closing the stop tap should stop the flow of water. Thanks for the comment
You need to replace the washer, but you will have to isolate the water first. I have done a video on a stop tap, which is the same process- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XAPnepUbWvE.html Thanks for the comment 👍
