Tightening Your Taps Means Less Water Waste
If you're like most people, you won’t think about your water usage until your monthly bill arrives. And if that bill is higher than usual, it’s time to check for any loose water taps.
As a tenant, one of your responsibilities is to keep your home well-maintained. This includes checking your water taps for loose fittings and tightening them.
As part of your Tenancy Agreement, undertaking minor repairs and maintenance to the property includes tightening your water taps. You may think that this seems like too much trouble but in fact, it is fairly simple to do. Of course, you can call a contractor to do it but this will likely cost £80 upwards.
Water taps come in different designs and styles but don’t worry: the steps below are a basic guide to tightening your taps correctly.
Tight Your Water Taps And Save Water And Costs On Repairs
If you have loose water taps in your home, there's no need to call a professional. There's no need to call in a professional. You can easily tighten them yourself with just a few simple steps.
Tools you may need: a Phillips screwdriver, a wrench, an adjustable spanner, o-rings and washers that are of the correct size for your water tap.
Step-by-step instructions:
First, turn off the water to the affected tap to prevent any further mess and accidental flooding while you're working.
Then, remove the handle from the tap. On most models, this is simply a matter of unscrewing a few screws.
Once the handle is off, you'll be able to see the valve inside. Check for looseness.
Remove the stem and check for damage. Be careful here: depending on the brand and type of tap, the stem may easily be removed, or require some elbow grease to remove.
If there is no damage to the stem, return it with care.
Next, use a wrench or adjustable spanner to tighten the valve until it's snug.
Finally, replace the handle and turn the water back on. Test the tap to make sure it's no longer leaking.
If you're dealing with a leaky tap, you can fix it yourself—easy. But if you find that tightening your taps has not been successful, please contact us on 01522503717 and we will be able to send out a contractor. However, if the repair needed falls under your responsibility as a tenant then you will be charged for the work.
Reminder That You May Be Charged - Where our contractor has arranged a time with you to attend and you postpone, cancel, or don't show up or where it is your fault for the appointment not proceeding you will be responsible for paying the call-out charge for the contractor and potentially any restocking fee for parts. Where the fault, issue or damage, is put down to your or other tenants, permitted occupiers, or guests' actions, you will be responsible for paying for the repair. These terms are already part of your Tenancy Agreement.