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i need a new quality kitchen tap, have any of you fitted ikea ones and are they any good or shall i stick to the likes of grohe?

 

thanks

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i need a new quality kitchen tap, have any of you fitted ikea ones and are they any good or shall i stick to the likes of grohe?

 

thanks

 

Screwfix are excellent for taps but be aware!

I've just (almost) finished fitting a new kitchen for my girlfriend and the crowning glory was to fit the lovely Franke Ascona sink tap she'd set her heart on. Simple job, apart from the hot water came out as a dribble! :gag:

 

It transpires tap valves are made to work on different water pressure nowadays, and the Ascona needs a minimum of 0.5 bar. Basically, a brand new tap is now scrap, and I need to get a tap that works on 0.1 bar (Screwfix again).

 

Why the hell do taps have pressure valves in them? All I can think of is that the Ascona is built to deal with heavy water, otherwise known as deuterium, which I severely doubt many households are plumbed up for.

 

Double check what water pressure your tap will be operating on before buying is my sage advice … I just thought taps were taps.

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i need a new quality kitchen tap, have any of you fitted ikea ones and are they any good or shall i stick to the likes of grohe?

 

thanks

 

Make sure that the taps are all brass. I bought a new flat with those quarter turn taps. The top bits were die cast and corroded in about 3 years. The new one are all brass and totally trouble free.

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Screwfix are excellent for taps but be aware!

I've just (almost) finished fitting a new kitchen for my girlfriend and the crowning glory was to fit the lovely Franke Ascona sink tap she'd set her heart on. Simple job, apart from the hot water came out as a dribble! :gag:

 

It transpires tap valves are made to work on different water pressure nowadays, and the Ascona needs a minimum of 0.5 bar. Basically, a brand new tap is now scrap, and I need to get a tap that works on 0.1 bar (Screwfix again).

 

Why the hell do taps have pressure valves in them? All I can think of is that the Ascona is built to deal with heavy water, otherwise known as deuterium, which I severely doubt many households are plumbed up for.

 

Double check what water pressure your tap will be operating on before buying is my sage advice … I just thought taps were taps.

We got the exact same problem with the bath tap our new bathroom earlier this year, so heed Alcoblog's advice, OP :)

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I have fitted a few Carron Phoenix taps in Sheffield and elsewhere. My preference would be to go with a ceramic disc tap, but that's just me.

 

These have a good range of taps with the pressure and measurements listed for most of them.

http://www.thekitchenseller.com/kitchen-appliances/sinks-and-taps/taps.html

http://www.sinksandtaps.com/acatalog/taps.html

 

If you are replacing a tap on an existing sink then I would advise checking the tap hole diameter. They are not all the same.

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Also (as an extra bit), although taps are exceptionally easy to fit, if you need a plumber to do it, make sure he's a good one.

I needed extra pluming done as was totally re-configuring the kitchen layout.

The plumber came round and had a look, promising a quote the same day. Nothing. Text … 'sorry … be with you tonight'. Nothing. Phone call … 'sorry, having problems with my phone … be back with a price today'. Nothing.

Another phone call … 'still having problems with my phone' (now an obvious lie).

 

In the end, bought a blow torch and all the other gubbins and did it myself. Easy.

 

Same with gas fitters. I used one off this forum. He did the first fix for the hob, promising to come round as soon as the worktop was fitted to connect the hob.

Two days later, I informed him the hob was ready to fit and organised for it to be fitted a couple of Saturdays ago at around 8:30 am. Nothing. Texted to find out he was on an 'emergency' job and would be round after 1:00pm. Nothing. Texted, as we were excited about having the hob working (had bought all the stuff for a special stir-fry). Didn't even have the courtesy to reply to the text. My girlfriend had paid him more than he wanted for the first fix too, as a goodwill gesture!

There were other problems with this plumber/gas fitter too, that I shan't go into at the mo (although it involves my girlfriend wasting around £250.00 on his wrong advice).

 

I don't want to mention electricians … got charged £90.00 per hour for next to nothing! Cowboys.

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Screwfix are excellent for taps but be aware!

I've just (almost) finished fitting a new kitchen for my girlfriend and the crowning glory was to fit the lovely Franke Ascona sink tap she'd set her heart on. Simple job, apart from the hot water came out as a dribble! :gag:

 

It transpires tap valves are made to work on different water pressure nowadays, and the Ascona needs a minimum of 0.5 bar. Basically, a brand new tap is now scrap, and I need to get a tap that works on 0.1 bar (Screwfix again).

 

Why the hell do taps have pressure valves in them? All I can think of is that the Ascona is built to deal with heavy water, otherwise known as deuterium, which I severely doubt many households are plumbed up for.

 

Double check what water pressure your tap will be operating on before buying is my sage advice … I just thought taps were taps.

 

We still have Victorian era low pressure systems with cold water storage installed in this country.

Some houses got upgraded or built with mains pressure systems good for thermostatic or mains pressure taps.

Some houses have other systems of different sorts.

That is why you need some knowledge or a pro even for something that simple.

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We still have Victorian era low pressure systems with cold water storage installed in this country.

Some houses got upgraded or built with mains pressure systems good for thermostatic or mains pressure taps.

Some houses have other systems of different sorts.

That is why you need some knowledge or a pro even for something that simple.

 

Had my learning curve now thanks. Sorted the problem very easily (just bought proper taps). :thumbsup:

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Also (as an extra bit), although taps are exceptionally easy to fit, if you need a plumber to do it, make sure he's a good one.

I needed extra pluming done as was totally re-configuring the kitchen layout.

The plumber came round and had a look, promising a quote the same day. Nothing. Text … 'sorry … be with you tonight'. Nothing. Phone call … 'sorry, having problems with my phone … be back with a price today'. Nothing.

Another phone call … 'still having problems with my phone' (now an obvious lie).

 

In the end, bought a blow torch and all the other gubbins and did it myself. Easy.

 

Same with gas fitters. I used one off this forum. He did the first fix for the hob, promising to come round as soon as the worktop was fitted to connect the hob.

Two days later, I informed him the hob was ready to fit and organised for it to be fitted a couple of Saturdays ago at around 8:30 am. Nothing. Texted to find out he was on an 'emergency' job and would be round after 1:00pm. Nothing. Texted, as we were excited about having the hob working (had bought all the stuff for a special stir-fry). Didn't even have the courtesy to reply to the text. My girlfriend had paid him more than he wanted for the first fix too, as a goodwill gesture!

There were other problems with this plumber/gas fitter too, that I shan't go into at the mo (although it involves my girlfriend wasting around £250.00 on his wrong advice).

 

I don't want to mention electricians … got charged £90.00 per hour for next to nothing! Cowboys.

 

Agree with you, too many cowboys around these days. I am going to use homeserve to do mine, as they were going to replace with their own tap, which looked rubbish compared to my old one, so they told me to buy my own and they would fit as they don't do like for like, which is crap!

 

my last one lasted almost 7 years so need something to last as long or longer than this at least.

 

anyone used ikea taps and are they good quality?

Edited by shabba

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Had my learning curve now thanks. Sorted the problem very easily (just bought proper taps). :thumbsup:

:huh:

This may seem like a silly question to someone who is now obviously highly qualified in the mystical art of installing water dispensing equipment, but how exactly does the enthusiastic diy'er measure their own domestic water pressure to determine which piece of apparatus is suitable for their own particlar environment? :confused:

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:huh:

This may seem like a silly question to someone who is now obviously highly qualified in the mystical art of installing water dispensing equipment, but how exactly does the enthusiastic diy'er measure their own domestic water pressure to determine which piece of apparatus is suitable for their own particlar environment? :confused:

 

With a water pressure test guage Mr Bloke. Screwfix, £19.99 at (a rough guess) ;)

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With a water pressure test guage Mr Bloke. Screwfix, £19.99 at (a rough guess) ;)

:blush:

Doh!

I never even knew such a thing existed...

 

... you are obviously worthy of your place amongst all the other great forum experts!

 

Ta very much! :thumbsup:

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