"A Pox Upon His Camels !!"

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Hand-bowl and bath-taps, dating from ~1970, needed their $_1 rubber washers replacing.

Of course, their covers had totally seized, so taps needed replacing.
Of course, from that era, there were no local 'service / isolators' nearby.
Of course, the loft / attic's header tank's convenient in/out lines' isolator taps had seized.
I'll not touch them this time around, but invoke 'Plan_B', house isolator under stairs...
So, start with the hand-bowl...
Took door off basin up-stand, emptied base and shelf...
Got work-light's beam into the back...
Stared in horror...

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WTF ?
WTFFF ??
One of my kin had an appropriate judgement for such perpetrators, "A Pox Upon His Camels !!"

Okay, I have the makings to 'do it back, but better'.
First, lower the shelf. [ Eloquent Expletives Deleted...]
Take 'Scene of Crime' photo: Note ruler for scale...
For the 'cold', I've an 'uncommon' short flexi-connector with 'isolator / service' shut-off at feed end, elbow to tap at other.
For the 'hot', a rather longer flexi-connector with 'isolator / service' shut-off at feed end, curling 270º to meet tap end-on.

The latter approach, in 22mm rather than bowl's 15mm, will do the bath taps. But I've deferred that phase until bowl is safely sorted...

[kdahm]

Looks fairly standard for mid-70's plumbing.

When considering doing something about this sort of thing, I first plan on replacing everything from the water shutoff valves to the faucet, then from the sink drain to the furthest point on the drain I can reach and make a connection. That just saves time. And trips to the hardware store.

Plus, ensuring that there is an alternate place to wash my hands, wrists, and lower arms before shutting the house water off.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Took me five (5) hours to shift first tap, the bowl 'cold'.

Mostly because the elbow to tap had 'taken root'.
Finally, I deployed 'nut splitter' and got its ring-nut moving. Tap's back-nut needed an hour, even with plumbers' 27mm box spanner, with much of it for the last inch where that ruddy elbow's ring-nut had fouled thread.

I've stopped to re-hydrate and, yes, re-boot my wits.
If second tap, the bowl 'hot', also refuses to 'play nice', I'll clean up the feeds, fit new cold tap, stop-end the hot feed, turn house water on again, continue tomorrow...

[kdahm]

Copious quantities of elbow grease, expletives, and refreshing alcoholic beverage of choice are also necessities in this endeavor.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

My hands cramped up such I could not budge the nut or hold the nut-splitter.

So, went with 'Plan_B': Got cold side connected and working, put flexi-connector onto hot feed with shut-off and stop-end, restored house supply, snugged fittings to halt tiny weeps, done for the night.

Given my post-middle-aged centre-line plumbing will wake me up every 2~~3 hours during night, I can check on status each time...

Which reminds me: Perhaps a squirt of WD-40 onto tap-thread just above that nut ?? Could help...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Around dawn, when I again sleepily felt around those connections, fingers came away cold and wet...

Jarred awake, I realised was merely dew on the cold feed, plus excess silicone grease from assembly...

Too tired / stiff to tackle bowl 'hot' tap today but, if I take ply side-panel off up-stand, there's much better access to that ruddy tap.

Okay, so the panel is pin-nailed & glued but, hey, that's not going to stop me...
Now, where did I put that set of nail-punches ??
Oh, and I'll need some short 'mirror' screws to re-fit panel !! ( Another 'Amazon' basket sprouts like bamboo-mode kudzu...)

Also realised alternative to cleaving seized feed-nut with clunky nut-splitter is deploying multi-tool with semi-circular blade...
But, to be sure, to be sure, not by feel...

[jemhouston]

You're a braver man than I am

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Perhaps it was the WD-40 spray, plus those un-planned extra days to soak in ?
Perhaps it was the augmented access from removing side-panel ?
Perhaps it was just that I'd a better idea of the task...

Whatever, the previously intractable elbow at bottom of second tap's riser yielded after a thankfully short time, the riser's back-nut soon un-wound.

So, with all the relevant parts of new tap warily silicone-greased, I used box-spanner to torque new back-nut onto washers. The waiting 'flexi', its washer warily silicone-greased, went on with scant fuss.
Take a deep breath, wield 'slot' driver, open the 'service turn'.
Gurgle, gurgle, whoosh !!

Yay, it works !!
Run for a while to purge feed, to be sure, to be sure...
Five minutes to re-set tap handle ~90º around, top now shows 'HOT' when off, matching the nearby 'COLD'...

Next week, after prepping two 10cm stubs of new 22mm pipe to link bath feeds' old Tees with their new 'flexi, with service turn', I'll isolate house, drain the lines and tackle those...

I think I've earned myself a casserole tonight.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

The apparent twist in cold-feed flexi is an optical illusion...

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[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

After a few days, I noticed the tiniest weep on the flexi-to-cold_tap connection.

Tightening it made things worse. So, turned local isolator, loosened tap connector and re-tightened. No, now was yet worse.

So dismounted and inspected: the flat-face gasket / washer was wonky, had a 'nip'.

Fitted spare washer. Now much worse.

Re-inspected. No washer ??

Hmm. Must have dropped it. Ah, yes, washer had beaten the odds and bounced through waste-pipe slot in lowered shelf.

Cleaned, re-fitted. Now worse. WTF ?

Re-inspected. Nipped washer ? Fitted spare. Leak worst yet...

Re-inspected. No washer ? Had I dropped it ? No-where to be found...

Fitted second spare. Leak still bad.

Re-inspected. No washer ? Had I dropped it ? No-where to be found...

But I'd plugged that slot with a rag, it went not there...

WTF ??

After some thought, I progressively eliminated all the probable suspects, also a few 'improbables' such as greasy washer accidentally stuck to back of sink. Which left...

Dismounted tap from sink, peered up its 'tail'.

Merciful Murphy !! Yeah, there were both my missing washers, both skew, both nipped...

I can take a hint: A different make of flexi-connector arrives mid-week, the much longer style I used on the hot tap, which has a 'captive' gasket / washer...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

The new, much longer 'flexi' with a thankfully captive gasket / washer went on without a fuss.

Behind the bath, however, I've had to invest in unusually long 22mm 'flexi' pipes, as first 'take' did not work due adverse topology. Like wiring up a powerful PC's innards, whose big PSU's anaconda-grade cables defy simple routeing...

I've also had to get a 32mm 'crowfoot' spanner with ½" drive as old hot-tap's back-nut is currently blocked to sides by combination of wall, bath and adversely routed overflow. There's literally no room to work a big spanner or pipe-wrench. With back-nut 'started', I'll be able to twist tap, finally get two spanners onto its connection, do the needful...

Just had my seasonal 'flu and Covid booster vaccines, one in each arm. If immune system 'kicks up', I'll spend a long week-end sulking. Upside, I've some fun food, treats and books to mitigate the misery. Sometimes, this mild feverish reaction spawns a new story or plot-line: I can hope...

FWIW, I usually drop off a couple of short stories at clinic: Today's nurse almost danced with glee at getting 'WIRS', 'Murphy' and 'Chaparral'...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

I managed to lose the crowfoot spanner off the ratchet driver, but not before it had nudged stiff back-nut beyond 'stuck' point.

So, I managed to hand-coax the back-nut far enough down stem towards the end-fitting to get a finger-width of stem above bath. After my Ryobi multi-tool just skidded off, I deployed a piece of card to prevent scratching and a 'junior hacksaw' with fresh blade.

Yes, I hand-sawed the old tap's 3/4" stem, thankfully chromed brass rather than eg s/steel.

Both bath taps now connected up, working correctly for first time in several years.

Oh, and I even manged to spot, retrieve the crowfoot spanner...

Next, I try to re-start c/heating boiler. And, if unsuccessful, call the service contract. If the radiators' circulating pump has stalled (again), that's their problem...

Currently counting down an Amazon delivery: Came on-map at 9, now 3 stops away...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

The drip-catcher tray under the lowest points of the bath taps' flexi-pipes stayed dry !!

Had the idea to add a 'service panel' to upper-right corner of bath's big side-panel. Lower-right blocked by ducting. So, if urgent, no need to wrangle bakers' dozen or so always-reluctant dome-topped mirror-screws to get sight of the H/C flexi-pipes' isolator turns...

Panel is readily-sawn, black-laminate fronted 3-ply, so I've black 'piano-hinge', black 'fold-down' loop-handle, two magnetic catches and enough black nylon 3 mm bolts, nuts, washers etc to connect, all coming from A**z*n.

Magnets are 90º mount, will screw to bath-surround's wooden frame.
As 'Occam' trumps 'Murphy', their flat striker-plates may share thru-fixings with the loop-handle...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Marked-up panel for access hatch, thru-drilled and bolted piano hinge across cut-line. Removed hinge, deployed 'edge' to keep cut straight enough, Ryobi multi-tool to remove hatch's rectangle. Applied glue into hatch's delaminating edges, clamped to set. Also ran bead of glue along cut-out's edges...

Remembered to buy two budget 'slot'-type screwdrivers, so can hang one under sink taps, other under bath taps, ready for urgent use on their flexi-pipes' local isolator / service valves. Probably will never be needed, but averts potential 'Murphy' situation...

I think I'll mount hatch's magnetic catch to panel rather than frame as reduces alignment issues. I've some slim battens / paint stirrers to add local backing to ply's thickness, as catch, striker and finger-loop suit 'countersunk' screws rather than mini-bolts...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Time-out to help neighbour demolish capsized (!!) pyrocantha (thorny) hedge.
Downspout-thick mega-stem totally failed where rot got into damaged branch base...
"Nik, may we borrow your chain-saw ??"

All the lopping and snipping of this second tranche left me with temporary RSI...

Still, gave me time to run yet-more glue onto bath-panel's edges...

Finally, today, coaxed panel to place, adding a few more fixings.
Note mirror-cap screws will be left 'bald' until nothing else of project remains to do...

Uh, yes, that is so a cat-ladder: Having low-flying cat miscue window-sill's ascent or descent, to plunge, yowling, into bath is no fun at all...

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