Poll regarding ceramic disc tap repair

[Welder]

After an argument, I'm looking to understand how many professional plumbers will repair individual ceramic disc taps.

Can I ask you to chose one of the following :

1 - dont do taps
2 - would do them if it was simple
3 - already do them regardless

Thanks. Hopefully my view will win, although people on here would naturally be helpful so it will be interesting to see.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

dont repair just replace the cartridge or the tap depends if i can get the right one

 

[Welder]

Thanks Shaun.
What % of the time would you say you can find a suitable replacement cartridge?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Thanks Shaun.
What % of the time would you say you can find a suitable replacement cartridge?

60%

 

[Best]

I repair nearly all taps if they are in good condition and particularly if they are fairly expensive taps. Therefore probably near 100% of decent single or monobloc twin head taps.
Cheap taps, especially single hot or cold taps I won't usually consider fixing partly due to price of new cartridge.
But I can't fix all of them on first visit as I carry only a few standard ceramic works and some Franke
I should add, - if I had to travel far then it would not pay me to do a second visit tbh.

 

[Welder]

Would it be true to say then Best, that the lack of cartridge availability is costing home owners money through replacing kit not really properly worn out?

How do you decide which to carry?

 

[Best]

Would it be true to say then Best, that the lack of cartridge availability is costing home owners money through replacing kit not really properly worn out?

How do you decide which to carry?

Yes it will be sometimes be costing customers more money due to the huge range of ceramic cartridge types. But you have to consider what it would cost to get a plumber who charges, say a reasonable £30 per hour, to have to spend 3 or 4 hours in travelling two trips and labour plus parts to fix a £100 tap.
I carry some B&Q ceramic works, plus a few from merchants and some from Franke who have I believe 3 types of their standard cartridges. I keep a few hot and cold of 2 types.
I just think it is a shame to replace a perfect tap just because a little ceramic disc is faulty. And I feel that a brand new tap could have same fault in a very short time anyhow.
It honestly does not pay me to fix taps as there are some that will involve too much time and effort sourcing works and time to travel, even though I generally do very local work.
If I have identical works though, then it is an easy 5 minute job.
It is not such a bad job if you are fixing a tap while doing other work at a house, where you can look at the tap and fix it when you return to do other larger work.

 

[Riley]

I think your categories are too vague/narrow. I would say most of us will repair taps if they're cost affective ie sourcing parts plus labour doesn't exceed cost of fitting new tap. It's amazing how often a new tap is the cheaper option and that's what most customers are driven by these days

 

[buckley plumb]

Priced up a cartridge for a frankie kitchen tap I had a shock £130

 

[SimonG]

Replace taps. Gone are the days of running around for correct insert.

 

[Phil]

I repair..

I'm the same as Best, I carry a huge case full of cartridges but just sometimes I can't get the old ones out and they are seized to tight. The other day I had one on a paper thin utility stainless steel sink. I had my socket round the cartridge and my customer was using the longest pair of grips I'd ever seen in a stranglehold around the tap body. It came off in the end but if I'd been on my own I'd have never have got them out without taking it home to put in vice but it would have been worth the hastle.

 

[dean.diy]

nice having a bit of help.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

If the customer know the make & model of tap I'll order & change

As said above I don't run around or spend time looking for cartridges that may not fit as the custard doesn't want to pay.

 

[lame plumber]

I have a selection of cartridges in the van, but tend to replace the whole tap if I dont have the correct cartridge, too much hassle chasing around.

 

[Welder]

So, the consensus seems to be replace the tap when its too much hassle (basically too much cost) to identify the existing cartridge. All in all not an unreasonable course of action economically, but from an environmental perspective very costly.

Okay, so would you be interested in a kit of parts that allowed you to 'carry' 80% of all cartridges in a small battery drill sized box? How would that help you? Do you think you woudl pick up more (perhaps larger jobs) work from repairing more taps?

 

[Riley]

Not really as you're just as likely to pick up work replacing the tap if you do it well