Alan Zoff Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I bought a mixer tap for the French house but didn't need it so brought it over to the UK. Just tried to fit it to the kitchen sink and found the connections at the end of the flexible tails were for 3/8" rather than UK 15mm pipe. I have tried the usual places - Screwfix, Wickes, Toolstation etc - and none can sell me either replacement tails with small enough fittings at the tap end (5mm bore) or adaptors to convert the pipe end from 3/8" female to 1/2"/15mm UK standard pipe.Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Go to a proper plumbers and get 3/8" m to 15mm compression or 1/2" fittings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 Builders & Plumbers Merchants hadn't got an adaptor either. Suggested I tried Screwfix! I found someone selling exactly what I needed on Ebay, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Sadly Alan that's a common occurrence as so many of the builders merchants and plumbers are all owned by a few very large Co's so only sell things to fit standard stock that the low intelligence can copy fit. It's why I prefer the proper independants, so much more knowledge and assistance than the minimum wage monkeys, I would much rather give them the trade too as they must find it harder. Glad you got it sorted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Toolstation sell the exact thing that you require, pretty sure that they call them tap tail adaptors, 3/8" or 1/2" male threaded fitting terminating in a stub of 15mm pipe, I then use a compression isolating valve to join it to the copper pipe.Beware that French taps often wont flow well enough on UK gravity plumbing, I have just done my place and the kitchen tap is very slow on the hot feed, cold being mains is OK, as for the bathroom tap, well a masterpiece of form over function, everyone sees the Brico-depot promo unit and sexy (to them but not to me) tap and goes "oh wow!" but they dont say that when they see how little dribbles out from the pressure of the header tank only a couple of feet above, its really got prostate problems [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Nice one Chancer, different to the ones I used but never the less helpful. I agree about the flow rate but at least you don't overflow the sink [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Yes Teapot, I was dead chuffed to find them!I have brought over a few pairs for my stock to join up my flexibles (UK bought) to the 15mm compression isolating valves (UK bought) to the what is remaining of my humungous stock of 15mm copper pipe, no guessing where that came from either!!!The plumber who ever has to adapt my work in the future will have his work cut out as in France I have used 15mm copper and in the UK I have used French 40mm waste for my sani-broyeur.At least there is a huge stock of 15mm pipe and fittings here that will be sold with the property, any competent plumber would have no problem anyway as they braze everything and dont even like buying T's.In terms of adaptors, 1/2" to 3/8" male to female etc etc, pretty much all the permutations, I find they are much easier to find and cheaper in France, its one of the advantages of places like Brico-Depot that you can gaze at the shelves looking for a solution and often find ones for problems that you have yet to encounter, in the UK you would have to find an old school plumbers merchant and know exactly what it was you were looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 I tried Toolstation in Cheltenham before going to Screwfix. Toolstation said they had nothing that would do it. (I took the bits with me to show them). They didn't mention the adaptor referred to above but the ones I ordered from Ebay seem better for me than those as they will fit directly to the nuts on the tap tails without any cutting: Edit: Another failed attempt to create a link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Alan, it might actually have been Screwfix [:$]9 times out of 10 my stuff comes from Toolstation as its usually cheaper but maybe they were not, if so sorry for the wasted journey.I wouldnt expect the staff at either of my local depots to be able to find something from stock to solve a problem, primary school children dont have a lot of DIY experience!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 That's the same as I have Alan.http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Hansgrohe-Pair-3-8-Inch-Flexi-Tail-Pipe-Adapter-Fitting-Compression-EuropeanTap-/00/s/NTM1WDY1Nw==/$T2eC16F,!)QE9s3HCoGrBQ(FhfTBtg~~60_12.JPGChancers' don't require any cutting, threaded to 15mm ready for a compression joint or service valve. It was toolstation Chancer, love the comment on school children, so close to the mark although one of our counter staff is only doing it till they pass the 17th edition, Eva's cute so i forgive her [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 Must be me being dim but if they are threaded to 15mm, how do they fit to the 3/8 nuts on the tails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Ah Alan, I see. Threaded (meaning 3/8") to 15mm is an expression which means one end (threaded) adapts to 15mm at the other. reasonably standard description in plumbing. Sorry for any confusion.Stock photo from Toolstation, obviously 3/8" would be smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Initially I used the compression fitting shown in Teapots first photo, these I bought in France as they were cheap and readily available, never came across them in the UK.However to use one of my compression fitting isolating valves required the addition of a stub of 15mm pipe making one more joint to leak so I was pleased to find the Toolstation offering.One good thing about the bricos in France is that all these fittings and plumbing bits are on free display, you can pick up one bit and take it to another to see if it is compatible, you can present a tap tail and a piece of pipe to un vendeur and ask even in sign language how to join one to the other and he will probably be able to show you what is needed, he is even likely to know what it is if it isnt stocked by them.In my first weeks I would spend whole afternoons gazing at stuff on the rayons to work out how things can and/or should be done here, anyone else own up to doing the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Yep, reconnaissance, Family take the pi55 but who do they call when they have an issue?Wasn't it the little Corsican (no not Sarko) who said "Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted". [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 Thanks for the explanation Théière. Can take a while but I usually catch up in the end.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.