It looks horrible if a water tap is disabled or not working. Sometimes it gets too late to fix it due to the hassle of calling the plumber. But did you know that you can fix it yourself in 5 minutes? Today in this article, we will tell you how to replace a brass tap in 5 minutes. So, let’s start.

When Should You Replace Your Brass Tap?

One of the common problems of a tap is water dripping. If a tap drips water even when it’s off, you should replace it with a new one. Moreover, sometimes the inner mechanism goes wrong, and it’s not turning off or spitting, then replace it. Further, if it needs a consistent repair, changing is a wise decision than repairing.

Know It Better

A better knowledge of the tap is needed before moving on to a replacement. This will help you a lot during the installation, and if there is any problem in the future, you can fix it yourself.

A brass tap is a device that connects with a water supply pipe and allows the user to control the water flow by turning it on and off. It comes in two types ball valve and washer type. The inner mechanisms of both types are different, but the body looks the same.

The ball valve type tap has a ball valve installed inside the body connected with the handle. It works with the slide rule. When you slide the handle, it rotates the ball valve… and the hole in the ball valve meets the entrance of the pipe resulting in water coming out.

On the other hand, the washer-type tap has a spinning handle with threads at the bottom. The tap body also has threads inside. Both threads meet inside the faucet. Just below is a washer that sits on the valve seat for the pressure of the handle. When you turn the handle counterclockwise, it releases pressure from the washer, and the water comes out and vice versa.

The inner structure may be different, but the outer body is the same for both types. The body has an inlet that has threads and connects with the pipe… and an outlet through which water comes out.

Consider which type of tap you have and go through it. You can read our water tap post to know more details.

Tools You Need

Make sure you have these things when you’re going to replace a brass tap.

1 The Brass Tap

2 A Wrench

3Teflon tape

4 A Bristle Brush

How To Replace The Brass Tap

Follow these steps to replace your old tap with a new one. But make sure to maintain the serial of steps.

Step 1: Turn Off The Water Supply

This is the first and mandatory step for this work. You cannot replace a tap if the water circulation is on. Also, you will get wet, and space will be flooded within minutes. 

So, go to the main point of water supply in your house. Then find out which pipe is supplying water to that tap. If it’s a switch control, then turn off the switch or if it’s a valve, then rotate the valve’s handle clockwise to turn off the water supply. 

Step 2: Remove Old Tap

Before removing, turn on the old tap and drain the water left inside the pipe. However, the water flow will stop in a few seconds if you close the supply line properly. 

Pick up the wrench when the water draining is complete. After that, hold the tap from the bottom with the wrench. Hold it so that the twist looks upwards towards the tap handle. Now rotate it anti-clockwise to undo the thread. Keep this going until the tap comes out.

Step 3: Clean The Pipe Opening

You’ll see some dirt and sticky tape on the face of the pipe when the tap is out. Further, clean the area as much as possible with the bristle brush.

Step 4: Tape The Thread

This is a very important part. You’ve to bend some Teflon tape into the thread of the brass tap now. Measure the pipe hole and the thread first… and then attach the tape to the thread until the combined thickness of the thread and the tape becomes a little more than the hole in the pipe. Do it appropriately; otherwise, there will be leakage. Also, the tap is more likely to fall due to low tightening and high water pressure.

Step 5: Attach The Tap

Above all, it’s time to insert the tap into the pipe. Firstly, insert the taped thread of the tap into the water supply pipe opening. After that, push it with force and spin it clockwise. Try to make it as tight as possible with your hands. Then make it tighter with the help of the wrench since it’s a brass tap so that it can endure more pressure. Finally, make sure that the nozzle of the bibcock is facing downwards.

Step 6: Time To Test

Now it’s time to check if it’s working well or not. Again go to the main water supply point and turn on the supply. After that, turn on the tap that you’ve just replaced. If the water comes out nicely from the tap, it works well. Please don’t turn it off immediately. This is because the pipe must have some dirt and loose pieces of Teflon tape. So, let the water flow for a while to wash these things. 

To Sum Up

You are reading this, which means you have read all the steps above. Does it seem too difficult for you? I hope it’s not. And as we said before, you can replace a brass tap without any plumber’s help. Just follow our guide correctly. Moreover, we got more DIY plumbing tutorials on our blog. I hope you’ll get more help from there.

And if you haven’t bought the tap yet or want to get a good one, you can check our brass taps. Also, you can get different types of valves from us. We use brass as the main material to make all the products more reliable for your use. Your satisfaction is all we want.