Yeah, pitted seats are a nightmare. Sometimes you can get away with a quick reseat, but if it’s too far gone, you’re just wasting time and washers. I’ve had to bin the whole tap plenty of times—just not worth fighting with it for hours. Ceramic conversions can be nice, but for rentals, I agree, it’s often more hassle than it’s worth. You’re not alone—sometimes what should be a 10-minute job turns into a saga.
Yeah, totally agree—once the seat’s pitted beyond a certain point, you’re just chasing your tail. I’ve tried brass seat cutters before, but honestly, if the corrosion’s deep or it’s an old cheap tap, you can end up making it worse. Like you said, sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle and a new tap is less grief in the long run.
One thing I’ve found is people often forget to check for debris under the seat or even a hairline crack in the body. Had a job last month where I swapped washers twice before I spotted a tiny split in the casting. Drove me mad.
Out of curiosity, do you ever bother with those “universal” reseating tools, or do you stick to proper seat cutters? I’ve had mixed luck with them—sometimes they help, sometimes they just chew things up more.
Those universal reseaters are a bit hit and miss for me. Sometimes they seem to make the seat worse, especially on older taps where the metal’s already soft or pitted. I’ve had better luck with proper seat cutters, but even then, you can’t polish a turd if the body’s cracked or badly corroded. Funny thing—once had a tenant try to “fix” a drip themselves and ended up rounding out the seat so bad I had to replace half the tap assembly... Do you bother replacing washers with those modern ceramic cartridges, or do you stick with old-school rubber?
I hear you on the universal reseaters—sometimes they just chew up the seat more, especially if the brass is already soft or there’s a lot of pitting. I’ve found that if the seat’s too far gone, even a proper cutter won’t save it, and you’re just chasing your tail. At that point, I usually recommend replacing the whole tap body if possible, since you’re right, you can’t fix a cracked or corroded casting.
As for washers, with ceramic cartridges, I don’t bother trying to replace anything inside them. If they’re leaking, it’s usually the cartridge itself that’s worn or has debris inside. I’ll try cleaning them out first, but if that doesn’t work, it’s a straight swap for a new cartridge. The old rubber washer style is a bit more forgiving—you can swap washers and get a few more years out of them, but with ceramics, it’s all or nothing. Funny how the “modern” solution is sometimes less repairable than the old-school stuff...
Funny how the “modern” solution is sometimes less repairable than the old-school stuff...
Ain’t that the truth. I swear, my old taps just needed a new washer and a bit of elbow grease. Now with these ceramic cartridges, it’s like they’re designed to make you buy a whole new part every time. Tried cleaning one out with vinegar once—ended up with a leaky mess and a grumpy spouse. Sometimes I wonder if “progress” just means more trips to Bunnings...