Problem fitting kitchen tap

I first fixed my kitchen sink the other day, but had trouble getting a tight fit on the nut holding the tap in place. The taps I fit in the utility room were fine as I was able to get a good grip with a wrench and get it nice and tight.

But the tap in the kitchen is a tall pull-out rinse mixer one I got from the UK and the fitting is different. I tried a few different types of wrench and just wasn’t able to get a good grip on it as the wrench had to come in at an angle due to the trim on the underside of the sink. I fit the tap when before fitting the sink into the worktop, and will be taking the sink back out to tighten the tap if I can find the right way to do it.

This photo is a shot from underneath the sink and shows the nut and the threaded piece is essentially the bolt that screws into the base of the tap and is held down by the nut in the photo. This photo is just to give an indication of the tap being used and the scenario (i.e. as it’s a tall tap it needs to be a good hold on it).

I think the adjustable wrench had to be opened to 32mm to get a grip on the nut (might have been 34mm) and that’s about 2mm wider than my basin wrench can fit, and the few types of adjustable wrench I tried just couldn’t get a decent bite on it. I also have access to an extendable socket set, but max socket on that is 27mm and I think the threaded piece might get in the way of the socket (assuming I took off the tap and fitted the threaded piece and nut without the tails or tap in place first).

Any ideas on how to get a good tight fit on this tap would be much appreciated.

id say a rubber washer under the nut would help get a tight fit.
ive done loads of plumbing recently and the most useful tool i have is a rok branded adjustable spanner bought from woodies in a 2 pack with a socket handle. it opens at least a centimetre more than the 3 other standard size adj spanners i have and has a short 6 inch handle which is great for tight spots like yours. it is yellow/black and cost under a tenner, i think.

Thanks xt40,

There are rubber washers both above the nut in the first photo and under the tap in the second photo (i.e. rubber washers on both sides of the sink).

I actually have that ROK spanner (about the only ROK tool not fit for the bin) and it's a very handy spanner but it's still very difficult to get a decent grip - it might be hard to see in the photo, but the actual edges on the nut are only a few mm high so it's hard to get a decent hold of it, and the curved edges on those surfaces make the spanner slip even more.

the simplest solution might be to take out the sink and tighten it before refitting. its not as big a deal as it sounds and your already tackling the hardest bit, the water pipes

Oh Pinchy
Probably not nuch use to you but you probably need a box spanner to tighten a nut this big with the threaded part protruding as much as it is. You should be able to purchase this quite cheaply from a plumbers merchant. The fact that the tap is fitted with flexible connectors doesn't add to the security of the fixing, which is unfortunate. Could you try (trial and error) keeping the nut locked while turning the tap to tighten up the assembly, checking and allowing for correct orientation of course?

thanks Carpenter.

I've done some searching and it seems a box spanner or an adjustable basin wrench is what I'm after.

Thankfully, I can remove the tap completely, and then secure just the nut and the thread piece to the sink with a good tight fit, and then run the tails into the tap from below, and then turn the tap onto the threaded piece from above, much as you described. With a box spanner or adjustable basin wrench giving me a good solid fit fingers crossed the tap will be nice and secure.