How to remove the handle on your Kitchen Tap

Just follow these 3 easy steps below to remove the handle on your Kitchen Tap

 
Removing Indicator from Tap Handle to access screw underneath.

Removing Indicator from Tap Handle to access screw underneath.

Step 1

First turn off water supply to your Tap if you are intending to remove the valve. If just removing handle to, for example, send us a picture, then you do not need to turn off the water because even if you turned the valve, the water will just go out of the Spout into the sink (so make sure that your spout is in normal position over your sink). Should you turn the valve, make sure that it is in the Closed position when putting the handle back on. If the handle has indices (Hot and cold) on it, these can be either screwed off or removed and the screw is underneath to screw off the handle. With a lot of Kitchen Taps the hot and cold indicators on the handles can be “popped” off with a screwdriver or unscrewed by hand. (note: We would strongly recommend trying first with something small e.g very small glasses type screwdriver or your finger nail to avoid scratching the surface finish of your Kitchen Tap.)

Grub Screw: Other style taps have a grub screw directly underneath the handle: undo grub screw (be careful not to lose it) and pull off handle. Generally a Handle Grub Screw takes an Allen Key size 2mm or 2.5mm. Usually you pull directly out (don’t pull at an angle as you might damage the body or the handle. If handle is stiff, then please check out the Tips at the end of the Blog.

Perrin and Rowe also provide Guides for removing their taps.  Please see here and email us if your Tap is not covered.

Removing Handle by Loosening the grub screw underneath with an Alen Key

Removing Handle by Loosening the grub screw underneath with an Alen Key

Step 2

When these are removed you will be able to see a small brass screw in the centre of the handle. If your handle does not have any indices e.g. the H or C is just etched out on the handle, check underneath your handle as there should be a grub screw underneath.

Twisting off Shroud covering the valve (or remove if there is a grub screw underneath that you will loosen wiht Alen Key).

Twisting off Shroud covering the valve (or remove if there is a grub screw underneath that you will loosen with Allen Key).

Step 3

When you have removed the outer handle the inside shroud covering the valve can then be twisted off to uncover the top of your valve. Again sometimes there is a screw underneath this as well that has to be removed before this shroud can be removed. Below in the video is an example of removing a handle and valve hood where the handle is held in position with a grub screw and the hood covering the valve is also held in position with a grub screw.

 

See our Blog 7 easy steps to change a kitchen valve.

 

If hood (shroud) is stuck or Handle won’t budge:
Tip 1:Perrin & Rowe recommend for their taps / Franke Triflow models: If you cannot remove the hood (shroud) that covers the valve due to build up of limescale – try soaking it for max 30 mins at a time in a solution of 50% lemon juice and 50% water. You can repeat this as often as required provided that in between you completely wash away the solution. 
Tip 2:
Where Handle has Seized up i.e. Grub screw removed and handle still stuck : You could try Tip 1.  If this doesn’t work, you could try to a lubricant oil like TT Oil or WD40 etc around the joint of the handle (but be careful applying / do a test patch first on a part of your Tap that is not visible as you don’t want to damage the finish on your Tap).  Then cover the handle in a cloth.  Then turn the handle to “on” and apply reasonable force to pull it off. A small trickle of water might come out but that is all as you should have already turned OFF your water as advised at the start of this.  If it still won’t move tap it with the likes of a mallet or back of a nail punch etc. This should remove it.  If in doubt, we always recommend consulting a plumber to ensure that you do not damage your Tap.  

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62 Comments

  1. David Harvey May 28, 2020

    I have a San Marco mono block tap, believed to be Genoa. I know it is that make but that is all is written on the ceramic disc valve body. It does appear that I need a 1212R or 3819R. What does the R stand for, is it right or left. I do need a left hand tap valve with a clockwise turn. Your advice would be appreciated.

    • Alice May 28, 2020

      HI David the R in SMR stands for Rubinetteria which is Taps in Italian ! A hot valve usually means clockwise opening and a cold valve usually means anticlockwise opening. The only time that usually presents confusion is in bridge lever taps where the hot water feed lever opens anticlockwise (and therefore a ‘cold’ ACO valve is fitted in the hot water feed, and a CO Hot valve is fitted in the cold water feed (I am only explaining this in case someone is reading with a bridge lever taps where the levers are extended out horizontally when the water is turned off). For yourself, if you have a standard monobloc tap (be it a genoa style or one with levers) that you pull / turn the levers towards you to turn on and push back to turn off, there your hot water feed (on the left hand side of your tap if your tap is plumbed the correct way around) would require a hot valve i.e. a clockwise opening valve. And your cold water feed on the right hand side, to turn on the cold water, you would require an anticlockwise opening valve.

      Then as to whether you require a 1212r or a 3819r, that depends on the age of your tap. For a very old tap that had the original 1212r valves with white seals then i would advise you replace with 1212r with white seals. Later versions of this tap came with the 3984r (1212r with blue /red seals) and these seals are a little flatter than the white, and later again, the 3819r which is the one threaded version of the 3984r. If you remove your own handle you will see if you have the 2 threaded 1212r/3984r or the 1 threaded 3819r. If you have the 2 threaded valve, in most cases the 1212R with white seal was stamped San Marco and the later 1212r(3984r) with white / red seals was stamped SMR. There are certain taps out there, that even if they had the 3819r one threaded valve in them, the manufacturer recommends the 1212r white valve to be used as the replacement. Certain taps spring to mind e.g. the emporia, the averon for example. That is why it is better to find the actual valve and tap that it relates to by going to the brand name, if known, as we do update the notes on these products all the times and give advice there as well depending on the tap.
      Here is a link to the 1212R and 3819R valves (ie. in the one product) and i would think that if your own valve is two threaded and stamped San Marco, then there should also be an age stamp as well ? If not, then it would be one of the earliest valves and the only current 1212r with white seals available (and you would need this) is the 1212R with white seals. That is the only one now currently available.

  2. Julie April 29, 2020

    many thanks will take a look

  3. Michael February 20, 2020

    I’ve got a new tap valve to put in but my tap thr. On knob won’t fit on the knurly bit on vale do they come in diff sizes

  4. Steve Bacon February 18, 2020

    Hi
    I have a Paini Swan 544NS tap which is dripping. I have the replacement valves. The handle appears to have a screw on cap on the end which is tight on. Do I need to remove this and the handle or can I just remove the valve cover (which is a nut into the main valve body).
    Any advice much appreciated! I can send a picture if helpful.
    Steve

    • Alice February 20, 2020

      Sure Steve. Give my your order number so that I can check which Valves you have purchased to replace your own.

  5. Julie Takher January 10, 2020

    I have Franke Mythos mixer tap. Took grub screws of both handle and valve cover cannot nudge handle at all. Any advice please. Totally stuck

  6. Ian Robertson November 23, 2019

    Hi

    I have a Caple Lamar twin lever mixer tap that has no discernible grub screws or removable end caps by which to remove the handles. Any tips?

    • Alice November 23, 2019

      Hi Ian
      i am sorry but I don’t have any technical details on this tap so I can’t assist you except to suggest that you contact Caple directly.

  7. Larry November 15, 2019

    I have an eiger tap double spout. I have got handles off but can not get the cover off to access cartridge. Help please?

    • Alice November 17, 2019

      Usually these should turn anticlockwise to loosen and we would have no other tips to add other then the tips included in the blog above.

    • Nigel December 18, 2019

      Larry. To unscrew the tight valve cover, have you tried the very smallest size of Boa rubber strap wrench? This gives a very good grip without damaging the finish on the cover.

      • Alice December 18, 2019

        Thanks Nigel for adding this. I am not familiar with this Boa rubber strap wrench but if it helps other customers, that is great ! so thanks again. Alice

    • john houghton May 31, 2020

      I have an eiger tap
      I can get the handle off, but how do I remove the cartridge

  8. Heidi September 24, 2019

    Have an Olympus Franke tap that is dripping at the sprout and cold lever. Unscrewed the grub screw but the lever would not budge. Tried tapping it and also used WD40 but still no movement. Anymore tips to get it off.

    Thanks

    • Alice September 24, 2019

      Hi Heidi, can you give me some more information in case you have an Olympus Triflow which is a different Tap from the Olympus Filter Flow and other Olympus Taps. What approx age is your own Tap ?

  9. WILLIAM MCMAHON August 30, 2019

    I have a Franke Moselle mixer tap which is leaking from the cold side, have attempted all above solutions but still the handle refuses to budge there are no grub screws and no allen screws on the handle to keep it in place. I have applied WD40 to gap between handle and base and inserted a blade between gap but still no luck in freeing up handle. Is there any other device holding the handle to the base. Would appreciate any assistance.
    Willie

    • Alice August 30, 2019

      HI William you will need to pop off the handle indicator and access the screw underneath to release the handle. Have you tried this much and are still stuck ?

  10. Alastair July 12, 2019

    I am trying to fit new cartridges to a Franke Eiger. I have removed the grubscrews but the handles but the handles didn’t come off. I have tried WD40, tapping very gently with a rubber mallet and a screwdriver between the handle and the valve cover but the handles just won’t shift. I am worried about damaging the handle and/or valve cover if I use too much force. Any suggestions?

    • Alice July 21, 2019

      Hi Alastair, I don’t know if you tried all the suggestions in our Tips as you don’t mention trying TT Oil or the lemon / water tip :
      If hood (shroud) is stuck or Handle won’t budge:
      Tip 1:Perrin & Rowe recommend for their taps / Franke Triflow models: If you cannot remove the hood (shroud) that covers the valve due to build up of limescale – try soaking it for max 30 mins at a time in a solution of 50% lemon juice and 50% water. You can repeat this as often as required provided that in between you completely wash away the solution. 
      Tip 2: Where Handle has Seized up i.e. Grub screw removed and handle still stuck : You could try Tip 1.  If this doesn’t work, you could try to a lubricant oil like TT Oil or WD40 etc around the joint of the handle (but be careful applying / do a test patch first on a part of your Tap that is not visible as you don’t want to damage the finish on your Tap).  Then cover the handle in a cloth.  Then turn the handle to “on” and apply reasonable force to pull it off. A small trickle of water might come out but that is all as you should have already turned OFF your water as advised at the start of this.  If it still won’t move tap it with the likes of a mallet or back of a nail punch etc. This should remove it.  If in doubt, we always recommend consulting a plumber to ensure that you do not damage your Tap.  

      We do supply the Valve cover (here) and handles here if you damage them and knowing this might give you the confidence to attempt a more forceable removal ?

  11. Ruth June 4, 2019

    Hello I have just fitted replacement valves to my lamona Garda tap but am struggling to get the handles back on. They are sitting further out than before like they aren’t pushed far enough on to the end of the valve. They were quite tough to get off but didn’t take too long. They are quite grimy, would cleaning help or could the replacement valve be too long? Thanks

    • Alice June 5, 2019

      These valves are coming from the Manufacturer of your Lamona Garda Tap so they are the only ones available, and are the correct ones. I think that you have correctly identified the issue. Grime would clog up the splines and your own valve would have accomodated the grime over time by wearing down. You should clean out / off all the grime and then try again. It is ok to push the handles onto the valves.

  12. Steve Riley June 4, 2019

    Hi – I have a 2006 model Franke Eiger U Spout set of kitchen taps. The hot tap needs a new cartridge but there is no grub screw under the handle to remove the assembly and take out the old cartridge. There is no hole for a grub screw on either tap. Do you know where the screw is and how I access it please? is it underneath the tap handle once that is removed? Baffled. Thanks.

    • Alice June 5, 2019

      Can you send us in a picture of your Tap please. Also have you tried a mirror underneath ? Without seeing your tap,I can’t comment any further, but there should be a grub screw underneath. Email one to sales@tapsandsinksonline.co.uk and put in an explanation again with the picture and we will look at for you.

      • Steve Riley June 5, 2019

        Thank you – I have emailed pictures as requested to your sales online site as suggested.

  13. Finola May 30, 2019

    Do you have any videos that help show how to replace a valve in a triflow Doric tap please?

    • Alice May 31, 2019

      No we don’t have any videos, but this Guide ‘Doric Valve change Guide‘ gives very clear Step by Step instructions. Here also is a Guide on the Franke Doric Tap ‘My Franke Doric Tap is leaking‘ as the earlier Franke Doric Triflow has been replaced with the later Franke Doric Filterflow, and these two taps take completely different parts. You will find in this Guide links to Valves and O Rings required depending on which version you have, and which part is causing the Leak.

  14. JB January 20, 2018

    Alice wrote earlier : – …”handle screwing out” – as one option. Does this mean the whole shroud including the short rod lever for on/off screws out, or just the rod please? (Franke Zuirich chrome tap)

    • Alice January 20, 2018

      HI Jb
      if you look at the diagram that i showed you , the entire SP3166 should come off.

  15. JB January 20, 2018

    I found the general instructions excellent (and Alice’s replies) but cannot for the life of me find any way to remove the chrome shroud with rod/lever to operate “on” or “off” on my Franke Zurich chrome kitchen sink taps, where the cold one has started to drip. Managed easily to prise off the cap that hides the screw and to remove it, but no grub screw sockets either on the shroud or elsewhere. Might it be that the “on/off” rods that connect to the tap shroud unscrew? They certainly don’t feel like I could pull them off and could send a jpg shot to illustrate the problem, if needed… Grateful for your reply, though not an emergency ! Thank you.

    • Alice January 20, 2018

      Hi JB, I have just taken a quick look here at the blueprint .Zurich Handle and Valve Detail blueprint you should just be able to un do the screws behind the indicator and pull the handle off (by pulling it out ). Alice

  16. charles January 16, 2018

    Hi Alice, could I e-mail you a picture of the tap? There is a hole on the underside of the handle but I can’t feel any screw. There’s not much space to work with between tap handle and work surface, so even using a mirror is tricky as it just looks like a black hole. The indicator is part of the handle and definitely cannot be removed

  17. charles January 16, 2018

    Hi Alice thank you for the e-mail. unfortunately I am still unsure whether we are supposed to use an allen key on the underside of our tap handles to remove them. We have tried but cannot remove the grub screw (if there is one)? Our tap looks SIMILAR to a Lamona Victorian Regino Elbe Twin lever tap. But we don’t which model for sure.

    • Alice January 16, 2018

      HI Charles, without knowing the brand of your tap I cant give you specific guidance BUT if there is no grub screw (and a mirror will tell you if there is one there or not, or feel with your hand) then usually that means that you need to remove the indicator to get at the screw that is concealed by the indicator.

  18. Avril December 18, 2017

    Hi, I have a Franke Davis J tap, I’ve removed the end caps and screws from the handles but still can’t get the handles off. No sign of any other screws to remove…any ideas what I should do next…WD40 hasn’t worked and the tap is dripping even worse…how do I ‘pull’ the tap off…should it be in the off position.thank yoy

    • Eoin December 18, 2017

      We would recommend a plumber at this stage in case you damage your tap.

  19. pete October 9, 2017

    I have a hafelle kitchen tap with a single side-mounted lever (the handle’s very similar to the bottom taphere http://hafele.com/gb/en/external/blaetterkataloge/Sinks-Taps-Worktops-Directory-2016/blaetterkatalog/large/bk_133.jpg ). There’s no grub screw to remove the handle. The handle lever (the long thin cylinder) looks as if it’s screwed in but I can’t seem to unscrew it. Any ideas?

    • Alice October 9, 2017

      They are the only two options i.e grub screw or handle screwing out so if you have no grub screw, then your handle must screw out. You could try WD40 or some kind of releasing agent but be careful of the tap finish. It could take the chrome off your tap.

      • pete October 9, 2017

        Thanks. Already used a bit of WD40, so it looks like I just need to get a better grip and apply some extra elbow-grease then. I’ll give it a couple of goes over the next few days .

  20. eddie September 14, 2017

    ok thanks for your reply .it feels as if the tap lever is fused to the plastic bush beneath .ok thanks again

  21. eddie September 12, 2017

    hi i have same prob as brian king above (abode tap3582)am trying wd40 &tapping with mallet.will keep trying for a wee while.could you also let me know solution if any.thanks in anticipation

    • Alice September 13, 2017

      HI Eddie, we honestly do not know why it is stuck. You could try TTOil which penetrates more effectively than WD40 (although be careful regarding tap finish so i would test first on an unseen part of the tap) and in case it is limescale that has caused it to ‘stick’, you could try lemon juice as per this blog here:

  22. Alistair August 16, 2017

    Hi I have a Franke Kubus Triflow tap (think it may be the earlier model as was fitted around 2010?) the tap is leaking and I was going to remove the cold tap first but I can’t see how to remove the handle as I can’t see a grub screw beneath the handle? Would appreciate any hel;p you can give as don’t want to damage the tap not knowing how to safely remove the handle. Thanks, Alistair

    • Alice August 21, 2017

      Hi Alistair
      here is the information regarding the handle: Pull the handle firmly towards you, and also at the same time slightly upwards to remove the handle from the tap. I will email you full installation guide. Alice

      • Brian King September 4, 2017

        Hi Alice, I’ve had the same problem with my taps…taken the grub screw out,can’t get the handle off. Can you help please ?

        • Alice September 5, 2017

          Hi Brian
          what tap do you have ?
          Kind regards

          • Brian King September 6, 2017

            Abode TAP3582

          • Alice September 13, 2017

            Like the response to the other gentleman just now, we are taking a look here to see if we can help in anyway.

  23. Mike Cantab June 27, 2017

    I have a 2 yr old Cooke & Lewis Zale monobloc 2 lever tap which leaks frequently on the warm tap side. How do I fix this?

    • Alice June 27, 2017

      Hi Mike
      you would need to replace the Hot valve. Can you remove your valve and send me pictures of it and also measure the height of your valve and we can see if we have the valve here ? I would also need to know the markings on the valve. Alice

  24. Harry May 14, 2017

    I’ve got a leaky Franke Olympus tap (leak is at the lever). Accessing the grub screw is fiddly but I can’t seem to identify the correct size of allen key. Is there a standard for this make?

    • Alice May 18, 2017

      Different versions of the Olympus took different grub screws. You could try a 2mm Allen Key.

  25. Ian April 4, 2017

    Hi,

    I have a San Marco blade tap and have ordered a new valve from you but I am struggling to remove the lever. It is hard to even see if the grub screw is in due to the position of the tap. Can you tell me it is is an allen key fitting and what size it would be?

    Thanks
    Ian

    • Alice April 9, 2017

      Hi Ian,

      Thank you for your query. To remove the handle you need a small Allen key as the grub screw is on the underside of the Tap handle.

      Kind Regards

      Alice

  26. AMC December 15, 2016

    My handles are stuck to the Valve. Would you know how to loosen it? The small screw was removed long ago, and the handle would not come off.

    Thank you for your help.

    • Alice December 15, 2016

      HI Adela, can you email me a picture of your complete Tap please so we can see what Tap you have? Thanks Alice

      Hi Adela, You have the Ascona Tap.
      If you have removed the grub screw that means that your handle is literally stuck to the valve.
      We suspect that the handle has simply just seized up as it has never had to be removed before.
      You need to turn off her water, apply a lubricant oil or WD40 etc around the joint of the handle, then cover the handle in a cloth. From there you need to turn the handle to “on” and apply reasonable force to pull it off. You could tap it with the likes of a mallet or back of a nail punch etc. This should remove it.

      We always advise: if in doubt please contact a plumber.

  27. Len dewing June 14, 2016

    Hi Alice can’t seem to send a photo to your e mail just need to know if I need a special spanner to remove cartridge as only about a millimetre is visible thanks

  28. Len dewing June 14, 2016

    I have a frank bern tap bought just over a year ago it’s started to drip from spout I tried to take out the cold cartridge can’t get a spanner on it .can u help .just wondering is it still under guarantee bought from b&q but can’t find receipt thanks

    • Alice June 14, 2016

      HI Len,
      if you want to email us a picture of where exactly your valve is stuck i.e. what step in the process of removing it, we will look at. Just email it to sales@tapsandsinksonline.co.uk and mark if FAO Alice.

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