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What is the splines on a Tap Valve ?

What is the splines on a Tap Valve?

These are the small ridges on the top of the Tap Valve.

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  What is the splines on a Tap Valve explained

• The number of splines (ridges) on a Tap Valve is very important because the Handle is usually designed to fit over the Splines on the Valve.
• Sometimes customers source a generic or compatible Valve and it fits perfectly into their Tap but the Handle doesn’t fit. Why ? because they replacement Valve has a different number of splines than the original Valve.
• This can lead to the internal part of the Handle becoming damaged and slipping on the Valve
• If you damage your Handle then you will need to replace the Handle as well. A costly mistake.
  

  Example of 20 Spline Valve

Do I need a special Tool to count the splines on my valve?”

• Not necessarily.
• Let us take the hard work away because if you send us the details of your Tap and pictures (see below for the information to send to us) then we can identify the actual part you require if it is a Brand that we do genuine spare parts for (all our brands are listed here)
• One option is to place a pencil mark between two splines and then just carefully rotate the valve, counting in turn every spline until you get back to the start.  In brass valves they are always even in number e.g 20, 24, 28.
• Another option is to take a picture of your valve looking down on it and then zoom in to count but this can be more time consuming than the first option.

If emailing details of your Valve to us, here is what to include:

• Tell us all the information that you can see stamped on your Valve i.e the date, in case your picture is not clear enough.
• Send in a picture of your Valve (complete Valve if you have removed it or the amount of Valve that is visible if you have only removed the Handle).
• Send in a picture of your Kitchen Tap that this Valve relates to as well.
• If you are only sending a picture of your complete Tap please send us the approx installation date to enable us to advise you on best replacement Valve.

Our approach at Taps and Sinks Online.

We supply Genuine Spare parts.  Once we identify your Tap model we can match the correct Valve for your Tap & Handle. [Yes, our Spare Parts might be more expensive than a compatible part but by buying a Genuine Part you will save yourself time and money in the long run.

Why buy from us ? Here are some reasons:

• We have over 30 years expertise supplying Spare Kitchen Tap Parts to the Trade and Home Owners.
• We know when Taps (that we supply spare parts for) were modified by the manufacturer .  This can sometimes mean us actually recommending a slightly different valve (based on the manufacturers advice to us) than the valve that is in your Kitchen Tap.
• Your Warranty can be voided if you replace with compatible parts.
• All our Genuine Valves have splines ranging from 20 to 24 to 28.  We do not stock any 18 splined or 32 splined valves.
• Please note that parts might be modified by the manufacturers over the years of a product being made. While we guarantee that the parts we supply are as per the technical specifications sheets provided by the manufacturers, we can not always guarantee that a part will fit an older version of a product. You can return any spare parts that have not been fitted for a refund. We do not or refund associated postage costs.

Useful Guides and Links

Here are just some of the DIY Guides that our customers find useful:
Valve: Tap dripping from the Spout ? Guide to changing Valve here.
Brass Bush: Part surrounding the valve. More info here.
O Rings: Tap dripping where the spout meets the base of the Tap? Guide here.
Aerator: Found at the tip of the spout. Here is our Guide How to Remove your Aerator / Antisplash from your Kitchen Tap.

Need Help ?

If you email us details us we will advise you on the correct part for your Tap. You can also use the Contact Button at the bottom right of your screen. If either of these options do not work for you, just send, via your phone, the pictures to sales@tapsandsinksonline.co.uk.