You helped me here. Thanks. Removing an old crusty tap, the nut wouldnt loosen for hours. Wd40 and enlisting my wife to hold the tap body so it didnt twist as i turned, it EVENTUALLY got the nut off, but the plate and tap STILL wohldnt budge. Watched your vid to see if there was another fastener or something and i saw there wasnt. This gave me the courage to give it a good hard pull from the top, and it finally came off. 👍

I usually put a tiny smear of silicone grease on the O-rings. Just to make sure they don't distort in any way.

I always fully open the taps and turn the water on via the service valves to flush the pipework, and to stop any debris getting caught in those super fragile ceramic valves.

You made it much more difficult than needed.  The under-sink plate should be put on BEFORE you push all the hoses through the hole.  Notice the plate is C shaped.  That way you can put one side through, then the other side so you don't have to thread it on from underneath.  Then you only have to tighten the bolt, not have to hold everything from the top and try to thread the nut while keeping the plates from falling off.  The manufacturer doesn't usually diagram this in the instructions.  But from those of us who have done it a lot, those C-shaped plates really save a lot of frustration and time.

You can get 15mm-1/2"bsp isolating valves . Seems like a no brainer to me.

Know its 3 years later, but incase people are looking, toolstation do an isolation valve with one flat side designed for the tails. Little tip if youve drained your pipes down, connect the valves to the tails 1st..you dont have to worry about kinking the flexi tail then.

Above all else never accidentally rub your fingers over any cut outs in the stainless steel sink. I wiped a sink with a wonder wipe prior to fitting the tap and didn’t realise until the sink filled with blood that I had completely cut 1 inch of my finger tip off. Luckily it was stitched back on otherwise I was in for a skin graft. When they say the edges are sharp they ain’t kidding.😂

That's why I always keep extra radiator tails that aren't used when changing valves. Good for tap connections.

On some taps, especially basin taps you don't have any other way than use flexi to tighten. And by hand it is enough. Install some of them before ten years and they still working properly.

Roger i honestly thought you were going to show everyone the correct way. That is to put the washer and locking nut on from above and twist through the hole. Making the whole job so much easier.
Admittedly i only discovered this 6 months ago thanks to a young lad on tik tok after 25 yrs plumbing.
Need an update mate.
Great vid anyway 👍🏼

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. It's great to have these things explained by someone who knows what they are doing. As a DIY-er I'm always left wondering if there was a better way to do things.

Always get some useful advice in Roger's videos. Keep 'em coming.👍

The hardest part is often not the fitting but the removing of the original mixer tap. If it's been leaking, which is why it's being replaced and it's been for a while the nuts behind have rusted solid. Couple that with terrible access

What you need are flat face iso valves, they come with one end for compression and olive over side is a flat face with thread. Flat Face Iso Valves.

When using isolation valves get the mains pressure ones as they're a far better quality than the normal ones which normally end up leaking or not working, I use a bit of thread seal or ptfe tape and don't tighten the flexi up too much. Great videos as always unlike so many on YouTube that are wrong, wrong and wrong!

Another great video, thanks so much. Really liked the pro tip at the end about gently flattening the seat of the isolating valve so as not to cut the washer on the flexi.
Great to see the little nicks and cuts on your hands Roger - shows you're still very much on the tools!
Much appreciated 👍👌👏

Fascinates me how we (in 2023) still have to fiddle around making things fit. How hard can it be?! Great video - thanks.

You can fit the threaded road and horse shoe bracket and seal onto the tap before pushing the tap down through the sink top hole. Make sure the nut is at the end of the road and angle the hs bracket at about 45 degrees and slightly twist as you push through the sink top hop hole. This saves struggling try to fit under the sink ! All you then need to do is tighten the nut up to hold the tap in place.......you can do this hand tight initially 😉😊! Then tighten with box spanner !!

The one thing I hate about the flathead screw isolation valves is when they've rusted and become hard to turn. Much prefer the ones with a handle, and better still the metal version versus the plastic ones which are hollow and often become brittle and snap off.

Good video nonetheless Roger!

Those tail adaptors are brilliant, cost almost nothing and give peace of mind.