The shower head in my 2nd bathroom is broken so I went to buy a new one including hose. However it doesn’t fit, the hand mixer tap / faucet thing is Japanese and they use a different thread size. Anyone know what size that is?
I measured around 22mm, so it could be M22 but I am not sure if Japanese sanitary products use the metric system. The Taiwanese stuff is 1/2" (I think that’s actually the hose size, but they identify the thread by that, too).
I tried B&Q and two local hardware stores, but none have that size. At the Toto shop near my office they have a hose with the matching thread but it was too expensive, didn’t even include the shower head and I am not sure that the Taiwanese one would fit on that hose. Probably not.
The best thing would be a small adapter that changes from whatever thread size to the 1/2" size, then it would be easy (and cheaper) to replace the thing in future.
adaptors/converters can be hard to come by in “chuck it and replace it” Taiwan… if it was me I’d buy a set of cheapo thread guages from a decent tool shop for NT$75 and just keep checking diameter and TPI of anything you find for sale until you find something that fits your tap…
Couldn’t you make a casting and then check that against what’s available in the store? Paper-based modeling clay and other such materials are ideal for this kind of thing. I got a good fit on a part at a hardware store just last week this way.
I cut the “nut” off (with about 10cm hose still attached) and took it to the shops. Tried two more last night, including one that deals with Japanese stuff, but still no luck.
I cut the “nut” off (with about 10cm hose still attached) and took it to the shops. Tried two more last night, including one that deals with Japanese stuff, but still no luck.[/quote]
Have you considered putting one of the old Japanese nuts at the end of your new hose? I’ve had to repair one of those hoses before and they’re surprisingly user-serviceable.
I cut the “nut” off (with about 10cm hose still attached) and took it to the shops. Tried two more last night, including one that deals with Japanese stuff, but still no luck.[/quote]
Ah, now I see what you mean but the old nut doesn’t come off, looks like it’s pressed in somehow. Maybe with some special tools but I think it wouldn’t fit to the new hose as it’s smaller or it wouldn’t seal anymore afterwards.
Ah, now I see what you mean but the old nut doesn’t come off, looks like it’s pressed in somehow. Maybe with some special tools but I think it wouldn’t fit to the new hose as it’s smaller or it wouldn’t seal anymore afterwards.[/quote]
OK, I don’t think it would work then, if the sizes are different. They do tend to be pressed in, but not in the way you might think. In most cases, if you look down the pipe from the end, there is basically a tapered tube stuck into the end. Pull that out and the thing falls nicely apart. Anyway, I guess in this case you need to find a different solution.
Well, it seems that adapater may indeed be the first item that they really don’t have / sell in Taiwan. Tried virtually any hardware shop I came across and a few more shops that spealize in TOTO products.
So I had one sent by my parents, but it turned out to be too small at one side (note to myself: don’t use a ruler, instead use a vernier caliper). A new one should be on the way soon …
