Franke Ascona SP3308 Tap Valve Adaptor

thingiverse

If you have a dripping Franke Ascona Tap or one of their other taps fitted with a SP3308 1/4 turn ceramic valve, you may struggle to remove the old valve. The valve doesn't have a conventional hex head; it's rounded with just two flat edges 12mm apart, like in the picture. The valve is also inset into the tap body, making it extremely difficult to get an open-ended spanner onto it. I tried removing the valve but the spanner slipped off. I also tried mole grips and adjustable wrenches, but nothing would provide the grip needed, and the valve was starting to get mangled. Luckily, I was within my 5-year warranty period, so Franke customer service very kindly sent me their 4013R adaptor. If you're outside your warranty period, you can buy the tool from online retailers for £12, but looking at it, I thought there must be a better way. So, here is my Franke SP3308 Valve Removal Tool. It's a really simple design and fits inside a 17mm socket. Print it with 100% infill - I used clear PET. The plastic doesn't have to be extremely hard because it works by compression; it can't escape because the socket holds everything in place, which is what gives you the grip on the tap head. It took less than 10 minutes to print, costs about 10p in plastic, and works perfectly. Shown are pictures of the valve, the Franke metal adaptor, my plastic adaptor, plus the whole thing fitted into a 17mm socket. Note that Franke must have realized there was a design problem - the replacement valves came with an improved conventional hex head that you can fit a regular socket over. Tools required: 1. My adaptor 2. A deep 17mm hex socket (preferably one with a straight "HEX" inner, not one of the multi-adaptors) 3. A socket wrench 4. A T8 Torx bit to remove the small grub screw which holds the tap handle on the valve This thing was made with Tinkercad. Edit it online https://www.tinkercad.com/things/5Wp95v23bk4