Do your taps look as though they belong in the Ark and perform as though they were? If you're reluctant to go to the cost and trouble of a full-scale change, there is an alternative solution - fit a tap conversion kit.

Many old taps are past their better days; and if they are in kitchens or bathrooms which have been upgraded, they may well now look old fashioned and out of place. Yet the business of replacing them with completely new taps can be daunting simply because it may involve quite complicated plumbing in a confined space.

Tap conversion kits eliminate the plumbing problems. You simply unscrew the head of your old tap and replace its handle and working parts with new ones. It's a simple job which can transform your kitchen sink, hand basin or bath. In the bathroom it means you can co-ordinate the style of all your taps. And because a new mechanical action - the gland - is included with most kits, you will have effectively renewed the life of your tap. The only tool you should need is a spanner.

Practical considerations

You will find that most old taps can be converted - although not all: kit manufac?turers only make provision for the most common types. Obviously, the screw threads of the converter and sizes of the parts must be compatible, and it is not immediately obvious how this can be checked. In the UK, manufac?turers sometimes specify the British Stand?ards Institute code number (normally BS 1010) of taps for which their kits are suitable. The difficulty is finding the BS code number on your tap. It is usually not visible - although a 'Made in Britain' stamp or British Standards Institute kitemark can usually be found in some unobtrusive position.

The rule of thumb is that if your tap is British made and the kit you are using is British too, then it will almost certainly fit. If you are at all uncertain, write a note to the manufacturers of the kit describing your tap and any marks on it including brand names ? they should be able to advise you.

If your taps are suitable, the other main thing to look out for is their size ? whether they are bath or basin taps ? and make sure your kit matches. Normally bath taps are %in while kitchen, laundry and hand basin taps are Hin. In Britain new taps are still mostly reckoned in Imperial sizes and an old tap certainly will be. The new size refers to the diameter of the supply pipe and its connector to the bottom of the tap. So to make certain look under the back of the structure.

If you have old-fashioned mixer taps, it may be possible to fit a tap conversion kit to the separate hot and cold supplies. If in doubt, check with your supplier.

In our next article we will take a look at how to fit these tap conversion kits. Remember people, Measure twice, cut once.