IKEA Alsvik tap dripping. Which cartridge?

[Tampon]

We have a Ikea Alsvik single over dual control quarter turn tap. It is leaking on the hot water (if you turn the hot water feed off it stops dripping)

I have googled and searched the results but nothing is exactly saying you need X You or Z.

I know the IKEA part no. But that doesn't help either (manual and diagram here https://www.manualslib.com/manual/75966/Ikea-Alsvi...

I keep getting led to 35 or 40 mm dual control cartridges. Which one though? Are they all the same? Any help or experience from the PH plumbing spods?

Cheers guys.

[.:ian:.]

Follow this guide to try to find a matching part https://www.tapmagician.co.uk/TMDefault.aspx?98A??...

[drivingmenuts]

Dear Tampon - can you please confirm what size cartidge the Alsvik requires? I have been searching everywhere online, but it doesn't state what sized cartridge "117632" is! (My tap is nearly 2 hours drive away, so I'd like to buy the required cartridge now and not have to drive there to disassemble and remove the old one etc.) Thanks in advance.

[johnoz]

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/doc/general-document/ik...

[Tampon]

I am sorry I can't confirm. I bought two different sizes and I believe the smaller one fitted but it had a completely different pattern on it so wouldn't work. I searched on the internet for a similar one whilst out in France but to no avail.

I took the original apart flipped the floating disk and packed one side with some tape to press the pieces together getting a tighter fit with the seal Internally. Doesn't make much sense writing it but if you take it out you can see how simple they are. Very basic.

Stopped the drip but doubt we will get many years out of it.

[drivingmenuts]

Finally I can reply...(the system was blocking me as a new user). Thanks for the quick advice, I'll try and patch things up for now. From recollection you need to unscrew one of the knobs on the handle, inorder to remove the handle, but from the quick look that I had, it wasn't immediately obvious which one is removable! I got onto Ikea chat about this, they told me the cartridge I need is "M22 x 1", but after googling that, I realised that they were giving me info for the aerator, not the cartridge. After going away to check again, they came back and said they couldn't help !

[Tampon]

drivingmenuts said:

Finally I can reply...(the system was blocking me as a new user). Thanks for the quick advice, I'll try and patch things up for now. From recollection you need to unscrew one of the knobs on the handle, inorder to remove the handle, but from the quick look that I had, it wasn't immediately obvious which one is removable! I got onto Ikea chat about this, they told me the cartridge I need is "M22 x 1", but after googling that, I realised that they were giving me info for the aerator, not the cartridge. After going away to check again, they came back and said they couldn't help !

Well I can help with the knob. They all unscrew, they are loctited in so you need some grips. Put the tap in middle position and it is pretty obvious. I think I loosened two to find the grub screw

[drivingmenuts]

Thanks!

[drivingmenuts]

I'm not quite sure why I had to go all the way to Ikea for a guy in the kitchen section to punch in the Alsvik part number and come up with the following crucial information about the cartridge: "K035 KCG" - I think KCG is a manufacturer, but the key point is that 035 refers to its 35mm cartridge! I don't think I'll break the internet with this information, but after spending too long searching for the answer (and seeing many others having done so too), I'm happy to officially put this on record!

P.S. I contacted several Ikeas around the globe, asking for information about the cartridge, but none could help! Possibly Ikea policy geared towards selling you a replacement product, instead of helping you repair your old one?!?

[TooMany2cvs]

drivingmenuts said:

Possibly Ikea policy geared towards selling you a replacement product, instead of helping you repair your old one?!?

Probably not, since they advertise that replacement cartridges are free of charge, and can be collected in-store.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/doc/general-document/ik...

Ikea said:

At your local IKEA store you’ll find spare parts, at no cost, for all our kitchen mixer taps if you should need to replace something: cartridge, filter/aerator, flexible hoses/pipes for connection or the components for installation that come with the mixer tap. The spare parts will be available up to two years after the kitchen mixer tap has been discontinued from the range.

[drivingmenuts]

I bought the tap just over 10 years ago, which is maybe why they're not too bothered about helping out. Why no one that I contacted at Ikea, couldn't do what the guy in the shop did in the space of 30 seconds is a mystery though....

[Tampon]

drivingmenuts said:

I'm not quite sure why I had to go all the way to Ikea for a guy in the kitchen section to punch in the Alsvik part number and come up with the following crucial information about the cartridge: "K035 KCG" - I think KCG is a manufacturer, but the key point is that 035 refers to its 35mm cartridge! I don't think I'll break the internet with this information, but after spending too long searching for the answer (and seeing many others having done so too), I'm happy to officially put this on record!

P.S. I contacted several Ikeas around the globe, asking for information about the cartridge, but none could help! Possibly Ikea policy geared towards selling you a replacement product, instead of helping you repair your old one?!?

You sir are a star, well done.

Had a quick google and cant seem to find one online. Did you get one from ikea? It is a bugger for us to get to one but I have til Easter next year before we go back out to the house in France with the dodgy tap.

[TooMany2cvs]

Tampon said:

Did you get one from ikea? It is a bugger for us to get to one but I have til Easter next year before we go back out to the house in France with the dodgy tap.

There's far more Ikea stores in France than the UK - is there not one near your place out there?

[Tampon]

TooMany2cvs said:

There's far more Ikea stores in France than the UK - is there not one near your place out there?

Bordeaux is the nearest and that is best part of 3hr drive away. We will sort it at some point I am sure.

[drivingmenuts]

My local Ikea said that they don't sell cartridges, but maybe if it's a warranty issue, then they do supply you with the cartridge and any other necessary parts.

Anyway, I managed remove my cartridge on the weekend - some photos attached. It's made by Kerox and after a bit of googling, I think the preinstalled cartridge is a KN-35A (spec sheet: http://w2.kerox.hu/sites/default/files/KN-35en.pdf... - this is the one that visually most closely matches mine from the list of single lever variants on Kerox's site: http://w2.kerox.hu/products/cartridges/standard-si... The only problem is that when you google Kerox KN-35A, apart from taking you back to Kerox's site, there is very little coming up, least of all for sale anywhere. What does repeatedly come up though is Kerox K35A - which may well be a perfectly good replacement, it's just that it has 3 circular seals, whereas the original looks more like a scuba diver (at least to me!).

I've not bought the replacement yet, but from what I've seen there are plenty of options available made by various manufacturers, so it shouldn't be difficult to find - even in France. As you may be buying it there, you might want to avoid getting it from Leroy Merlin. When I was there a couple of weeks ago at my local LM, the salesperson told me he bought one of the cartridges they sell there as an experiment. After 3 days, it started leaking! They sell ones that cost around 2-3 euros, but have terrible reviews. He suggested I spend 15 euros or so on a good one!

[drivingmenuts]

[Tampon]

drivingmenuts said:

That is the puppy.

Found loads of three opening circular ones. I bought 4 different types in England before going out as I had to guess but when I pulled it it had those scuba eyes.

Very impressed with your research bud. Wayyyyy better than I ever did.

[drivingmenuts]

Tampon said:

Very impressed with your research bud. Wayyyyy better than I ever did.

Except I've probably spent more time on this than I should have. It potentially would have been cheaper to get a plumber round!

Since I haven't seen an abundance of scuba shaped ones available, I have rightly or wrongly, assumed that circular holes would be an appropriate replacement. I realise now that I stupidly didn't actually look into the tap after removing the cartridge - it would have been useful to see the shape of the holes inside the cavity. facepalm..

Were the catridges that you bought the incorrect diameter, so didn't fit or leaked because they had circular holes instead of scuba ones?

[Tampon]

drivingmenuts said:

Except I've probably spent more time on this than I should have. It potentially would have been cheaper to get a plumber round!

Since I haven't seen an abundance of scuba shaped ones available, I have rightly or wrongly, assumed that circular holes would be an appropriate replacement. I realise now that I stupidly didn't actually look into the tap after removing the cartridge - it would have been useful to see the shape of the holes inside the cavity. facepalm..

Were the catridges that you bought the incorrect diameter, so didn't fit or leaked because they had circular holes instead of scuba ones?

Yeah, nah, they don't work. You need the right shaped hole ones (scuba) I had the right diameter cartridge and did exactly what you are thinking. Water pissed out as soon as I turned the isolated for the tap on. Had two slightly different shape/layout in the right diameter, they both did the same thing.

Save your money (I have 40 quids worth of cartridges in two diameters sat in a barn in France to prove the point).

[drivingmenuts]

OK...thanks for pointing that out, you've saved me some additional time and hassle, as I had already convinced myself that they could be circular! Time start over.