I have a leaking shower at home and decided to try and fix it today. When I opened the tap I found a small metal valve with no rubber on it at all. Instead it had a metal ridge around the edge. The seat has a corresponding ring so I assume it's supposed to be this way. Both hot and cold were the same.
It's smaller than the standard valves I have in other taps around the house. It might be the smaller standard that you see in basin sometimes but I didn't have a small one to compare.
I've never seen anything like this before.
What's it called?
If there is no rubber that is degrading, why is it leaking?
Will it be easy to buy a replacement at the hardware store?
Best Answer
Just spent a day dealing with problem posted here. Appreciate OP might have fixed his problem given this is a few years old, for benefit of other users such as myself.
This is an AQUALOC valve. (looks like an Australian product).
The rubberless valve haven't been worn out, it is by design. The cap is plugged into the pipe with a rubber washer and the valve goes into the cap, where there's another rubber washer. If you peer into the hole you'll see a cap, it looked like a smaller pipe to me. It will move if you push it around. If so, pull it out and you'll get a standard sized cavity so that the normal 12 - 13mm valves should now fit.