Why will my pull-out kitchen tap hose not retract?
The weight that pulls the hose back, the four things that stop it doing so, and how to get the spray head off when it will not seat.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 30 min
- Read
- 4 min
Short answer
The hose is pulled back by a weight clamped to it under the sink. Empty the cupboard and look: the weight has usually slipped, come off, or the hose is snagged on the waste pipe, a stopcock or something stored in the cupboard. Clearing the cupboard fixes most of them in five minutes.
A pull-out tap is a spout with a hose running down through it into the cupboard, and the retraction is nothing cleverer than gravity acting on a metal weight clamped to the hose. Everything that goes wrong with retraction is either that weight or something in the way of it.
What you'll need
- Torch
- Screwdriver or Allen key for the weight clamp
- Cloth (optional)
- Silicone grease, if the hose is dragging in the spout (optional)
Step by step
- Empty the cupboard under the sink completely.This is genuinely the fix in a large proportion of cases. The hose and its weight need a clear vertical drop, and a bottle of bleach standing in the wrong place stops it dead.
- Find the weight and check it is still attached.A cylindrical or block-shaped metal weight clamped to the hose a foot or so below the tap body. If it has slipped down towards the connection or fallen off entirely, the hose has nothing pulling it back.
- Reposition the weight and tighten its clamp.It should sit where the hose has clear space to swing and drop, usually roughly a third to halfway along the free length. Too high and it has no travel; too low and it snags on the connection. Tighten the clamp screw properly.
- Check the hose is not snagging.Pull the spray head fully out and watch the hose inside the cupboard. It should hang free and swing. Anything it catches on — waste pipe, trap, stopcock, isolating valve, the cupboard side — has to be moved or the hose rerouted.
- Check the hose is not kinked or twisted.A hose that has been twisted round on itself will not run smoothly through the spout. Pull it right out, let it hang free and untwist itself, then feed it back.
- Check the spray head seats properly.Most pull-out heads land in the spout on a magnet or a mechanical catch. Limescale on the seat, or a magnet that has weakened, means the head sits proud and looks like a retraction fault. Descale the seat and the head's collar.
- Check the hose is not dragging inside the spout.Some spouts have a guide the hose runs through. Grit or scale in it makes the hose stick. A wipe and a smear of silicone grease on the hose — not oil — usually frees it.
- Look at the whole length for damage.A hose with a swollen or split outer braid, or a crushed section, will jam. Replacement hoses are available for most makes, and they are a straightforward swap: disconnect at the tap body, pull through, thread the new one back.
- Consider a heavier weight if it has always been marginal.Some taps are supplied with a weight barely adequate for the hose. A slightly heavier one, or the manufacturer's upgraded part, cures a tap that has never retracted well from new.
Tips
- Storing anything under a pull-out tap's hose is asking for this. Keep the vertical drop below the tap clear and put the cleaning bottles to one side.
- If the hose has a plastic sleeve or guide where it passes the waste pipe, it is there for a reason. Refit it if it has come off.
- Take a photograph of where the weight sits when the tap is new and working. It is the reference you want when someone has moved it.
If it doesn't work
Hose retracts partway then stops
Cause: Weight snagging on the waste pipe, trap or something stored in the cupboard — Fix: Clear the cupboard and reroute the hose so it has a free vertical drop.
Hose does not retract at all
Cause: Weight has slipped down or come off — Fix: Reposition it about a third to halfway along the free hose length and tighten the clamp screw.
Spray head sits proud of the spout
Cause: Limescale on the seat or a weak magnet — Fix: Descale the seat and the head's collar with vinegar or a limescale remover. If the magnet has genuinely failed, the head is replaced.
Hose is stiff and jerky through the spout
Cause: Grit or scale in the spout guide, or a twisted hose — Fix: Pull the hose fully out, let it untwist, clean the guide, and smear a little silicone grease on the hose. Not oil.
Retracts but leaks under the sink when extended
Cause: The hose connection at the tap body or at the head has loosened, or the hose has split — Fix: Check both connections, then inspect the whole hose. A split braided hose is replaced, not repaired.
Questions people ask
How does a pull-out kitchen tap retract?
A metal weight clamped to the hose under the sink pulls it back down by gravity as you release the spray head. There is no spring and no mechanism — it is the weight and a clear drop.
Where should the weight go on a pull-out tap hose?
Roughly a third to halfway along the free length of hose, where it has clear space to swing and drop without catching the waste pipe or the cupboard side. Tighten the clamp screw properly once it is positioned.
Why does my spray head not sit back in the spout?
Usually limescale on the seat or on the head's collar, which stops it landing fully. Descale both. If the head is held by a magnet and it has weakened, the head itself needs replacing.