Experts
at your local hardware store will help you with the parts and tools you
need to solve this pesky problem on your own in short time!
The faucet is leaking. The constant drip or water
at the base of the faucet is driving you crazy. You can fix it yourself
and save lots of money on your water bill as well as the cost of calling
a plumber. If it's hot water - you can also save on your energy bill. With
the right tools, you can fix most drips using the right replacement parts.
Shut off the water. Take the faucet
apart (remember to keep the parts in the order which you took them apart!)
Replace the rubber seals and reassemble the parts.
The kind of faucet you have makes a big difference.
If you have a single-lever faucet this means you can control the mixture
of hot and cold and also the amount of the flow with one hand. If you have
a stem faucet, this means with each lever you are controlling either the
hot or the cold water flow. The older the stem faucet is, the more likely
it is to drip.
Before attempting a faucet repair put masking tape
on the jaws of your pliers so that you don't mar the metal parts of the
faucet with the teeth of the pliers.
Close the drain so that you won't loose small parts
before you disassemble the faucets.
Put a towel or cloth in the sink, so that if a heavy
metal part drops, you won't damage the surface of your sink.
As before, when you take the faucet apart pay attention
to the order in which you took it apart - you may not remember when it is
time to put things back together. An empty egg carton comes in handy for
keeping parts organized.
If your stem faucet is dripping, probably you need
to replace one of the washers which seals against the valve seats.
You will want to take off the decorative
cap and then take off the handle screw and handle. An adjustable wrench
will do the job to remove the packing nut. Then you can twist the stem out.
Use a counterclockwise motion. Take off the brass screw at the base of the
stem and then remove the worn washer. Put In a new washer and then put the
faucet back in the order you took it apart. Hint
- Lubricate the stem threads with plumber's grease while the valve is apart.
The washers on the hot side of the faucet will wear
out much faster than those on the cold side. To figure out which side is
leaking, shut off one angle stop under the sink and repair only the side
which stops the dripping.
You will know if you have a cartridge faucet
if your faucet has a tall, slender body and only a single lever handle.
If you have a spout leak, first replace the O-rings and then see if the
drip continues. If you have a leak from the body of the faucet, this may
be because you have other worn O-rings on the housing which surrounds the
cartridge. Hint- If you need to buy a new cartridge, use a felt tip pen
to mark the original. So little wear may show on the old one that you may
not be able to tell them apart!
To repair a Cartridge
Faucet - First, turn off the water supply and then drain the remaining
water from the faucet. Pry off the decorative button on the top of the handle
. Next, unscrew the handle screw. Tilt the handle up sharply and detach
it from the retainer nut below. Then pull the handle up and away and free
it from the body of the faucet. When the cartridge rises from the handle,
hold it down with the tip of a screwdriver inserted through the handle screw
hole. Use a pair of pliers and unscrew and remove the brass retainer nut.
You will need needle nose pliers to pull the U-shaped retaining clip forward
which holds down the cartridge. Next, use your needle nose pliers to pull
out the cartridge. Remove the O-rings. Hint- Put a piece of masking tape
on the O-rings to distinguish them from the new ones. It is very hard to
tell just by looking which are old and cracked and need to be replaced-
better just to replace them while you are at it. Don't forget to use plumber's
grease to lubricate the old seals, or replace them with new ones. Then see
if your drip is gone. 
If the drip is coming from the spout and the new
O-rings don't solve your problem, then replace the cartridge with an identical
one. Try to use the same manufacturer. If the drip is coming from the body
of the faucet, either replace the O-rings or lubricate. When you go to re-install
the cartridge, try to find a red-topped protrusion at the top (this is called
an ear and should face the sink). The faucet will give hot water when it
leans to the cold side (the right). You will then have to take the faucet
apart again and put it back together with the ear forward. Next, lower the
cartridge into place. You will need your needle nose pliers to put the retaining
clip back on. Then screw on the retainer nut. Raise the cartridge as high
as you can and the re-attach the handle by hooking the inside of its front
portion into the groove of the retainer nut. Next- you will want to check
for leaks. If you don't have any, then put the handle screw back on and
re-install the decorative button.
Your local
hardware store expert will help you with advice and also insure that you
are getting the correct parts. This will save you many trips back and from
your hardware store. Also read this article again to make sure that you
have all the tools you need on hand.
This article
graciously contributed by your friends Bill and Karen Cyrier at Cambridge
True Value in St. John Parish.
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