Help!

My Faucet Is Leaking!

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 Communities Online.