Anyone who feels confident using a pipe wrench, screw driver and pair of pliers should be able to handle a leaking faucet. Before starting, the water supply must be turned off and water lines must be drained so as not to make a slapstick movie instead of getting the job done.
Water shutoff valves should be available for both the hot and cold water under the sink. With its absence, manual shut off of the water supply of the water meter that serves as the main shutoff valve should be turned off. One more precaution you should take before starting the repair job is to lay a towel down in the sink to prevent a dropped tool from damaging it, or a small faucet part from falling down the drain. And if you use a toothed wrench or pliers on any visible faucet parts, you should first cover the teeth with tape to avoid scarring the decorative parts of the fixture..
There are various and wide range of makes and models with regards to faucets available in the market. Commonly falling into two basic types: compression and washerless faucets..
In the case of compression faucets, the cause of the leak is usually a worn or hardened washer. Removal of the faucet handle is needed to get the washer. Carefully remove the decorative cap on top of the handle as the first step. Underneath the cap the Phillips head screw can be found. Unscrew it and remove the handle from its broached stem. Next, unscrew the stem\’s packing nut and remove the stem by turning it counterclockwise. The washer screw can be found under the stem. washer screw and washer must be removed. Bring worn or badly corroded parts such as the washer, washer screw and or stem to the store for appropriate replacement of parts.
Replacing a certain faucet\’s washers frequently including the valve seat is most likely to be damaged. Some valve seats are removable. It is removable if there is a screwdriver slot or a square or hexagonal hole in its center. Removing and replacing the valve seat is a simple procedure if you have a special tool called a valve seat wrench–they are inexpensive and available at most hardware stores. You have to reface the valve seat if it is not removable. A valve seat dresser also called a valve reseating tool is an inexpensive tool specially designed for this purpose. Directions must be followed for easy use.
The final step in repairing your leaking faucet is to put all the parts back together in the reverse order from which you disassembled them. Lubricate the stem threads using petroleum jelly upon reassembly.
There are several designs of washerless faucets: diaphragm-type, cartridge, ball-type and disc-type faucets.
Diaphragm-type faucets are similar to compression faucets but have diaphragms instead of washers. To fix a leaking diaphragm-type faucet, follow the same steps as for repairing a compression faucet..
The cartridge is a single moving part. To fix a leak, you need to replace this cartridge. The first step is to remove the handle. This may not be as simple as it sounds because different makes and models have various methods of securing the faucet handle. Locating and removing a retaining pin or set screw is needed to remove the handle. Once you\’ve done that, you can replace the cartridge, and then reassemble the faucet..
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