Mission Hills Plumbing- Fixing A Leaking Sink Faucet

By Jason Flores

A leaking faucet can be fixed by anyone who is confident in using a pipe wrench, screw driver and pair of pliers. Take note to shut off the water supply and drain the water lines before starting.

The sink must have water shutoff valves for both hot and cold water under it. 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. Lay a towel down in the sink to prevent a dropped tool from damaging it or a small faucet part form falling the drain as a precaution. 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 is of course a wide range of faucet makes and models available on 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. The faucet handle must be removed 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. Remove and unscrew the handle from its broached stem. Next, unscrew the stem’s packing nut and remove the stem by turning it counterclockwise. The washer screw is on the bottom of the stem. washers and washer screws must be for removal. The next step is to take any worn or badly corroded parts (the washer, washer screw and/or stem) to the store and buy the appropriate replacement parts..

The faucet’s washers are most likely to be damaged when you find yourself frequently replacing its parts. Valve seats are removable and detachable. If it has a screwdriver slot or a square or hexagonal hole in its center, it is removable. 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. There is also an inexpensive tool specially designed for this purpose called a valve reseating tool, or a valve seat dresser. Follow the directions for easy use.

Reparing a leaking faucet’s final step is putting all parts together in the reverse order. Lubrication of stem threads with petroleum jelly or silicone grease is a good idea upon reassembly.

There are several designs of washerless faucets: diaphragm-type, cartridge, ball-type and disc-type faucets.

Diaphragm-type and compression faucets are quite similar but differ in parts like diaphragms instead of washers. Steps in fixing a leaking diaphragm-type faucet is the same as to 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. 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..

Learn more about Mission Hills Plumbing. Stop by Jason Flores’s site where you can find out all about Plumbing and what it can do for you.

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