Ready to fix your leaking faucet? O.K. first let.s go over the basic tools you will need. If you're lucky all you will need is a four way screw driver and a small pair of channel locks to fix your leaking faucet. Sometimes you will also need a handle puller, a basin wrench a seat removal tool, long needle nose pliers, allen key sets (metric and standard)a sawzall, a drop light, a drill and a meter key. First you need to shut off the water supply to the faucet you want to repair. Check the shutoffs under the sink. Try to turn the angle stops off by hand only if the water valves will not shut off do not try using a wrench to turn off the angle stops, you may not be able to turn the water back on , or worse yet, the valves may break and cause a flood. Turn the water off at the meter, using the meter key. Always test the faucet to make sure it is all the way off before you start dismantling the faucet. If you are sure the water is off, the next step is removing the handle. there is usually a cover plate or tab that can be pried off or unscrewed. Some faucets use allen screws to hold the handle on and other faucets the body of the handle unscrews from the escutcheon. Once you have the handle off, you can now remove the stem or the cartridge from the faucet. If the valve body is loose you will need to hold the faucet valve with your basin wrench under the sink while you unscrew the faucet stem or cartridge from the faucet valve body. Once you have removed the stem check to see if there is a seat in the faucet valve, if there is a seat in the faucet use your seat removal tool to remove the seat. Now put the new seat in, install the new stem or cartridge, put the handle back on and turn the water on. Voila! You have just repaired your faucet. If the faucet still leaks, you might just have to replace it, or call a plumber!
Paying utility bills often the biggest headaches that homeowners face is the that utility bills often eat up the bulk of the budget. Using all your hard-earned money to pay utility bills something you want to do. Since utility services aren't going to get less expensive anytime soon, it is best to seek ways that will lower your bills. One effective way to lower bills is to get your faucets checked. Be sure your money isn't dripping down the drain. The drip-drip-drip of your faucet is not only annoying, it is costing you money.
The Problem of a Dripping Faucet
A dripping faucet is a big expense encountered by most households. People are aware of what electricity may cost them, but do not realize what a dripping faucet will cost. They also forget that the most used part of their kitchens and baths can contribute to big expenses. Through regular use, faucets tend to show signs of wear and tear. You may notice that after you have closed the faucet properly, water may still drip. This is a sign that you will need to repair or replace your faucet soon.
When faucets drip, water is released even if you aren't using the faucet. The tiny drips that may seem small, can actually mean losing gallons of water if days pass without addressing the problem. Those drips mean extra money out of your pocket so make sure that your faucets aren't dripping.
A dripping faucet is an easy problem to figure out. Dripping water makes a sound when it hits the sink. With daily household activity, this dripping is often heard only during the night time hours. You can also check your faucet when it is not in use. If there is water in the spout of the faucet, then some water may be leaking out even if you see no dripping action. These signs should prompt you to take action soon.
Types of Faucets for Replacement
Faucets that aren't in good condition will require replacement. It is best to choose your purchase properly. Know the different types of faucets and which type will help lower your utility bills. Get a replacement that will be more efficient for your household use. You should also choose a faucet that will go along with the rest of the kitchen or bath design..
Ball Faucets
This is the most common type and is found in most households. It has a single handle that is placed over a round cap, just above the spout. The ball faucet is the type that tends to leak more easily compared to others but they are very affordable. They are easy to replace but may not be suitable for households that tend to be careless.
Compression Faucets
These are quite old when it comes to faucet types. They have different handles for the hot and cold water. This type requires additional effort to seal the water flow by compressing the washer inside the faucet. Both handles need to be tightened to ensure that water is secured. This is a good choice if you are want more control in adjusting the temperature according to your needs. You may want to think twice about the added compression needed to secure the water from dripping. They can leak eventually but they are easy to repair.
Disc Faucets
The disc faucets is identified by the single handle attached to a cylindrical body. It operates through the two ceramic discs that control the water flow and the temperature of the water released. The disk faucet is a good choice to prevent leaking and dripping problems, and requires little maintenance, but can be quite expensive.
Cartridge Faucets
You can identify cartridge faucets by trying to operate it. If the lever has to be moved up and down to let the water flow and right and left for temperature adjustments, then it is a cartridge type. This type is very convenient to operate as you can easily move the lever for opening and sealing. This tends to last longer although it can also be an expensive purchase.
Dripping problems shouldn't be ignored. Make sure your faucets are checked regularly so you can immediately install a replacement if needed. Choose the right type of faucet that you will be installing for replacement. Through these steps, you are ensured of paying lower utility bills and helping the environment at the same time.
About the Author
Beverly Saltonstall is an environmental writer. Visit http://sustainable-development-forecast.com for news, podcasts, articles and guides on issues such as global warming, recycling, sustainability, and more. For an in-depth look at Sustainable Development, read "Our Planet is in Danger".
What You Need to Do with Your Leaky Kitchen Faucets by Irina M
There are several problems that you might be faced with when it comes to the installations in your kitchen. Leaky kitchen faucets are considered among the worst problems that you have to deal with. This is because of the huge mess that comes with destroyed faucets. Not only will you get yourself wet, you will also get your entire kitchen floor wet--and dirty. This is why you have to check your faucets constantly to make sure that they are not damaged or do not have leaks. It is important that you become aware of the damage as early as possible so you will not have to deal with major plumbing work. If your kitchen faucets or the other faucets in your home are destroyed, you have two options. The first is to fix it yourself and the second is to call a plumbing agency.
The Assistance of a Licensed Plumbing Agency
If the damage to the faucets is too great and you cannot fix it yourself, the best thing to do is call a plumbing company. With all the plumbing companies offering their services both online and land-based, you have to determine which service provider is capable of giving you the best and most reliable assistance. In order to make sure of the dependability of the company, you have to choose one that has obtained a license for their services. What is more, their plumbers should have adequate knowledge and training when it comes to fixing damaged kitchen faucets.
When you call a licensed plumbing agency for help, the first thing that they will do is perform an inspection. After they have assessed the damage, they will come up with the appropriate solutions to repair the faucets. Aside from coming up with solutions, they will also provide you with an estimate of the entire cost of the repair job. It is important that you let a professional go over damaged faucets. If you do not, it will lead to other problems that will cost you as much as plumbing repair. One of these is higher amount of water bill. It may also lead to more damage to your household's pipes.
Tips on Leaky Faucet Repair
When you notice that there is something wrong with your kitchen faucets, you should check it out right away. This will help you avoid spending much for plumbing assistance from plumbing companies. If the extent of the problem is not that big, you can choose to fix it yourself. There are certain repair tips that are easy to follow. When you think that your faucet has less water pressure, you can pry its cap off. Unscrew the faucet's handle in order for you to access the inner part and find out if something is blocking it. If something is causing the clog, you need to remove this. You also have to clean the faucet's aerator. This is a small piece of the faucet, which is located at the spout's tip. After you clean the parts of the faucet, you have to put them back again. If there are leaks, you can buy a repair kit for the specific model and make of the faucet.
About the Author
If you are searching for a licensed plumbing company to fix your kitchen faucets, you can go online where there are several plumbing service providers.
Advice On How To Repair A Leaky Kitchen Faucet by GuruDasa
It isn’t uncommon to see homeowners losing sleep over a leaky kitchen faucet. It may be just a trickle of water, but it amounts to a colossal waste of money and scarce resources. But the good news is that this inconsequential, yet very grating problem can be fixed rather easily without any professional help or hi-end plumbing tools.
Simple Steps That Promise A Quick-Fix Solution
Here are simple steps that teach you how to repair a leaky kitchen faucet with functional tools like a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench:
Faucets are generally categorized into four types- ball type, ceramic disc, cartridge or compression type. You must be very sure about the one installed in your kitchen.
The process starts with targeting the shut-off valve under the sink. Turn off the water and drain the contents of the pipe too.
Cover the sink drain to prevent any small parts of the faucet from falling inside it.
Starting with the faucet handle, unscrew all parts carefully, without losing track of their order of installation. This prevents any kind of confusion after repair. Collect all the parts in a cloth, and keep aside safely.
Cover the jaws of the wrench with duct tape to prevent any damage to the fixtures.
Now it’s time to assess the damage. In case of a cartridge, ceramic disk or ball type faucet, the villain of the piece is generally the O-ring. Sometimes, it may be a double whammy, with a completely corroded valve seat as well. If it’s in order, then you may have to shell out less than $20 and replace the entire assembly.
Compression faucets are invariably plagued by worn-out seat washers. Once the handle is taken off, the packing nut needs to be unscrewed with a wrench. Remove the stem and change the damaged part.
Apply plumber’s grease or Vaseline on the same. A scouring pad or distilled white vinegar is applied to do away with the mineral deposits on the faucet parts.
Once the faulty part is replaced, tighten all screws and replace the faucet handle cap.
Turn on the water, and Voila, your leaky kitchen faucet is past tense.
So without any further ado, get your tools and fix this banal problem at once.
Approx 30% of kitchen faucets in America are made by Delta, so we'll start there.
turn off hot & cold shut off valves under the sink
turn the faucet on to make sure the shut off valves work
use an allen or hex head wrench to loosen the Handle w/ Set Screw [RP2393 on below photo] & pull handle off
using slip joint pliers, turn Cap w/ Adjusting Ring [RP50] counter clockwise
remove Cam & Packing (RP61) & Ball Assembly (RP70), pay attention to the slot on the right side of the ball, you will have to line up the new ball the same way
look into the faucet body & locate Seats & Springs (RP4993) using the hooked part of the allen tool or a screw driver. pry out both the washers & springs. pay attention to the position of the springs & the way the washers rest on them
grab the Spout (RP5654) w/ both hands & pull it off the faucet body to expose two O-Rings (RP25)
using an allen tool or a screwdriver remove the two O-Rings. pry them out of the grooves. install the new O-rings in the same grooves & apply plumbers grease or vaseline to surface of the O-rings
put the Spout back on faucet body, turn it left & right checking for ease of operation. using the screwdriver or allen tool, put the spring /washer combo together w/ your finger & lower into the faucet body
install the Ball Assembly (RP70) into the faucet body. line up the slot on the right hand side of the ball
put the black packing & white cam on top of the ball. line up the slot on the left side of the faucet body. apply teflon paste to threads, then install Cap. hand tighten clockwise & use slip joint pliers to tighten 1/4 turn past tight
install handle. tighten allen set screw w/ allen wrench
remove Aerator (RP330) from end of spout, then turn on shut off valves under sink & check for leaks. run water through faucet for 30 seconds, then reinstall Aerator lastly , "Good luck & use the force, Luke" :)
There are several problems that you might be faced with when it comes to the installations in your kitchen. Leaky kitchen faucets are considered among the worst problems that you have to deal with. This is because of the huge mess that comes with destroyed faucets. Not only will you get yourself wet, you will also get your entire kitchen floor wet—and dirty. This is why you have to check your faucets constantly to make sure that they are not damaged or do not have leaks. It is important that you become aware of the damage as early as possible so you will not have to deal with major plumbing work. If your kitchen faucets or the other faucets in your home are destroyed, you have two options. The first is to fix it yourself and the second is to call a plumbing agency.
The Assistance of a Licensed Plumbing Agency
If the damage to the faucets is too great and you cannot fix it yourself, the best thing to do is call a plumbing company. With all the plumbing companies offering their services both online and land-based, you have to determine which service provider is capable of giving you the best and most reliable assistance. In order to make sure of the dependability of the company, you have to choose one that has obtained a license for their services. What is more, their plumbers should have adequate knowledge and training when it comes to fixing damaged kitchen faucets.
When you call a licensed plumbing agency for help, the first thing that they will do is perform an inspection. After they have assessed the damage, they will come up with the appropriate solutions to repair the faucets. Aside from coming up with solutions, they will also provide you with an estimate of the entire cost of the repair job. It is important that you let a professional go over damaged faucets. If you do not, it will lead to other problems that will cost you as much as plumbing repair. One of these is higher amount of water bill. It may also lead to more damage to your household’s pipes.
Tips on Leaky Faucet Repair
When you notice that there is something wrong with your kitchen faucets, you should check it out right away. This will help you avoid spending much for plumbing assistance from plumbing companies. If the extent of the problem is not that big, you can choose to fix it yourself. There are certain repair tips that are easy to follow. When you think that your faucet has less water pressure, you can pry its cap off. Unscrew the faucet’s handle in order for you to access the inner part and find out if something is blocking it. If something is causing the clog, you need to remove this. You also have to clean the faucet’s aerator. This is a small piece of the faucet, which is located at the spout’s tip. After you clean the parts of the faucet, you have to put them back again. If there are leaks, you can buy a repair kit for the specific model and make of the faucet.
If you are searching for a licensed plumbing company to fix your kitchen faucets, you can go online where there are several plumbing service providers.
With the nuisance that a leaky faucet brings, and the ridiculously high costs of plumbing works, it is imperative you learn how to fix a leaky faucet by yourself. Gone are the days where you have to call up a plumber and stare wide-eyed upon the receipt of a billing. All you have to do is follow these simple and easy to understand steps in fixing a leaky faucet.
For as long as you have the right tools and materials, learning how to fix a leaky faucet can be very easy. The basic materials and tools that you'll need will comprise mainly of a new washer (get one that is suited to the type of faucet you have at home), some rags, a wrench, and a screwdriver.
But before you start pulling your faucet apart, turn off the main water supply first. This can be done by turning the shutoff or control valve counter-clockwise (off). If you don't know where your control valve is, you can try looking under the sink and tracing the pipes.
Other than that, you also have to plug up the drain with the use of rags. By doing so, you are preventing small parts like washer and screws to go down the drain.
Once that is accomplished, you can now start repairing the leaky faucet. But first, be informed that these steps should be followed only when you have a conventional faucet. Other unconventional faucets might be more complicated, and you might use specific repair kits for it.
1. Just below the handle, where the faucet stem is attached to the water pipe, is a nut. Use a wrench to twist the nut counterclockwise to remove it. Turn the handle counterclockwise until you are able to remove it completely.
2. Once you have detached the handle, you will see a rubber-like washer that is held down by a screw. This washer is probably very old and falling down to pieces, which could be the reason why your faucet is leaking in the first place. Remove the old washer by unscrewing it, and then install the new washer. Remember that the new washer's size should just be similar to that of the old washer. Tighten the screws on the new washer to secure it in place.
3. Reassemble everything. Replace the faucet handle (turn it clockwise), and tighten back the stem nut to its original location.
4. Do the checking. Turn the water back on and see if the faucet still leaks. If it still is, either you need to screw things more tightly or, you need to buy a new faucet rather than a new washer. And if all else fails, seek professional help and call a plumber.
And there they are - easy to follow and simple steps that will guide you about how to fix a leaky faucet. Now you can do it by yourself! There's no need for you to call a plumber, or even your handy neighbor to help you around a leaky faucet. By doing it yourself, you free yourself from irritating dripping sounds, nasty sink stains brought upon by long-standing drips, and water wastage due to constant dripping. Put these steps close to your heart and you will never be in distress again.
Kitchen faucets is only small accessories in your kitchen, you may use them just occasionally and see no important of it. Many of home owners have even less attention to care about how it looks or whether it needs to be repaired or replaced. Due to this reason, many it is really hard to imagine for many of people about how damage in terms of time and cost when this small accessory is broken, such as leak and need to be replaced. Even though there is very less chance for a kitchen faucets broken be cause they occasionally used, but when it happens there will be very messy and disastrous for home owner. Therefore, if you are one of home owners and has kind of similar situation in the kitchen, now it's time to prepare yourself to fix this problem, which may occur from time to time.
The most common problem that you will have with your kitchen faucets is leaking. When you found that there is water spraying around the room due to the leaks of faucet, first thing that you have to do is do not panic and focus on the problem as well as finding out where the problem is and get it fixed. In most case, there may not due to the leak of faucets but because of indoor plumbing. This problem can be found very easily in everyday use. However, it is very good for you if you can learn some basic knowledge of indoor plumbing. This is not only benefit to you in terms of you will be able to fix those problems but also useful for you to prevent the problems in the future.
Basically, your kitchen function is quite similar to the function of your bathroom, where there are few of faucets install and there also be greater chance that those faucets become leaking very often. However, faucets in the kitchen may have less chance to leak than ones in the bathroom. In many cases for kitchen faucets, the most problem of leak happens to the faucets that install in the kitchen cabinet, but this problem can be easily fixed. Please follow the instruction described in following paragraph about how to fix it properly.
Firstly, immediately you found out that the faucet start to leak, you must turn off the water valve that connects to the kitchen sink. Then after you make sure that there is no water supply from the main valve, then remove the leaky section of pipe and hold it up to the light to check for cracks or holes. During this process, you may have to check other possible crack that may be leaks in the future so you can repair it before it is broken. Apart from sealing of pipe and faucet, there might be some other part of pipe that damage and you have to fix.
Once after you replace the part that leaks, then you have to use Teflon tape to wrap the open end of the pipe, for some of you may use plumbers tape to wrap on the first layer and then use Teflon tape to wrap over the plumber taps again. The last process is you have to put the faucet back to the sink, do not forget to re-check whether there is another possible leak again. Finally, turn the water back on to check that there are no more leaks in the pipe.