How to fix a faucet that leaks
If you can fix a leaky faucet yourself, so why will you pay a plumber?
Water is a vital resource of our life to survive on the planet. A leaky faucet can cause serious wastage of water and increase your water bill.
However, if you can identify the problem earlier and have necessary tools in your home then you can fix it yourself by a little effort.
Don’t deny the faucet leakage problem that you’re currently facing in your bathroom or kitchen.
Before going to the solution, let assess what causes faucet leakage:
Why Faucet Leakage Happens?
In a report, the US Environmental Protection Agency claims that water leakage wastes 10,000 gallons of water in a single home every year.
However, homeowners can fix faucet leakage by using the right tools and basic knowledge of plumbing.
There are many reasons behind faucet leakage. In below, we explain the most common reason of faucet leakage:
O-ring Problem:
O-ring is a small stem screw that attaches to a small disk. The stem screw holds the handle of the faucet. In regular usage, it becomes loose and causes water dripping near the handle.
Installation Error:
Installation error is a big reason for leaky faucets. If the washer isn’t installed the right way or inappropriate size then it causes faucet leakage and water dripping.
Damaged Washer:
Damage washer is the most common cause of faucet leaking. In regular usage, the rubber washer forces against the valve and creates friction. So, this constant friction causes damage to the washer.
Valve Seat Corrode:
Water sediment accumulation corrodes the valve seat and eventually causes leakage and water dripping.
How to fix a faucet that leaks - Step by step instructions:
To fix a faucet leakage, following instructions will help you fix the irritating issue and save essential water.
Required Tools:
Tools can make or break your DIY work effort. In order to successfully repair your faucet, following tools must be near to your hand.
- Adjustable Wrench.
- Flat-head Screwdriver.
- Penetrating Oil &
- New Washer & O-ring.
Turn off Water Supply:
Before using tools to start fixing your faucet, turn off the water supply so that it won’t create a mess. To do so, stop the water supply from the knobs underneath that control water coming from the main line to handle over the sink.
Remove the Handle:
Now you need to remove external parts of the handle. A flat-head screwdriver will assist you to open it. However, penetrating oil helps you loosen it as well. In each knob, a screw mounts in the handle of the stem. Unscrew it carefully and remove the handle from the flat head.
Remove the Internal Parts:
Internal malfunction is the root cause of water dripping from the faucet. Now you need a wrench to loosen the packing nut and open it. You will find a stem attached here. Carefully separate the stem from other parts. However, some stems twist off and others pop up right from the valve. Check all the parts carefully to notice any damage happens there.
Replace The Damaged Parts:
In this stage, you need to carefully inspect to spot if everything is working perfectly or having damage. Now, look at the O-ring and washer of the faucet. They might be the reason for what the faucet leakage happens. If you notice any damage, remove the parts.
Before replacing the washer or o-ring, make sure that the new washer or o-ring perfectly fits into the valve seat. For this, you may go to a local hardware store to pick appropriate parts. Now add the parts carefully to assess the result.
Reassemble all the parts:
After a lot of hard work, now carefully reassemble all the parts one by one. However, make sure that all parts are put into the right place to prevent unwanted mistakes. After that, turn on the knob to check whether everything works great or leakage still exists.
If you still notice water dripping, then it’s probably for the corrosion of the valve seat. If you don’t clean it over time, faucet leakage happens. Some other reasons are – broken plumber, damage seal, loose parts etc.
Alternative Solution:
Like everything else, the faucet becomes malfunctioned with time. So, if your faucet is old enough, then you can replace it with a new one.
However, you can repair a leaky faucet to expand its life span.
Not everyone is a fan of DIY (Do it yourself) or busy to his business. In this situation cleveland plumbing solution can help you get rid of the annoying water dripping problem.
Final thought:
In our busy lives, we hardly notice problems like leaky faucets. For this, a valuable water resource becomes wastage for nothing and adds more water bills. So, how to fix a faucet that leaks instructions could help you to solve the problem immediately by a little effort. What’s your opinion regarding this issue, let me know in the comment below.
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