Tossing your faucet simply since it is dripping is wasteful and
expensive. Tons of brass, steel, silicone, chrome-plated plastic, and die-cast zinc
every year end up in land fills since faucets are old and have reached completion of their life-spans. However countless other lots are
unnecessarily disposed of due to leaks that house
owners did not think could be fixed.
Hanging onto a dripping faucet is expensive, too. The United States
Epa estimates that the typical U.S.
household wastes 9,400 gallons of water yearly from
household leaks. This suffices to run 300 loads of laundry. Leaks alone represent nearly one trillion gallons of wasted water across the U.S. annually.

Water is a significantly diminishing resource.
Given that the regular monthly price of water for
a typical U.S. family increased by 52% from 2010 to 2017, this is a
pushing concern that surpasses just a matter of an
annoying drip during the night.
Become part of the solution by fixing your own dripping faucet, both
for your own sake and for the good of the earth. This article will assist you
fix any of the four most standard kinds of
home faucets. It might be simpler than you
assume, and it usually will be more
economical than buying a brand-new faucet.
Before You Start Your Repair
Faucet repair uses relatively couple of tools, a lot of which you may already have on hand. Before you start
your repair, you will wish to have all tools and products nearby.
Tools and Products
Screwdrivers
Allen Wrenches (Hex Wrenches).
Pliers.
Channellock-Style Pliers.
Container.
Clean Towel.
Clean Plastic Bin.
Egg Carton, Optional (preferably Styrofoam).

Duct Tape.
Distilled Vinegar.
Numerous Cleaning Implements: Q-Tip, Scouring Pad, Cloth
Rags, Old Tooth Brush.
Plumbing technician's Grease.
Utility Knife.
Components Specific to Your Kind Of Faucet.
Preparation and Shut-Down Procedures.
Shut Water Off: Turn off water at the faucet.
Place Pail: Put bucket below sink, near the supply of water lines. This will gather drips after you detach the
supply lines.
Disconnect Water: Turn off the two water system lines
under the sink (hot and cold). Disconnect supply of water valve
to sink under the cabinet. Let water drain into bucket.
Close Drain: Close with stopper. Guarantee that no parts drop the sink by
sealing the sink drain with a few strips of duct tape.
Safeguard Fixtures: Apply duct tape to plier jaws to avoid
scratching fixtures. One terrific suggestion is
to cut off the fingers from an old set of gloves and slip the fingers onto the plier jaws. For the
ultimate in protection, purchase soft-jaw pliers at your local hardware
store.4.

Prepare Collection Location: Set out bin, towel, and optional egg container next to
sink to help in parts removal. Styrofoam egg containers work best,
since they are not affected by water.
Prepare Cleaning Products: Place distilled vinegar and cleaning
implements near bin to eliminate mineral deposits on parts.
How to Repair Leaky Compression Faucets.
The simplest and earliest type of faucet, the compression faucet is
identified by its separate hot and cold controls which
require you to turn them clockwise to shut down the water.
Time Allotted: thirty minutes.
Tools and Products: Channellock-type pliers; flat-head and Phillips screwdrivers; replacement
washer; plumber's grease; O-ring (optional).
Remove the faucet handles with pliers and flat-head screwdriver.
Eliminate the screw that connects the handles to the valve stem with your
Phillips head screwdriver.
Pull the handle up to remove it.
Get rid of valve stem assembly cover, then eliminate the assembly
itself.
With your soft pliers or wrench, get rid of the hex-nut area of the valve stem
assembly by turning nut counter-clockwise.
Unscrew the hex nut the rest of the method and eliminate.
Locate the stem washer, which will be located at the bottom of the valve assembly. It
might be worn down and in need of replacement.
Remove brass screw protecting the stem washer in place.

Clean the washer holder area with vinegar and toothbrush to remove mineral deposits.
Get rid of old washer and use this as your model for when you go to the
store for a replacement. If the O-ring appeared to be used, you can change this too.
Reassemble: press the new washer into valve seat, then connect with the
brass screw and the brand-new or existing O-ring.
Coat with plumber's grease.
Reassemble rest of faucet assembly.
How to Repair Ceramic Disk Faucets.
Double-control ceramic disk faucets have different hot and cold controls. The
device that begins and stops water circulation is a cartridge
containing a set of extremely polished ceramic
disks. In many cases, only one side of this assembly might be
leaking. Test this out by at the same time shutting off the
water system below the sink to see which side is
failing.
Time Allotted: 45 minutes.
Tools and Materials: Pliers; flat-head screwdriver; replacement cartridges; plumber's grease; O-
ring (optional).
Open the plastic or metal cover plate that covers the handles.
The faucet body is secured to the cartridge usually by a Phillips
head screw, though sometimes by an Allen screw. Get rid of the
fastener and separate the faucet body from the cartridge stem.

Eliminate the locking nut with Channellock-type pliers. In some models, you
may also find a brass screw on top of the cartridge. If so, remove it and keep it, as you may need it when you set up the new cartridge.
Move out the retaining clip (or locking ring) with pliers, then lift out the cartridge. Take the old
cartridge to a hardware store for a precise replacement.
Soak staying parts in vinegar, then brush off to eliminate deposits.
Reassemble the faucet in reverse. If you saved the brass screw from earlier and it is needed,
install this now.
Switch on your water supply. Evaluate the system
for leaks.
How to Repair Single Cartridge (Sleeve) Faucets.
Cartridge faucets, typically discovered in kitchen areas,
generally have a single lever that satisfies a wide,
cylindrical base. The lever pulls up to begin the water circulation. Side to
side movement manages the cold and hot functions. The optional one-
for-one replacement of the self-contained cartridge means less fussing with
small parts.

Time Allotted: 45 minutes.
Tools and Products: Allen wrenches; screwdrivers; Channellock-style pliers;
cleaning materials; replacement cartridge (optional, if existing cartridge can
not be cleaned).
With your Allen wrenches, unscrew and loosen up the set screw, then eliminate the handle.

Lift the decorative cap straight off. These are generally
fragile, so be careful. Use your hands, not pliers.
With pliers, carefully pry the cartridge loose and remove even more by
hand. The cartridge will have seals on the bottom that you can pry out with the flat-head screwdriver.
With your cleansing implements, clean the seals and the area where the seals rest. To
do this, soak in vinegar and brush off deposits with a Q-tip or old tooth brush. If the
deposits do not free easily, acquire a brand-new cartridge.
With your screwdriver, get rid of the O-ring from the faucet, coat with
plumbing's grease by hand, then re-install in the faucet body.
Change the cleaned old cartridge or brand-new cartridge, tightening up with
the Channellock pliers.
Gently replace the ornamental cap.
Re-install handle, tightening up the set screw with the Allen wrenches.910.
8 Causes for a Leaky Faucet in Northridge