The troubles associated with a
dripping faucet are many. Aside from
squandering valuable freshwater and experiencing
rising utility costs, you deal with that
frustrating noise of water
continuously dripping into a damp sink. A
leaking faucet also represents another
dilemma, should you repair or
change the harmed faucet. The following post will cover the
situations when you ought to ask your
plumbing technician to repair a malfunctioning
faucet or when it is merely best to replace it.
Typical Faucet Leaks
Faucets are a working system that goes through wear
and tear. Gradually, it's internal parts can breakdown or fail resulting in a leak. Most folks relate
a leaking faucet to one that constantly leaks, and in
fact, this is a typical issue. Nevertheless, a faucet
can also develop a leak around one or both of its control
handles, the faucet body or internally which can trigger
the cold and hot water to mix improperly.
Common Faucet Types
The most typical kinds of faucet systems
utilized in residential building and
construction applications are compression, ceramic disc, cartridge and ball. All of
these faucet types are functional and can be repaired although
each depends on a various kind of
system to stem the flow of water. Your faucet may
have a single lever or several depending on its make and model in addition
to a spray mechanism, which can also develop a leak.
Is the Repair Cost-Effective?
The answer to this concern depends upon several
elements, most significantly the quality of the
existing faucet. If your leaking faucet is of the run-of-the-mill variety,
indicating an
economical, economical model, then it is
most likely not worth the stress and
expenditure to repair it. However, higher end, more
costly models– Kohler, Hansgrohe or Moen– are
definitely worth repairing. When attempting to

choose, you must weigh the cost of
changing along with the overall
condition of the applicable faucet. In addition, the age of the
fixture must also weigh heavily on the
choice as many faucets have a life
expectancy of approximately ten years.
If you need to repair a dripping faucet
consistently, you need to think about the
costs of the repairs in addition to the water it is
wasting. It may not appear like a lot, but
over time, a dripping faucet can lose hundreds
of gallons of one of our most valuable resources.
In either case, contact your plumbing contractor as soon as possible to
evaluate the circumstance. They hold the
understanding and experience to determine when an easy repair will do the job or a replacement is
required.
Leaks Around the Base of the Faucet
A leak around the base of the faucet, where the faucet body meets the sink, is not quite
as obvious given that users are
constantly splashing water around the sink deck and base of
the faucet. However if you frequently see puddling water on the
sink deck around the faucets, you might have a leak in this area. In these
situations, the dripping occurs just when the faucet is switched on.
To look for this sort of leak, start by drying up all the
standing water on top of the sink. Then, turn the water on (both handles if it's a double-
handle sink), and look carefully for water permeating
around the base of the faucet.
This type of leak is typically triggered by an internal O-ring that has dried up or split. The O-ring fits
around the inner brass body of the faucet beneath the
outer housing, and it serves to seal the faucet body against water. When it
becomes worn or cracked, water can seep down along the faucet body
and out the bottom when the valve is turned on. Less frequently,
leaks in this area can be caused by an inner cartridge that
has become worn. If repairing the O-ring does not assist, you
might need to replace the valve cartridge, as well.
Can i repair my leaky faucet by myself? in Lake Balboa