The troubles connected with a
dripping faucet are numerous. Aside from
wasting precious freshwater and experiencing
rising utility costs, you deal with that
irritating sound of water
constantly leaking into a damp sink. A
leaking faucet also represents another
problem, must you repair or
change the harmed faucet. The following post will cover the
situations when you need to ask your
plumber to fix a malfunctioning
faucet or when it is just best to replace it.
Typical Faucet Leaks
Faucets are a working system that is subjected to wear
and tear. Gradually, it's internal parts can breakdown or fail leading to a leak. Most folks relate
a leaking faucet to one that constantly drips, and in
fact, this is a typical problem. Nevertheless, a faucet
can likewise create a leak around one or both of its control
handles, the faucet body or internally which can trigger
the hot and cold water to blend incorrectly.
Typical Faucet Types
The most typical types of faucet systems
used in domestic construction applications are compression, ceramic disc, cartridge and ball. All of
these faucet types are functional and can be fixed although
each depends on a different kind of
system to stem the circulation of water. Your faucet may
have a single lever or numerous depending on its make and model in addition
to a spray system, which can also establish a leak.
Is the Repair Cost-Effective?
The answer to this concern depends on numerous
aspects, most notably the quality of the
existing faucet. If your dripping faucet is of the run-of-the-mill variety,
suggesting an affordable, economical model, then it is
probably not worth the aggravation and
expense to repair it. Nevertheless, higher end, more
pricey models– Kohler, Hansgrohe or Moen– are
certainly worth fixing. When attempting to

decide, you need to weigh the expense of
replacing along with the overall
condition of the applicable faucet. In addition, the age of the
component should also weigh heavily on the
choice as most faucets have a life
expectancy of around ten years.
If you should repair a dripping faucet
repeatedly, you need to consider the
expenses of the repair work in addition to the water it is
wasting. It might not seem like a lot, however
over time, a leaking faucet can lose hundreds
of gallons of one of our most valuable resources.
In either case, call your plumbing contractor as soon as possible to
examine the scenario. They hold the
understanding and experience to ascertain when a basic repair will do the job or a replacement is
needed.
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 since users are
continuously splashing water around the sink deck and base of
the faucet. But if you often see puddling water on the
sink deck around the faucets, you might have a leak in this area. In these
scenarios, the leaking takes
place 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 seeping
around the base of the faucet.
This kind of leak is often caused by an internal O-ring that has dried up or broken. The O-ring fits
around the inner brass body of the faucet underneath the
outer housing, and it serves to seal the faucet body against water. When it
becomes worn or broken, water can seep down along the faucet body
and out the bottom when the valve is turned on. Less commonly,
leaks in this area can be caused by an inner cartridge that
has become worn. If fixing the O-ring doesn't assist, you
may need to replace the valve cartridge, as well.
How to Protect Your Home From Leaky Faucets in Encino
Can i repair my leaky faucet by myself? in Encino