The hassles related to a
dripping faucet are many. Aside from
squandering precious freshwater and experiencing
increasing energy expenses, you face that
bothersome sound of water
constantly leaking into a damp sink. A
leaking faucet also represents another
dilemma, should you repair or
change the damaged faucet. The following post will cover the
circumstances when you must ask your
plumbing professional to fix a malfunctioning
faucet or when it is just best to replace it.
Common Faucet Leaks
Faucets are a working mechanism that goes through wear
and tear. Over time, it's internal parts can breakdown or fail resulting in a leak. Many folks relate
a dripping faucet to one that continuously leaks, and in
fact, this is a typical issue. However, a faucet
can also develop a leak around one or both of its control
handles, the faucet body or internally which can trigger
the hot and cold water to mix incorrectly.
Typical Faucet Types
The most common types of faucet systems
used in residential 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 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 mechanism, which can likewise develop a leak.
Is the Repair Cost-Effective?
The answer to this question depends upon numerous
aspects, most notably the quality of the
existing faucet. If your leaking faucet is of the run-of-the-mill variety,
meaning a low-cost, cost-effective model, then it is
probably not worth the aggravation and
expense to repair it. Nevertheless, higher end, more
expensive designs– Kohler, Hansgrohe or Moen– are
certainly worth repairing. When attempting to

choose, you need to weigh the cost of
changing together with the general
condition of the appropriate faucet. In addition, the age of the
component should also weigh heavily on the
choice as most faucets have a life
expectancy of around 10 years.
If you must repair a dripping faucet
consistently, you ought to consider the
expenses of the repairs in addition to the water it is
losing. It might not appear like a lot, however
over time, a leaking faucet can lose numerous gallons of among our most precious resources.
In either case, contact your plumbing contractor as soon as possible to
examine the scenario. They hold the
understanding and experience to ascertain when an easy fix will do the job or a replacement is
necessary.
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 considering that users are
constantly sprinkling water around the sink deck and base of
the faucet. But if you regularly see puddling water on the
sink deck around the faucets, you may have a leak in this area. In these
situations, the dripping takes
place just when the faucet is switched on.
To check for this type 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 thoroughly for water leaking
around the base of the faucet.
This type of leak is often triggered by an internal O-ring that has dried up or broken. The O-ring fits
around the inner brass body of the faucet beneath the
external 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 typically,
leaks in this area can be triggered by an inner cartridge that
has become worn. If fixing the O-ring doesn't help, you
might require to change the valve cartridge, as well.
Faucet & Leak Repairs in Van Nuys
Can i repair my leaky faucet by myself? in Van Nuys