Leaking Faucet / How to Stop a Faucet From Leaking
A
leaky faucet can not only be annoying to listen to...kind of like the
water torture that you hear about in the movies ya know. If you
concentrate on the sound long enough it really does get to be
overwhelming....
So now that you're concentrating on the sound of
the water dripping from your faucet to the sink below, what are you
going to do about it? Not only is it annoying it also is a waste of
money, sure you might not think that it can't amount to much but a
dripping faucet can really cost you hundreds. Even when it is really
very simple to fix. A leaking faucet will probably take about 20 minutes
to fix and most likely cost you about $3.00....A buck that's it, now
how annoying is that water dripping?
So the first thing you're
going to want to do is turn off the water to that faucet. If you peak
under the sink you should see a couple of shut off valves. Turn each of
them all the way off. If you don't see a couple of shut off valves then
you will probably need to turn off the water in the whole house. To do
this finds your water main. It should have a meter right next to it and a
pipe will be coming out of the wall or floor within a few feet of this
point. You might also want to check to see if the shut off valves are
located right under or perhaps behind the sink or shower. Sometimes
plumbers will hide them there.
OK so now that you have the water
off, turn the faucet on both the hot and cold and let it run until the
water stops. This way you know that the system is not pressurized any
longer. Look on the top of the faucet handles. You'll see a screw.
Unscrew that and the handle should pull right off. What you are looking
at now is a stem. You'll know ice what looks like a nut, or an octagon
was you can put a wrench on and twist. Many of these are made from brass
so it will strip very easily so be sure to get a good grip on those
flat spots and twist.
After you have the stem out you'll notice a black rubber washer or gasket on the bottom of the stem....is it cracked or does it look deformed? This is where it was not making a good seal and water was passing by. Unscrew the screw right in the middle of the washer or gasket and take the gasket out. You can bring that to any home improvement store and find the same one. I suggest making sure you get enough to fix the other side of the faucet as well. They have both been used just as long so chances are good that the other side is not far behind.
Amazing Article
ReplyDeleteNice post. But the only thing is that faucets come in different shapes and sizes. The way you explained the process here might be applicable for everyone.
ReplyDeleteThen there comes the question if one actually can use a wrench or even knows what it is. But for those already used to this sort of thingx I guess it's alright to have extra knowledge about these things
Nice post. But the only thing is that faucets come in different shapes and sizes. The way you explained the process here might be applicable for everyone.
ReplyDeleteThen there comes the question if one actually can use a wrench or even knows what it is. But for those already used to this sort of thingx I guess it's alright to have extra knowledge about these things