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Kitchen Faucets
Faucet Fiasco
You've probably seen more than one TV sitcom scene with the proverbial
comedy and craze of someone trying to repair a kitchen faucet. But it's
no laughing matter when suddenly it's your kitchen faucet that needs fixing.
Plumbing and drain experts recommend the following "first" and "next" steps. Then you'll
find a comprehensive listing of how to repair a variety of faucet types,
plus a few tips on sink spray diverters.
First Step – Getting Your Faucet's ID
The first step in fixing a leaking or sluggish faucet is identifying
which of the two basic types of faucets you're dealing with:
- Compression faucet: Older design with two handles and one spout.
- Washerless faucet: More recent design, usually with a single
lever or knob that controls the flow and mix of hot and cold water by
aligning interior openings with the water inlets. These faucets may
be one of several types: disc, valve, ball, or cartridge.
Because models vary with each manufacturer, it's important to get identical
replacement parts.
Next Steps
Let's start with the absolute most important tip of all: Before doing
any work on your kitchen faucet, turn off the water at the fixture shutoff
valves or at the main shutoff valve and open the faucet to drain the pipes.
And here are a few more steps you'll be glad you took:
- When you're taking the faucet apart, douse stubborn connections with
penetrating oil before trying to loosen them with a wrench. Tape-wrap
the wrench's jaws to prevent scratching any visible parts of the fixture.
- Before starting any faucet repair, plug the sink so small parts can't
fall down the drain.
- Line the sink with a towel to prevent damage from tools or parts accidentally dropped.
- As you disassemble the faucet, line up the pieces in the order that
you remove them so you can put them back together properly.
And again, please remember – if you don't want to star in your own situation
comedy at home – do turn off the water at the fixture shutoff valves or
at the main shutoff valve and open the faucet to drain the pipes.
Leaking Compression Faucets
If your faucet has separate hot and cold water handles, it's probably
a compression faucet (also called a stem or washer faucet). In this faucet,
a rubber seat washer is secured to the stem, which has very coarse threads
on the outside. When you turn the handle to shut off the faucet, the stem
is screwed down, compressing the washer against the valve seat in the
faucet body. The stem is secured by a packing nut, which compresses the
packing (twine, a washer, or an O-ring) and prevents water from leaking
around the stem.
- If water leaks around the handle, tighten the packing nut. If that
fails, replace the packing.
- If the faucet leaks from the spout, either a washer is defective or
a valve seat is badly corroded.
- To find out which side needs work, turn off the shutoff valves one
at a time; the leak will stop when one or the other is turned off.
- Take off the handle, remove the stem, and either replace the washer
or replace or recondition the valve seat.
Taking the faucet apart
- With the handle removed, lift off the stem and packing nuts by turning
the nuts counterclockwise with an adjustable-end wrench or a pair of
rib-joint pliers. Be careful not to strip the nuts.
- Unscrew the stem, lifting it straight out of the faucet body.
- Examine the threads.
- If they're damaged or worn, replace the stem; if not, check the packing for wear.
Replacing the packing and washer
- To replace the worn packing, either remove the O-ring packing washer
and slide on an exact duplicate, or scrape off the twine and wrap new
twine clockwise around the stem.
- To replace a cracked or worn seat washer, remove the screw and washer;
install a duplicate washer. If the threads are too worn to hold a screw,
snap in a swivel washer.
Working on the valve seat
- To replace a removable valve seat that's pitted or corroded, insert
a seat wrench into the valve seat and turn it counterclockwise until
the seat lifts out. The new valve seat should be an exact duplicate.
Coat the threads of the new seat with pipe joint compound before installing it.
- To recondition a non-removable valve seat, grind down its burrs with
a seat dresser – an inexpensive tool you can buy from a plumbing supply
dealer. Insert and turn clockwise once or twice until the seat is smooth;
remove metal filings with a damp cloth.
Cleaning your faucet aerator
If the flow from your faucet is sluggish, the trouble may be in the faucet
aerator. This device, at the tip of most faucet spouts, mixes air and
water for a smooth flow. But minerals or dirt particles in the water often
build up on the screen and disc, blocking the flow. If mineral deposits
are to blame or if aerator parts are damaged, it's best to replace the
aerator. If dirt is the problem, follow these steps:
- Unscrew the aerator from the end of the spout.
- To loosen stubborn connections, douse them with penetrating oil.
- Disassemble and set the parts aside in order. Clean the screen and
disc with a brush and soapy water.
- Use a pin or toothpick to open any clogged holes in the disc.
- Flush all the parts with water before putting them back together.
Leaking Valve Faucets
A valve faucet has a valve assembly on each side (one for hot water,
one for cold) through which water flows up and out the spout. Moving the
handle from side to side controls the mix, moving forward and backward
controls the flow.
- The main problems you may encounter with a valve faucet are spout
leaks, loose handle assemblies, and sluggish flow.
- A leak at the base of the spout may be due to a faulty spout O-ring.
- If the spout drips, you may need to replace one or more of the valve assembly parts.
- If the handle is loose, a simple adjustment to the handle screw or
cam assembly at the back of the faucet can remedy it.
- If sluggish flow is the problem, the strainers or aerator may be clogged
with sediment and need cleaning.
Leaking Ball Faucets
In a ball faucet, water flows when openings in the rotating ball align
with hot- and cold-water inlets in the faucet body.
- If water leaks from under the handle, leave the water on and tighten
the adjusting ring.
- If the leak persists, turn off the water and replace the cam.
- For a dripping spout, replace the inlet seals and springs or the ball.
- Cure any leaks around the spout sleeve by replacing the O-rings on the faucet body.
Leaking Cartridge Faucets
A cartridge faucet has a series of holes in the stem-and-cartridge assembly
that align to control the mix and flow of water. Usually, leaks occur
because of worn O-rings or a faulty cartridge.
- Look at the O-rings on the faucet body. If they're in good shape,
remove the cartridge (look under the spout sleeve on the outside of
the faucet for the retainer clip that holds the cartridge in place).
- If the cartridge is worn, replace it with a duplicate.
- Cartridges vary, so read the manufacturer's instructions before installing
a new one. The most common type has a flat side that must face front.
Otherwise, the hot and cold water supply will be reversed.
- Be sure to fit the retainer clip snugly into its slot.
Sink Spray Diverters
A kitchen sink spray has a spray head attached to a hose, which is connected
to a diverter valve in the faucet body. When you squeeze the spray head
handle, the diverter valve reroutes water from the faucet to the spray
head hose.
- If the flow is sluggish, make sure the hose isn't kinked.
- Clean the aerator in the spray nozzle.
- Continued sluggishness may indicate diverter valve problems.
- Clean the valve or replace it.
- If the spray head leaks, remove it from the hose and replace the washer.
- For a leak at the faucet end of the hose, tighten the hose coupling.
- If the hose itself leaks, it's probably cracked. Replace it.
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