How Do You Fix a Leaky Faucet?

11/8/2022 (Permalink)

Fixing a leaking faucet is no big deal

How Can a Leaky Faucet Be Fixed?

You’re sitting in the kitchen, enjoying a nice cup of coffee or tea, when you hear the unmistakable sound of water dripping. You turn around and see drips coming out of your faucet—ugh! You can’t do anything but sigh; it's going to be one of those days. Don't worry – with a few helpful tips, fixing a leaky faucet doesn't have to be difficult at all. Here's how.

Stop the Drip

If you are dealing with a dripping faucet, first turn the water off at the source. Then, unscrew and remove the cap from under your sink to expose the plumbing underneath. Next, remove the plastic cap that covers up where water flows through your faucet body. 

Turn Off the Water

Before you begin working on the faucet, turn off the water supply valve near your water meter. This will prevent you from accidentally turning on a running faucet while working nearby and getting soaked in cold water. If you don’t know where this valve is located, ask someone who does or call a plumber for assistance.

If for some reason you are unsure how to turn off the water supply valve yourself, have no fear! It's easy enough that anyone can do it with minimal knowledge and practice. 

Unscrew the Cap

If you’re going to fix your leaky faucet, use a wrench. Don’t try to unscrew the cap with your hands! You won’t be able to get a good grip and could end up dropping it into the sink or breaking it. 

Make sure that you have some sort of cloth or sponge at hand (not your hands) so that if any water starts leaking out during your repair job, it doesn't get all over everything else in sight.

Remove the Plastic Cap

To remove the plastic cap, use a screwdriver to pry it off. The cap will be located under the handle of your faucet. If you're having trouble finding it, look for a small hole in the faucet body where there's likely a screw holding it in place—this should be easy enough to spot with an X-Acto knife or needle-nose pliers if you don't have any tools on hand. 

Take Off the Handle Screw

1. Take the handle screw off with your screwdriver.

2. Pull off the entire handle, including all pieces attached to it (the metal part that connects to the faucet body, as well as springs and other components).

3. Replace your old handle with a new one by following instructions on its packaging.

Take Off the Handle and Remove the O-ring

To fix a leaky faucet, you'll need a screwdriver and an O-ring. First, take off the handle with your screwdriver by carefully unscrewing it from the stem. Then remove the O-ring from inside of it and replace it if necessary: if it's worn out or cracked, replace it before putting everything back together again. Make sure that you put everything back together correctly—the stem should be lined up with its notch on top when reinserted into its hole in the basin.

Take Out the Stem and Replace It

If the stem is still in place, take it out. You'll need to do this by removing the screw that holds it in place and twisting the stem off. Once you've removed the old stem, replace it with a new one by pushing it through from above and tightening its screw into place.

Clean Up Any Debris and Corrosion

You'll want to clean up any debris and corrosion. This can be done with a toothbrush, pipe cleaner, toothpick, or cotton swab.

For the threads: You'll use your brush or pipe cleaner to clean out all the debris from within them. If there is any corrosion on the inside of these threads, you should use some non-flammable mineral spirits (available at hardware stores) to remove it before reinstalling your faucet.

For the stem: Use your pipe cleaner and a small brush to wipe away any dirt or grime that may have accumulated in there over time. 

In the end, fixing a leaking faucet is no big deal. It’s not something that should keep you up at night unless your apartment is on fire or something. You can save yourself some time and money by doing it yourself instead of calling in a plumber every time there’s something wrong with your plumbing. Just follow these steps carefully and you should be good to go!