Leaky tub? Frustrating, aren’t they?

As if normal water and plumber bills were not pricy enough, this irritating situation just made your life a bit more expensive.

The tub situation can be avoided all together if you are just careful, but what’s done is done, aye?  Let’s discuss on how to get rid of this annoying situation all together. This article will cover everything about this god forsaken annoying situation.

Although a leaky faucet is quite hard to manage, it surely is nothing impossible to fix. A few steps can make your work more comfortable while dealing with faucet leakage.

What Causes A Leaky Faucet?

The friction that occurs during each use when the washer is forced against the seat of the valve results in continuous dripping. When faucet handles are attempted to be turned tightly, the seals are grounded further causing dribbling from the faucet.

Improper handling of the washer during installation of the tub may lead to a faucet to leak as well. Loosening of the O ring which maintains the position of the faucet handle can contribute to the leakage near the handle.

Wearing out of the washer ultimately results in a leaky faucet which is accompanied by constant dripping through the handle, the sound of which is a cause of annoyance to everyone.

Problems Faced Due To A Leaky Faucet

Categories Of Faucets

Faucets can be categorized as compression, disc, ball, and cartridge faucets. Cartridge faucets which are mostly in use now are very convenient and easy to use. They are categorized as single handle faucets and double handle faucets.

Single handle faucets indicate temperature on the side to side movements and flow of water on up and down movements. The double handle ones can be used to perform both the tasks at once and are thus considered more convenient than single handle ones.

Fixing Single Handle Leaky Faucets

This process can be followed if you want to repair your faucets by yourself in the easiest way possible: 

Switching The Power Supply Off

The primary step to fixing the leakage would turn the water supply off. If your power is on, it might interfere with the whole process. So before you start any work on the faucet make sure the water supply has been switched off.

Maintaining The Water Valves

Tighten the water valves after switching the water supply off. If unfortunately, your tub has no plugs, the main water supply line needs to be turned off for the time being. Tightening the valves will make the process smoother during the drainage of the water.

Water Draining

Drain all the excess water in the lines by turning the faucet on and letting the entire water leak at once. This step might be time-consuming, but it is necessary to get rid of all the excess water remaining after the tightening of the valves.

Necessary Instruments

Pliers, screwdrivers, wrench, Teflon tape, a pocket knife, some lubricant, grease, etc. are the tools you’ll need while working alone. Most garages at homes have them in stock, but you can always get them available at plumbing shops as well.

Handle And Bonnet Removal

The handle has to be removed at first. Use a knife to remove the plastic cap at the faucet which then exposes the screw that holds the handle locked at the place.

The screw is then removed with the help of a wrench, and some lubricant is then used to pull the handle out. After this, the next part is removing the bonnet by unscrewing it with pliers, removing the faucet clips and keeping them arranged because after the repair is done you will have to install them again.

With the bonnet been removed, the cartridge will appear and can thus be identified to fix the leak.

Identifying The Source Of The Leakage

The leakage can be due to the worn out cartridge or may be due to the loosening of the O ring and the packaging retainer ring. The rings can be replaced by removing them with a knife. The new ones that are to be placed ought to have one coating of grease.

If the cartridge has been worn out, then the entire cartridge must be replaced by pulling it out with pliers. The new cartridge must be introduced with safety to prevent any damage to the faucet.

Installing The Handle Again

After the cartridge has been placed, reassemble all the parts just how you found them initially; starting from the bonnet and ending to the base of the faucet and finally screwing the handle up. Turn the water valves and the water switch on.

Check for any existing leakage. Make sure all the parts fit, and you’re good to go.

 

Fixing Double Handle Faucets

The entire procedure remains the same and in case of double handle faucets both the handles need to be removed and reinstalled.

Preventive Measures

Down below are some information that you should know about to prevent this situation from ever returning to your life ever again.

Conclusion

While summing it all up, it can be said that leaky faucets are troublesome to deal with and involve continuous annoyance and need to be handled by plumbers, but these few steps can make the job easier and have you fixing it all by yourself.

Following some of these steps can not only make the task easier but help you get rid of the numerous problems faced by a leaking faucet caused by mechanical mishaps.