Faucets or Taps

Fixing a Leaking Faucet (Tap)

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.

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 type: disc, valve, ball, or cartridge. Because models vary with the manufacturer, it's important to get identical replacement parts.

Professional Tips
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 marring 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.

CAUTION: Before you work on a faucet, turn off the water at the fixture shutoff valves or 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 o 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.

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.