If you experience waking up in the middle of the night to the irritating noise of drip, drip, drip from a leaky faucet, it's probably high time you learn how to fix a leaky faucet. Doing so will save you the trouble from calling up a plumber, and will save you from getting high plumbing bills.
You might think you really need a plumber to fix a leaky faucet. But no, you can do it by yourself! And with these simple and easy to follow steps, you will never have to dial a plumber again.
Here are just some of the basic materials and tools you will need:
- Screwdriver - Washers
Before You Start
1. Look under your sink and search for a shutoff valve. Turn its handles counter-clockwise (off) to switch off the water supply. Remember the saying "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey". This will guide you in switching your water supply on and off.
2. Keep an assortment of replacement parts at hand. This includes washers, O-rings, and etc.
3. Plug down the drain, to make sure that no small parts like screws or washers go down the drain.
4. While working, line up the parts according to the order it was taken apart. This will later on guide you in reassembling it correctly.
Start Working!
1. The first thing you should do is remove the faucet handles. For this, you can use your screwdriver to remove the screws that are holding them together. Once the screws are removed, you can easily remove the handles using a flathead screwdriver, or you may have to pry it open.
2. Once the faucet handles are removed, detach the old washer located behind the handle. Don't worry if there isn't one. Instead, go buy one.
3. With the new washer that you just bought, replace the old washer. Put it where the old washer used to be. Keep in mind that the hole in the washer must be just a little bit bigger than the post where the handle turns.
4. Reconstruct the faucet. Remember to do replace the parts in the opposite order as when you took it apart. Put the handle back to its post and screw it in. In screwing it, make sure that you do not tighten it too much, since this can cause damage to brass fittings. Keep it hand-tight.
5. After, you can start testing if you did the right thing. Turn water supply back on by moving shut off valve handles to the left or clockwise.
6. Hopefully, your faucets wouldn't be leaking by this time. That is if everything went well. If not, you can always try to tighten the screws a little bit more or do the whole procedure over again. If you were still not able to stop the leak, it's probably time you face it and call a plumber.
Miscellaneous Tips
Upon going to the hardware to purchase a washer, make sure that you ask assistance from the employee. He or she might just know what specific type of washer is needed for sinks, or for the type and brand of sink that you have at home.
Lime build up can be a cause for leaky faucets. If you observe lime build up on your faucet handle post, you can clean it off using lime away products.
So don't endure the annoying drip, drip, drip noise any further. Fix a leaky faucet yourself and reap the benefits of doing so - no hassle of calling a plumber, no high plumbing costs, and no more sleepless nights!
You might think you really need a plumber to fix a leaky faucet. But no, you can do it by yourself! And with these simple and easy to follow steps, you will never have to dial a plumber again.
Here are just some of the basic materials and tools you will need:
- Screwdriver - Washers
Before You Start
1. Look under your sink and search for a shutoff valve. Turn its handles counter-clockwise (off) to switch off the water supply. Remember the saying "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey". This will guide you in switching your water supply on and off.
2. Keep an assortment of replacement parts at hand. This includes washers, O-rings, and etc.
3. Plug down the drain, to make sure that no small parts like screws or washers go down the drain.
4. While working, line up the parts according to the order it was taken apart. This will later on guide you in reassembling it correctly.
Start Working!
1. The first thing you should do is remove the faucet handles. For this, you can use your screwdriver to remove the screws that are holding them together. Once the screws are removed, you can easily remove the handles using a flathead screwdriver, or you may have to pry it open.
2. Once the faucet handles are removed, detach the old washer located behind the handle. Don't worry if there isn't one. Instead, go buy one.
3. With the new washer that you just bought, replace the old washer. Put it where the old washer used to be. Keep in mind that the hole in the washer must be just a little bit bigger than the post where the handle turns.
4. Reconstruct the faucet. Remember to do replace the parts in the opposite order as when you took it apart. Put the handle back to its post and screw it in. In screwing it, make sure that you do not tighten it too much, since this can cause damage to brass fittings. Keep it hand-tight.
5. After, you can start testing if you did the right thing. Turn water supply back on by moving shut off valve handles to the left or clockwise.
6. Hopefully, your faucets wouldn't be leaking by this time. That is if everything went well. If not, you can always try to tighten the screws a little bit more or do the whole procedure over again. If you were still not able to stop the leak, it's probably time you face it and call a plumber.
Miscellaneous Tips
Upon going to the hardware to purchase a washer, make sure that you ask assistance from the employee. He or she might just know what specific type of washer is needed for sinks, or for the type and brand of sink that you have at home.
Lime build up can be a cause for leaky faucets. If you observe lime build up on your faucet handle post, you can clean it off using lime away products.
So don't endure the annoying drip, drip, drip noise any further. Fix a leaky faucet yourself and reap the benefits of doing so - no hassle of calling a plumber, no high plumbing costs, and no more sleepless nights!
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