A leaky faucet is a problem that every household faces at least once. Therefore, keeping your faucet in proper working condition might be a difficult task. It’s not only annoying, hearing that drip, drip drip, but at the same time, it can significantly increase your water bills.
In most cases, people tend to call plumbers to come and fix their faucets. However, it’s helpful for us to know the common causes that might be the culprit causing your faucet to leak in the first place.
Common Causes of a Leaky Faucet
- A worn-out valve seat could be the main cause of your leaky faucet. The valve seat is very important, as it is the main piece that connects the faucet to the pipe. The faucet might start to leak if any part of the faucet is corroded due to harmful sediments found in the water.
If the valve seat is worn out, people can ask their plumber to change the valve seat with a new one but many DIY’ers can do it on their own as well. All you need is a seat wrench. - Another problem could be that the washers that are worn out. The washers help bridge the gap between the pipes and sinks in order to prevent any sort of leak from occurring. Hence they can also be worn out because of the constant contact with water. The faucet can also leak if the washer is not placed in a proper manner. The washer needs to be of the same size as that of the pipe and it needs to be installed correctly.
- Apart from this, if the o-ring is broken it can also lead to a leaky faucet. If this is the reason behind the leaking you’ll likely need your plumber’s help. The role of the o-ring is to seal the gaps around a pipe so that the water cannot escape through.
- Lastly, any loose parts in the faucet could also cause leakage. All the pipes and parts need to be connected correctly to ensure water passes through as designed.
Ways of Fixing a Leaky Faucet
There are days when the plumber is not available and your faucet is leaking. In such scenarios, people should know how to fix the faucet on their own. Not fixing the problem quickly will most certainly lead to larger, more serious issues in your home.
In order to ensure that your faucet is functioning properly, follow the steps mentioned below:
- Start by turning off the water supply is turned off. Not only with the faucet’s handles but also from the connections beneath the sink, if available, or at the main line. You don’t want to waste water or make a mess while you’re correcting the problem.
After ensuring that the supply of water is turned off start removing handle knobs. A screwdriver is usually the right tool needed to remove each knob. A penetrating oil can be used as it will help in loosening the knob thus it will make it easier for you to take off the faucet handle from its stem. - The next step is to use a wrench in order to remove the nuts. Faucet varies from house to house hence in some cases the stem might just pop off easily whereas in some cases you might have to twist it a little. After the parts are removed, now you should carefully examine every part to check whether any damage has been done to the parts or not.
- If the parts are in good shape then examine the o-ring and washer that is placed inside the valve seat. There’s always a chance that these are the issue causing your leaky faucet. If they are damaged then replace the parts with new ones. Make sure that the size of the o-ring is accurate or else it can cause the faucet to leak again.
- Now start assembling the new parts and after they are assembled in a proper manner make sure that you check the faucet before closing it completely. Gently turn the knob to see whether the faucet is leaking again or not.
If the water is still leaking then you might have to take help from a professional plumber. If you don’t have a plumber that you like, your trusted Realtor should be able to recommend a great one for you. It may turn out to be money well spent, especially if the issue is more than simply a leaky faucet.
There are a number of DIY plumbing videos on YouTube that might be helpful as well.
