Everyone has encountered this problem at some point in their life: you walk into your kitchen after work, excited to cook dinner only to find that there is water all over the floor. You notice that your sink’s faucet is leaking, creating that annoying dripping sound that will continue until you fix it.
Here are easy ways to handle this issue before calling a professional plumber Sydney.
Check for warm water
If there is water all over your floor but you only notice it when you turn on your sink, check to make sure that you are getting warm water with this quick test: stick your finger in the hole where the handle screws into and feel for warmth. If it isn’t warm or room temperature then it may mean that your water heater has gone out and needs replacement before fixing any other part of your faucet. If it is warm, continue to step 2!
Tighten up loose parts
Hands trembling from arthritis? Do loose screwdrivers ruin all hope of a steady grip? No shame in that! This is one of the easiest fixes you can make because it mostly involves tightening up something that isn’t working properly.
Step 1: Unscrew old stem
First, you’ll want to turn off your water supply using the knob at the base of your faucet. Next, remove your handle screw cap by unscrewing it with a Phillips head screwdriver or an Allen wrench if it doesn’t have one built-in already. If you are having trouble unscrewing this part, try turning on the sink to give yourself some added leverage.
Step 2: Loosen stem nuts
Next, look for where the stem meets the bonnet washer and find the two hexagonal nuts that hold it together. Loosen these nuts just enough so that they can be budged by hand but not completely removed yet.
Step 3: Replace stem
Next, get your new stem and find the corresponding nuts to thread it back together. Then just screw them on finger tight for now and test out your faucet by turning it all the way too hot and then off again. If water is still seeping through you might need to tighten these a little more until there’s no seepage anymore.
Step 4: Replace handle screw cap
Finally, replace the handle screw cap securely so that only finger pressure should be able to move it around and turn on your faucet once more to check if your leaky faucet problem has been resolved.
Replace packing washer or bonnet washer
If tightening up parts is not helping produce any different results or if it requires too much force from your hands, then you’ll probably have to replace the packing washer or bonnet washer instead.
Step 1: Turn off the water supply
Turn off your faucet’s water supply by using the knob at the base of your sink and make sure that there is no water seeping out anywhere before going any further.
Step 2: Remove handle screw cap and stem nuts
Use a Philips head screwdriver or an Allen wrench to loosen up your handle screws and remove both hexagonal nuts holding the stem together. You should now be able to pull apart these three pieces from one another completely.
Step 3: Replace packing washer or bonnet washer
Now take a look at the two other pieces you’ve taken apart and check if one of them has a small round hole that water comes out of. That is your packing washer, which can sometimes be replaced with this part depending on what type of faucet you have. If it’s either gone or irreparable then your bonnet washer will need to be replaced instead, which is held down by one of the nuts removed earlier.
Step 4: Assemble clean parts
First, reassemble the stem back together by inserting either the packing washer or bonnet washer carefully through each nut so that they fit snugly against each other. Then, insert the spout again before screwing both hexagonal tightly around its stems again. Finally, replace the handle screw cap securely and turn on your faucet one last time to check if the problem has been resolved.
Replace rubber washer
The third part of a faucet that can potentially fix a leaky faucet is a replacement rubber washer, which is attached at the base of your spout or right under where the handle screws in. To get this piece off, just follow these easy steps:
Step 1: Turn off the water supply
Turn off your sink’s water supply by using the knob at the centre of it and make sure there isn’t any water seeping through anywhere before going any further.
Step 2: Remove bonnet nut or pull-up rod cover
Remove the bonnet nut or pull-up rod cover at the top of your sink’s spout by unscrewing it with a Phillips head screwdriver. Then, remove the cap to see if there is a rubber washer in there. If it isn’t present then you’ll have to look for this part at one end of your faucet stem instead of underneath a larger nut where your handle screws into.
Step 3: Replace rubber washer
For either of these parts, simply take off the old rubber washer and replace it with a new one that fits snugly onto its place. Make sure that neither side of this piece faces downward so that water will be able to travel through without any issues. Reassemble all your other cleaned parts back together before turning your faucet on again to test if the problem has been resolved.
If both these options fail, then you most likely need to get a replacement for your whole faucet unit itself since most leaky faucets are caused by more serious problems than just loose connections or dirty interior pieces.
Remember that even though changing out these parts is cheaper than getting an entirely new faucet installed in your bathroom, it’s still important to get professional plumber Sydney to do this kind of work for you whenever possible so that the job will be done correctly and won’t cost you any more money in the long run. In case your home does not have a warranty system to cover any damage.
