As a DIYer, you need to know what to do if your bathroom or kitchen faucet is leaking. It is important to first determine the cause of the malfunction. Due to a minor problem, calling a plumber and spending money in this case is simply ridiculous.
Things to Prepare
The faucet repair tool kit will consist of a set of open end wrenches, screwdrivers, fum tape and an adjustable wrench. This list will need to be supplemented with seals and accessories, then anyone will be able to cope with most of the problems that led to the leakage of the tap.
You must know how to diagnose shut-off valves, adjacent water supply elements and mixing devices. If you are an independent craftsman, you can use one of the repair options.
Causes of leakage
If a tap drips in the bathroom or in the kitchen, you must know what to do. First you need to determine the reasonmalfunctions. If the leak is quite strong, then the water supply to the room should be completely shut off, only after that you can begin to deal with the causes of the breakdown.
To diagnose a leak, open the supply tap to determine where the water is leaking from. Faucets today are presented in different designs. Having de alt with them, you can classify why the hot water faucet drips and what to do. Sometimes water drips from the gander, in some cases, leakage occurs from under the flywheel or valve. In other cases, water flows where a hose or pipe is attached to the faucet body. You may notice a leak at the base of the spout tube.
Specialist recommendations
When diagnosing the source of a leak, you should know that a faucet is a sealed hollow device. The only cause of the leak is the depressurization of its constituent parts. A swivel mixer leak can be caused by a grain of sand that is between the moving parts. This case is the simplest and only requires cleaning.
Swivel faucet problems
If you notice that water is dripping from the tap, everyone should know what to do in this case. When you have a swivel mixer in front of you, under its lever, you need to find a plastic plug and remove it. Next, you will see a screw that holds the lever. It is necessary to unscrew and remove the lever. The lever is separated from the faucet body, then you can remove the casing, which is located above the cartridge.
If you don'tIf you know what to do so that the tap does not drip, then the first step is to determine what design the device has. If it is a single-lever faucet, then cleaning it will most likely help. The design at the next stage is going back. In order to avoid such situations, which are caused by the ingress of dirt into the device, mud filters should be placed in front of the swivel mixer. When the breakdown is quite serious, and the repair does not lead to the desired results, you can fix the problem by replacing the mixer.
Spruce dripping water from gander
When you notice that the faucet is dripping, what to do, it is important to decide as soon as possible. Most often, the outflow of water from the gander is determined at night, when in complete silence the sound of a drop falling does not allow the household to fall asleep. In this case, it is not worth pulling with the repair. In addition, the work is not difficult.
A leak can be caused by a worn gasket or cartridge. If the valve is a valve, then work must begin by replacing the control head. You must first turn off the water. Valve leakage in this case will be expressed in a defect or wear of the gasket that is adjacent to the body seat.
To replace, unscrew and remove the housing. The flywheel is usually fastened with a bolt, which is hidden under a decorative cap. It should be pry off, and this can be done with a regular awl or a flat screwdriver. The head is unscrewed with an open-end wrench. The old worn rubber gasket must be removed to replace it with a new one. The rubber will costmere pennies, but it will provide peace of mind to your nerves. It is better to purchase the product from a reliable manufacturer.
Work methodology
Before installing the gasket, check the underside of the gasket for smoothness. If there are defects, the protruding parts are cut off. It is necessary to cut a chamfer from the lower side along the circumference so that the gasket is pressed against the seat more tightly, and the crane does not buzz. If a tap drips, what to do, every home master should know. At the next stage, it is necessary to dry and scrape the saddle on the body with a metal washcloth. You can use other abrasive material. The surface is wiped clean. The head is screwed into place. The valve must be closed with a decorative casing. After all the above steps have been completed, you must make sure that the faucet is not leaking.
Repair of the stem locking mechanism
If you have a rod locking mechanism in your house, then it has a rubber gasket, like in a valve device. This part is the most wear part. If the battery faucet is dripping, what to do you must decide as quickly as possible. Because it can flood the neighbors. It is necessary to act according to the technology described below. The locking mechanism is almost never found in urban areas today, but it is still actively used in summer cottages.
Repair algorithm
Before starting work, you should familiarize yourself with the sequence of manipulations for replacing the sealing valve, which is necessary to shut off the water flow. If the faucet is dripping, what to do is important to decide as quickly as possible. In the described case, it is necessary to remove the working mechanism from the crane body. A rod moves inside it when twisting and unscrewing the flywheel. After the operating mechanism of the crane is removed, it is necessary to examine the O-ring. Now you can remove the valve gasket and replace it. The final step will be reassembly.
Fix swivel faucet leak
Articulated mixers are also called single-lever. They are popular because of their ergonomics. It is not necessary to unscrew the valve for too long. This is especially true when in the kitchen you have to turn on the tap with greasy hands. Such faucets have an elegant shape and are distinguished by external simplicity, but the algorithm of their operation is rather complicated.
To improve the maintainability of such mixers, manufacturers began to use modular designs. A cartridge is installed inside the case, which has all the mechanical stuffing. Special knowledge to eliminate leaks in such a faucet is not required. For most breakdowns, the entire cartridge will need to be replaced.
If the faucet drips in the kitchen, everyone should know what to do. Leakage when the tap is closed indicates a leak between the plastic or ceramic regulator parts and the seat. Some models require disassembly and cleaning, but the performance of the cartridges cannot be restored, as well as the leak can be eliminated.
In order to replace the internal filling of the crane, you need to do the following. At the first stage, a decorative cap is removed, which acts as a plug. It is necessary to cover the bolt and indicates the position of the lever when water is supplied. It is important to remember the correct position of the cap in order to return it to its place later. This will allow you not to get confused when turning on cold and hot water.
Master's Tips
In the hole that opens, you will see a fixing bolt that secures the lever to the cartridge. The bolt is unscrewed with a screwdriver. If the grooves "merge", then there will be a possibility that sawing of the lever and its replacement will be required. The next step is to remove the faucet handle. You will see that the cartridge is closed with a cap, which should be unscrewed by hand. Under the cap is a circular nut, which is a problem for those who want to change the cartridge themselves. You will need an adjustable wrench to loosen the nut. It may not be in your arsenal, so you should take care of the availability of tools in advance.
It is better to lay out the removed parts on the surface in a certain order. It is recommended to photograph the disassembly process so as not to get confused in the details during assembly. The circular nut is narrow, so Soviet wrenches with smooth edges are not able to unscrew it. To remove, use a modern key with clear edges.
If the faucet drips in the kitchen, you can find out what to do if you read the recommendations from the article. From them you can find out that at the next stage, after unscrewing the nut, the cartridge should be pulled out and replaced with a new one. The old part can be saved if the new analogue turns out to bedefective and will quickly fail, because a leaky faucet is better than none.
If you have a package from an old faucet, then you can buy a suitable cartridge model. When the type of faucet is unknown, you will have to repair the faucet at such a time that after disassembly you can visit the store to purchase a similar part. There are ridges on the bottom of the cartridge that match the dimples on the seat. They are necessary to fix parts in a well-defined position.
After the cartridge is installed, the faucet components must be reassembled in reverse order. When micro cracks or grooves in the seat are the cause of water leakage, you can try to grind the hole with a metal drill with a small head. But large cracks cannot be repaired and are a sign that you need to purchase a new mixer.
Ball Mixer Repair
If the tap in the bathroom is dripping, what should I do first? When you have a ball valve in front of you, you must determine the location of the leak. If water appears from under the lever cap, then you can fix the problem by tightening the connection with a wrench. If this method works, then we can conclude that the cause of the leak was hidden in a loose mount.
When water flows from under the case, and no cracks are found on the metal, the cause may lie in the wear of the sealing gasket. To replace it, unscrew the housing nut and disconnect the mixer. Turn off the water supply first.
A consumable that has served its time must be replaced with a new one. If the gasket diameter is chosen correctly, it can be installed in the groove with force. The crane is then assembled and tested for performance.
If a ball valve drips, what to do, you can find out if you read our article. When there is a crack on the body through which water passes, the faucet will have to be completely replaced. An alternative solution is to cover the defects with a waterproof sealant. You can even use cold welding. But such a repair will solve the problem temporarily, because the leak cannot be eliminated in this way. When a crack is found on the control lever, the problem can be solved by replacing the handle, which will be cheaper than buying a new faucet.
External damage to the body may not be visible to the eye, but microscopic defects will leak, they will cause puddles at the faucet. Metal should be examined with a magnifying glass. Defects will be easier to detect when magnified.
Features of disassembling the ball mixer
If the faucet started dripping, what to do, you can find out if you read the article. For example, with regard to a ball mixer, if it breaks, tightening the nut and cleaning the aerator may not help. In this case, the gasket or ball will need to be replaced. The mixing chamber cannot be partially repaired. She is indestructible. To replace it, you will need to disassemble the mixer and check the safety of the internal elements.
For workyou need to prepare the usual tools, namely:
- adjustable wrench;
- screwdriver;
- pliers.
Depending on the screw that the faucet is equipped with, you will need a hex or Phillips screwdriver. If a ceramic faucet is dripping, you can find out what to do if you read the instructions from the article. At the first stage, turn off the water supply and open the tap to drain the remaining liquid. Using a screwdriver or a knife, pry off the decorative plug on the case. The screw under the plug is unscrewed.
Now you can remove the lever handle and cap. After the ring is disabled and removed, you will see the detail in the form of a dome. It will need to be picked up with pliers and removed, and then rinsed to remove dirt and deposits. At this stage, you can remove the ball from the mixer and rinse it. After that, the rubber seal is removed. The lift springs can then be inspected. The internal cavity of the mixer is washed. Springs should be inserted into the saddles. Plastic parts are now back in place.
