The world has evolved and science has discovered and invented ways to make human life easier than before. Now, you don’t have to worry about thousands of things. But there are a few households’ repairs which are as worrisome as they were a decade ago. One of them is leaky faucet, which believe or not are a common problem in almost every home. And no matter how many times you get it exchanged, the newer one finds some or the other way to leak. But that doesn’t mean that you have to call a plumber and spend oodles of many in its repair or maintenance. You can do this simple task all by yourself. Here are DIY tips you can follow to fix leaky faucet.
- Turn off the water supply. Obviously, you don’t want to take a shower while you are doing a repair, so start by turning off water supply from shutoff. In case, you don’t have individual shutoffs, then go for the main shutoff.
- These tips are for compression type faucet, which has handles for operation. Firstly, remove the faucet handle and observe the faucet assembly. To take it off the handle, use slip joint pliers to take the packing nut off. You can use adjustable wrench as an alternative, but they generally scar the metal. Now, twist the stern in the direction in which faucet originally works.
- Now, take off the screws that hold washer. You may use penetrating oil to loosen it. Check for any damages on screw or stern.
- Since most of the faucet washers are use and throw, therefore, it is ideal that you replace that old one with exact size new washer. It is recommended that the size of washer fits the faucet so that any chances of leaking are minimal. Also, make sure that you buy a washer depending upon your faucet. For instance, faucet that supply cold and hot water need different type of washer.
- Faster the washer, reinstalling every piece. The stem shall be turned clockwise to ensure that it is in place. Again, avoid scaring the metal.
- Lastly, install the handle and replace the disc. Switch on the water supply and check if there are any leaks.
Easy isn’t So, the next time you have a leaky faucet (which we hope you never have), then you can try these simple steps to fix it yourself!
