Three Things To Check On A Problematic Faucet

The faucet can be really annoying. It can be emitting all sorts of weird low or sharp noises or it can just be dripping because of a leak that you can't seem to fix.

Now, when it seems that you can't fix a faucet, you will most probably call the plumber. This should be the last thing that you should do because you may want to check if there's something that you can do to do the repairs yourself.

Of course, this will require some research but if you do it yourself, you can save yourself a lot of money and at the same time take pride in doing something by yourself to improve your home. Here are some things that you can check with your faulty faucet.

• Check the valve seat – If you have checked everything with your faucet and done all you can to fix it but it still leaks, there could be one problem that you didn't check. This involves the valve seat of the faucet.

What could have happened is that an old or damaged washer may be allowing the metal stem of the faucet to go up against the valve seat. What this does is make things uneven and so water will still get through and drip out of a faucet.

You can fix this by replacing the valve seat and removing it which is really quite easy. What you need is something called a seat wrench which you insert into the seat and turn to loosen it. Once you remove the seat, you can replace it with one that fits exactly like the old one did.

Some seats may be difficult to remove but the use of a seat sleeve will solve the problem. You just need to insert the sleeve in the area that is loose and where the water is getting through. This will act as a seal.

• Check the packing – A faucet leak is different from water dripping out of the snout. A leak is when there is water coming out of the top of the faucet, like where the handle of the faucet is.

This situation calls for closer inspection of the packing nuts of the faucet. These should be tight and you can make them tighter by using a wrench. This is a delicate part of the faucet and you must be careful not to damage it with the wrench or whatever tool you use to tighten the packing.

• Check the O-ring – This is the part of the faucet that actually stops water from leaking at the base of the spout and leaking like crazy. Once the ring wears out, then you will see that there is water coming out of the base at the spout every time you let water flow through it.

To fix this, shut down your water supply and remove the part that holds the entire spout. At the base you will see the ring and that is what you need to replace. Make sure that the replacement rings are the same size as the one that you will need to replace.