If you are experiencing leaky faucet and need a plumber in the Phoenix Arizona area feel free to call us. We are a safe, friendly, locally owned and operated residential plumbing company with excellent reviews. We repair faucet leaks and also offer faucet replacement in the event it is time for a new one.
Testing your leaky faucets yourself:
First let’s gather your tools. You might need these things:
- Adjustable wrench.
- C wrench
- Phillips head and flat screwdriver
- WD-40
- Replacement washers and O rings
You may also need distilled white vinegar and a scouring pad in case you encounter mineral build-up, which is common in the Phoenix area.
You’ll want to tape over your wrench with duct tape to keep from cracking or breaking things.
Here’s the best, most basic advice to start your project: turn off the water! Turn off the faucets and the valve that lets water flow in from the pipe.
Close or cover the sink drain – you don’t want to drop anything down there.
There are four types of faucets: compression, cartridge, ceramic disk and ball type, typically found in kitchens (it has one piece which moves from left to right to change hot to cold and to turn the speed of the water up or down).
A compression faucet is often found in bathroom vanities and has hot and cold knobs on either side.
A ceramic disk faucet is superficially similar to a ball faucet but lacks the fluid pivot. It also has one handle to control off and on flow and cold and hot.
A cartridge faucet is similar in that it has a unified handle.
You’ll want to have a place to lay everything out in order. That’ll make it much easier to reassemble.
Whatever you have, take off the faucet handles. You’ll find a screw under that. You might spray a bit of WD-40 before you do.
After that you’ll want to loosen the packing nut. Under that is the stem, which may just come off or you may have to twist it off. Try not to damage it!
If everything looks ok, then check out the O-ring and the washer in the valve seat. If they’re faulty that might be your problem.
Make sure those suckers are a good fit. It’s never bad to take the O-right to a store to make sure you get the right replacement.
If you check all of these things and it’s still leaking then your valve seat might be corrupted, or it could be worn-out seals, a loose part or possibly a broken piece of plumbing somewhere.
That may be past your DIY comfort level. If it is, give us a call. We service the Phoenix area and we can easily take care of your leaky faucet.
