How To Repair A Leaky Bath Faucet

Dan has been in the HVAC industry for 23 years with experience ranging from installation and service to sales and distribution.

Simple 2 handle bathroom faucet. — Elementary 2 handle bathroom faucet.

Daniel Robbins

Need to supplant a leaky sink or shower faucet? Here'due south an like shooting fish in a barrel repair guide to go the job done inexpensively (and a quick tip to quiet the noise from a dripping faucet until you lot can brand that repair!).

The Deafening Audio of a Leaky Faucet

Y'all're laying in bed when you decide to kill the lights, turn off the Idiot box and plough in for the night. It's not besides long before y'all notice the "drip, baste, baste" racket coming from the bathroom. You try to ignore information technology..."drip, baste". You cover your head with the pillow merely the sound merely keeps getting louder and louder..."Drip, Drip". Y'all can hardly hear yourself think and upwards you go to meet what you can do to brand it stop!

I know. Information technology sounds a lot like "The Tell-Tale Heart" but you have to admit, information technology can seem that way when the faucet starts to leak. Perhaps you're better at tuning things like this out than I am but for me, trying to ignore my shower fixture was about incommunicable.

Well, I have some good news. Fixing that pesky drip can be quite simple and fifty-fifty better, may only cost you a couple of dollars. Permit me show you how.

Finding the Right Replacement Faucet Cartridge

The start affair you lot'll desire to do is to find the proper replacement part for your leaking faucet. Knowing the model of faucet you have can often assistance to find a replacement earlier you first the repair just if you don't accept that information, remove the problem part and take information technology with yous to the store to match it upwards with a universal replacement part. In this example, the leaking bathroom sink problem will exist a bad cartridge located in the faucet handle.

Note: Cartridges may be specific to the hot and cold sides of the faucet. Make sure you get the right one.

How to Repair a Leaky Faucet, Step past Pace

Plow off the water supply to the sink. Unremarkably, in that location will be a close off under the sink only if non, locate the main valve in the water line and shut information technology down from in that location.
Next, remove the cap on the handle of the faucet. Some may vary a chip only here you can see it's quite easy to locate and remove.
Now that the cap is off, remove the spiral that is holding the handle in place and elevator the handle off the faucet.
Then, remove the dazzler band if yous accept one. If in that location is a hex top on the beauty band, you lot should be fine to simply loosen it with a wrench. If non, place a rag effectually the band before wrenching on it to avert damaging the stop.
Lastly, remove the cartridge. It should wiggle out fairly easily with your hand.
Supervene upon the cartridge. Be sure that it is seated then that the handle turns off and on properly before putting it all back together again. Otherwise, your handle may plough to the wrong positions from where it was before. Many of these cartridges are finicky this way simply simple to figure out.
Enjoy! You'll slumber like a babe without that annoying drip and it merely took a couple of dollars and a few minutes of your time.

Let'due south move on to that shower. It's slightly unlike but simply as simple with a couple small, potential differences.

Photo Guide for Faucet Repairs

This is a quarter turn valve. When turned a quarter of a circle, the water is off/on. You may have a smaller chrome style of this under your sink that will work just as well.

This is a quarter plow valve. When turned a quarter of a circle, the water is off/on. You lot may have a smaller chrome way of this under your sink that volition work simply also.

Make sure you lot're using a quality Teflon tape for this chore since the chances are you won't be wanting to disassemble your faucet anytime soon. I've been using this Everflow Teflon tape for years with very good results. It sticks and seals very well.

Replacing a Faucet Washer

Replacing a faucet washer is just as easy every bit the cartridge and even less expensive. Hither, we will exist repairing a leaky shower faucet but the method would be the aforementioned if your sink has this sort of washer as opposed to a cartridge as we've seen above.

NOTE: Yous want to exist sure you buy the right size washer replacement. When in doubt, remove the one-time i and accept it to the store with yous to match it upward with a new 1.

How to Repair a Leaky Shower Faucet, Stride past Step

Plough off the water supply to the shower. This may be in an access console on the wall behind the shower or y'all may accept to shut off the main line as shown higher up.
Remove the cap on the end of the handle.
Remove the screw holding the handle on. This again volition likely be a Philips screw.
Now, remove the beauty ring if you have i to expose the valve stem. Once again, be careful of your finish and employ a rag to protect the slice.
Remove the valve stem. This stem should have a hex surface area for y'all to identify your pliers (channel locks) and grab concord tightly.
Remove the screw that is belongings the rubber washer onto the cease of the valve and remove the old washer.
Put the new washer in place and secure it dorsum down with the screw you lot just removed.
Employ Teflon tape to the threads that you will be screwing back into the fixture.
Put the faucet dorsum together in the same way yous'd removed it.

Scroll to Continue

Photo Guide for Repairing a Leaky Shower Faucet

How to Stop the Noise of a Leaking Faucet

If this may not exist something you're going to do correct away, I practise have a tip for at least curing the noise that annoys you. Necktie a string from the dripping faucet to the base where the water lands.

The water will now run quietly down the cord to the basin and never will a "blip" exist heard. This will also evidence you how rusty the water is since the string volition begin to "brown" from the water. This may tell you lot that it's time to affluent that h2o tank.

The Benefits of Fixing a Leaky Faucet

Aside from not having to listen to that "baste, drip, baste" all night long, there are other benefits from taking intendance of this trouble.

Saving Coin: A leaking faucet does cost money. Depending on the severity of the leak, information technology may non be much only information technology will pay for those washers you bought. If information technology's bad, it could be noticeable in your water bill.
Avoiding Water Stains and Deposits: This tedious leak tin increase the charge per unit at which deposits build up on the filter in the faucet, thus blocking up the flow of h2o or consistency of the stream. It can also cause staining around the drain.
Deterring Mold Growth: If there is a faucet leaking that isn't used regularly, mold will eventually begin to grow in the sink where the water is existence splashed too. This light mist of water makes a damp surface where mold can begin to abound and one time information technology establishes a foothold, it will grow quite rapidly from there and at present nosotros're talking almost bad smells and potential health concerns.

Sink Aerators / Faucet Screen

Easy to Do Yourself

This is definitely one of those repairs you don't want to have to pay large sums of money to take done. With a couple of uncomplicated household tools and a few dollars for a replacement part, you can fix this problem easily and in just a few minutes. The repairs shown to the shower and faucet in this commodity took a total of 20 minutes to do both. For fifty-fifty the less mechanically inclined, this is a repair that takes just minutes.

Of class, every bit always, when in doubtfulness don't estimate. Guessing at a household repair tin cause further damage and end up costing more money than is necessary. Never forcefulness something to fit or apply parts that are non meant for the repair.

Happy plumbing and sleep easy with that annoying audio in the past.

Need More Plumbing Tips?

Unclogging a Sink Bleed in the Bathroom or Elsewhere
Learn how to get rid of that standing h2o in your sink. Liquid drain cleaners don't ever work and it requires a bit more effort merely knowing how you can practise this yourself can salvage you big money.
Anyone Can Fix A Leaking Water Pipe Fast and Easy United states...
Burst a water line? Need to add together a h2o line? No problem. Come across how you can do information technology yourself fast, easy and much cheaper than calling a plumber. It really is a snap! No soldering needed!

This commodity is authentic and truthful to the best of the author's knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional person advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Becky H on August 23, 2022:

I'g having a heck of a time trying to become the stems out of my bathtub faucet, information technology's an American standard I'm pretty sure. Whoever put it in must have been very confident information technology would never have to exist worked on bcoz they fabricated the holes for the pipes to go through exactly large enough to fit the pipes through. I can't get any kind of a tool in to the hex nuts to remove the stems from either side. And I'chiliad non sure what I can do to brand room for a toil without wrecking the faucet. Do yous have whatsoever communication? Thanks.

Pat Derks on Apr 29, 2022:

What if you didveverthing right and the faucet still drips?

David from Idaho on June 28, 2022:

We alive out in the country and have a well, with plenty of hard h2o. Our faucets don't last likewise long out here simply I'll save your info when I have to modify out the parts on the tub.

Voted upwards and useful

Rhys Bakery from Peterborough, UK on June 25, 2022:

I love the stride-past-stride photo procedures: it actually makes this hub! Sound, practical and useful advice. Voted upwardly!

Dan Reed (author) on June 24, 2022:

@ All my HubScribers - Cheers. I'm glad these hubs are helpful. That is 100% my aim when I write these. Help people empathize their homes so they tin either repair it themselves or have a proficient agreement and so they know what is they are existence told by their service providers. Cheers all for stopping by and your very kind comments.

summerberrie on June 23, 2022:

Cre8tor, your hubs are so useful. I am going to bookmark them all!!! What a talent for making something frustrating seem easy and achievable. Your writing and illustrations virtually make me desire a dripping faucet so I tin can fix information technology.

Marcy Goodfleisch from Planet Earth on June 23, 2022:

I think your unabridged collection of hubs was designed to assistance me with my home maintenance! I take one of the double sinks in my master bath turned off due to a persistent drip, and I simply replaced (courtesy of my son's skill at plumbing) the faucet in my kitchen. If we don't fix leaks right away, they cause considerable damage, and they also waste far more water than we realize. Voted up and up, and shared!

healthyjoe from Melbourne Australia on June 22, 2022:

Some articles are most informative, although I know how to change a cartridge (tap washer). Done many in my time, no i am not a plumber.

Dan Reed (author) on June 22, 2022:

My new invention...."The Drip Trip". It'due south a string in a handbag. I'll be rich!

Robie Benve from Ohio on June 22, 2022:

Great information! I have a leaky faucet, but since it does non drip gallons a twenty-four hour period and tin can not exist heard from the bedchamber, I've let it be. Calling a plumber for something that small may not be worth the cost... but let me share this with my married man and run across if he's in the mood for some DIY. :)

alliemacb from Scotland on June 22, 2022:

This is such a useful hub. My dad taught me how to fix a dripping tap before I left dwelling house just I hadn't heard the string idea before - very handy.

Yvonne Spence from U.k. on June 22, 2022:

We had a tap (Britain for faucet) that dripped for months and ii plumbers said it couldn't exist fixed - I can't remember why only something to practise with its position in the middle of the bath. However, somehow my hubby (who is not a plumber) managed to fix information technology. I take a feeling this hub would have come up in handy for getting it fixed a lot sooner.

Nettlemere from Burnley, Lancashire, U.k. on June 22, 2022:

That cord tip is really neat and definitely the way to go. I declare that all baths and sinks should take a piece of string hanging ready for emergency purposes!