If you’ve been driven mad by the drip-dripping of a leaky faucet, wait no more. While this is not only costly in the long run, it can be indicative of other problems that are best to nip in the bud now.This is a fairly easy fix, so don’t let this issue get the best of you.
Materials:
Seat washer
Pipe joint compound
brass screw
Tools:
Screwdriver
Adjustable wrench
Firstly, turn off your water at the shut off valves underneath the sink. Empty your supply lines by turning on both faucets full blast until water stops flowing. If your handles have caps on the top, pop them off gently with a flathead screwdriver. Pull off on any decorative covering surrounding your faucet stem.
If your screws are gunked up with mineral buildup, be careful removing them. If you strip the head because it’s frozen in place, it will be very hard to remove. If it’s corroded, force all of your weight downwards as you unscrew the stem. Take off the packing nut using your adjustable wrench. Tap it with the wrench first if it’s heavily corroded. This will help knock some of the corrosion and buildup off of the threads. What remains is the stem. Remove this using the wrench if needed, though sometimes it can be removed by hand.
If you cannot unscrew your stem, you’ll need a special tool made specifically for this issue. The faucet handle puller has two small hooked levers that get underneath the skirt of the handle with a central shaft that presses down on the stem. Once tightened, you twist the handle clockwise and the faucet skirt should lift straight up.
Once the assembly has been pulled up, clean any mineral buildup and corrosion you can see. Remove the brass screw on the bottom of the stem to get at your old rubber seat washer. Replace it with the new one. If the brass screw holding the washer in is starting to rust or is brittle, replace it. Add a little pipe dope compound against the seat (where the cartridge screws in) and replace the stem in its seat.
If there are still leaks, tighten the washer screw again or you may have washer that’s the wrong size.