Easy Faucet Repair Tips to Get Rid of Drips
We turn our faucets on and off so often that it shouldn’t surprise us when they begin to drip and leak. A leaking or dripping faucet in your kitchen or bathroom is usually a sign that a part is worn and needs to be replaced.
While a leaky faucet may seem like an annoyance you can live with, you should repair it. The dripping faucet will eventually stain your sink bowl and rust your fixtures. Plus, it wastes a lot of water, which is bad for your budget and the environment. In fact, a leaky faucet that drips 5 times a minute wastes approximately 230 gallons a year!
Types of Faucets. If you’re the handy type, you may want to attempt faucet repair yourself. However, first you need to determine what type of faucet you have.
- Compression faucets have washers and seals that can fail under constant pressure and can be replaced.
- Disc faucets leak when the inlet and outlet seals wear or when sediment builds up in the faucet inlets.
- Cartridge faucets leak when the O-ring that cushions the cartridge stem wears out or breaks. When they drip it might mean the cartridge needs replacing. Be sure the replacement cartridge matches the original.
- Ball faucets drip when the inlet seals wear and leak when the O-rings wear or break.
If you’re not sure what type of faucet you have or you’re not confident in your faucet repair abilities, count on S&K Quality Plumbing to get your leak fixed fast and right. We repair and replace all types of faucets and fixtures, working with professional-grade products and quality consumer brands such as Kohler®, Delta® and others.