We use our kitchen faucet countless times a day for completing a variety of tasks like washing dishes, filling pots. It became an important fixture that makes our kitchen work considerably easier. What if, if your kitchen faucet leaks from the base of the spout? A leaky Kitchen Faucet is not just annoying, it can cost a lot of money and can waste tons of water. Necessarily it’s important to detect the problem and demand a quick fixing.
After understanding why leaky faucets occur should you call a plumber or want to fix it by yourself? If you don’t want to spend money by calling a plumber then you can fix it by doing some DIY work. We have a step-by-step guideline on how to Stop kitchen faucet from leaking for different brand’s faucets. Keep following us with patience till the end.
Tools You Need Stop Kitchen Faucet Leaking
As you determine to fix the Kitchen faucet yourself and become a repairman you need to gather some tools. Those tools will make your task easier and sometimes they are worth the effort. Here is the list of those items, please check.
- Flathead screwdriver
- Wrench
- Needle-nose pliers
- Phillips screwdriver
- Adjustable wrench
How to Stop Kitchen Faucet From Leaking
Before going to the final process you need to understand what type of Faucet you have. there are four types of faucets usually used on the basis of a valve. They are compression faucets, ball faucets, cartridge faucets, and ceramic disk faucets.
Follow our below guideline to repair all kinds of Kitchen faucets in a short time.
Step 1: Disable the Water Line
First of all you need to turn off the waterline. If you don’t shut off the water line your kitchen could flood. To stop the waterline, look at the fixture, shut off valves and turn the handle clockwise. In case of not having any shutoff valves, turn off the central water supply of your house. Check whether the water line is shut off properly or not by turning the faucet on. If no water appears then go to the next step.
Step 2: Take Apart the Faucet Handles
Actually, the way to extract the handles of a dripping faucet relies on the type of fixture. For conventional fixtures, use a flathead screwdriver to extract the caps from the top of the handle. Unscrew these revealing handles and pull the handles off.
Step 3: Separate the Valve Stem
When the faucet handle is removed, you will find the inner valve on the stem or cartridge. This valve needs to be removed. In a compression faucet, there is a brass valve unscrewing these components. If you face any trouble you can separate the valve manually by following the instruction manual.
Step 4: Examine the Parts of the Sink
When you take all the parts out, examine them to be sure about what parts of the faucet need to be replaced. Most importantly you should examine the condition of the rubber washer, seals, and O-rings.
Step 5: Replace the Broken Parts
When you find any damage or broken components replace them. Go to your local hardware shop to look for the parts you need. The easiest way to get the proper parts for dripping faucets is to carry the old one to the hardware to ask for the exact duplicates.
Step 6: Sanitize & Place the Faucet Together
To sanitize and clean, pour it with white vinegar over the seat of the valve for a short time. Now brush it away and brush the other parts to restore it’s smoothness and shininess. After that when you have the new parts and cleaned everything then place and resemble the faucet. Turn the central water supply on and check for further leaks.
Common Causes of Leaky Faucets
Before discussing common causes of leaky faucets let’s talk about the place of water leaking. Water leaking from the spout is the most obvious leak and it’s very easy to notice. When you turn off the water you will see a small drip in the tap spout. This kind of leak normally occurs with an occasional drip and becomes worse over time.
Another type of leak is the base leak that is not as obvious. When you splash water on the base of the faucet and see the water is running and pools on the sink deck then it is obviously for the leak in the base.
Sometimes purchasing the poor quality kitchen faucet is also responsible for leaving. Because they are not made with minimum durability. Therefore purchasing a quality brand faucet can reduce the highest possibility of further leaking. See Miseno Faucets Reviews, they have a good reputation on kitchen and bathroom appliance material.
However, there are much more causes of leaking water in those two places that are beyond your thinking. Here we enlisted the five most common causes that are actually responsible for leaking.
A Broken Cartridge
A cartridge is a valve that controls the flow of the water in the handle. When you have a cartridge-style faucet and have two handles, one for cold water and another for hot water, and it’s dripping water, it is a sign of a problem with your cartridge and it may be broken inside the faucets.
Broken Washers
This is the most common cause in most cases for a leaking faucet. Over time for different fractions, this washer may wear out and lead to leaking water from the base. Sometimes a wrong size washer and improper installation are also responsible for water leaking.
Water Pressure
The pressure of water and flows can be the cause of faucet leaking. When you see the leak of water happen for a certain time when your handle moves certain away, the leak may be for the pressure of water in your home.
O-ring Issues
The handle of the faucet attaches with a stem screw in the place that has a small disc called O-ring. This ring helps to seal the kitchen faucet and for regular use, it can be worn and loose. This may cause a leak on the faucet and this type of result is often seen in cartridge faucets.
Corroded Valve Seat
A valve seat works as a connector between faucet and spout on the compression mechanism. By the accumulation of water, residues lead the valve seat to corrode and cause damage around the area. Not cleaning the valve seat with a professional plumber is the reason for this type of problem.
Conclusion
A faucet is an essential kitchen appliance that is used most of the time. Therefore any kind of leaking in the faucet may cause work disturbance in the kitchen and most importantly be responsible for the noise. Fixing the kitchen faucet can save a thousand gallons of water.
Hopefully, you have gathered all the knowledge on how to Stop kitchen faucet from leaking by going through this article. If you still have any quarry on this matter please let us know by commenting below.