Leaky faucet question

[waksupi]

Tried to fix my dripping faucet today. Got the new rubber gaskets and springs, put them in, still drips. Put in a different set, still drips. What am I missing?

[John Allen]

The crown on the bottom is probably cracked they are replaceable if it is decent faucet

[KYCaster]

OK Ric......this is just like "Why is my barrel leading?"

Need more info. One handle or two? Kitchen or lav or tub? What brand.....sounds like Delta or maybe Peerless or Valley. The nice young lady at Lowe's will sell you the same parts for all of them, but they may not work.

Jerry

[oneokie]

Washerless faucet? Check the metal plate with the hole in it. It could have mineral buildup on it.

[redneckdan]

Washerless faucet? Check the metal plate with the hole in it. It could have mineral buildup on it.

I hate household plumbing. I can tell you how to repack a MillMAX tailings pump but I never figured out the faucet in my college apartment. Landlord never fixed it so I sweated in fittings and a ball valve. No more dripping!

[Alvarez Kelly]

I can probably help, but I'll need the brand and model. Photos would be good. I do this all the time.

[Blacksmith]

Ric
Depends on many things. Here are illustrations of two of the many types of faucets. If yours is an older style like the first shown the following may apply.

The seat the washer seals against may be corroded. Some faucets you can replace the seat and some you can reface with a tool that looks something like a case trimmer.

Cut away view of one type of faucet typically older type.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/how-to-do-faucet-repairs.htm

Exploded view of single lever faucet common in newer installations.
http://wetheadmedia.com/how-to-fix-seven-types-of-leaky-faucets/

[waksupi]

There is no brand marked on it. I do remember it was a rather expensive fixture when I got it, with lifetime warranty, for whatever that is worth. Looks like a Delta on the inside, though. Double handled bathroom fixture.

John, I have no idea what a crown is.

77758

[Alvarez Kelly]

It does look like a Delta. If the rubber washer you replaced looked like a small cup, you will probably have to replace the stem assemblies also. Often they look fine, but a new one will stop the drip. Since you mentioned replacing a spring, I believe this is the type you have.

If you replaced rubber flat washers, the answer is different.

[waksupi]

Yes, they have the spring and small rubber cup. Guess I'll get stems on Friday when I go to town again.

[Idaho Mule]

Sounds to me like the lube grooves have somehow spread beyond their capacity. What velocity are you going for? what twist is your faucet? what lube are you using? Sorry, the devil made me do it. I too have a leaking kitchen faucet, but it is a cheapie and I will just junk it and replace it with another soon as I kill my elk, or mother yells much louder. JW

[snuffy]

Tried to fix my dripping faucet today. Got the new rubber gaskets and springs, put them in, still drips. Put in a different set, still drips. What am I missing?

The valve seat most likely has a chip or groove in it. If the seat is replaceable, you can get a new one, then the new rubber seal will seal properly.

[fouronesix]

If the washer has a tapered bevel to it it is a more or less standard type- a ton of these were marketed for the "old fashioned artsy fartsy" look. Quite a few different manufacturers. Sometimes impossible to find exact replacement parts and usually expensive. They ain't rocket science but can be frustrating. The seat (some call the crown) is the part that the washer compresses onto to seal. Three approaches. 1) Try to repair by replacing the washer and resurfacing the seat (crown). Cheap little tools available for that purpose. 2) Search on line for replacement parts. 3) Replace with current manufacture, quality fixture.

If it has a stem packing issue that is something else entirely, although not a very difficult R&R.

If the seat (crown) has a tiny crack (very common with these type units and hard to see) then no amount of re-crowning the seat or replacement of washers will fix it. Replace with a modern, non-artsy fartsy fixture.

[John Allen]

As snuffy said. The rubber gasket sits on a seat aka crown it looks like a tepee with the top cut off. You need a tool to take it out.

[blackthorn]

Don't know much about the different types of fawcet but years ago they used to have a brass "cup" that the rubber washer/seal pressed against. Those brass cups would get dirty/corroded so we would find a steel ball bearing the right size, solder/weld a "shaft" to it add a bit of valve grinding compound and spin the bearing against the cup. That usually fixed the drip. I hate fooling with plumbing!!!

[Echo]

And when the drip continues for any length of time, the water (with minerals) will erode the seat, requiring replacement or re-surfacing. Been there, done that...

[MWesner55]

I work at Home Depot. You prolly need a new faucet. Buy a Delta they just don't break.

[Alvarez Kelly]

I work at Home Depot. You prolly need a new faucet. Buy a Delta they just don't break.

I only install Delta faucets. I also repair them quite regularly. Parts fail.

[MWesner55]

Naw. Delta is the best. Not to get in a pissing contest. Sometimes if they aren't installed correctly they need to be repaired.

[waksupi]

Went to town, got a new stem, problem fixed. Thanks for the input!

[Alvarez Kelly]

Naw. Delta is the best. Not to get in a pissing contest. Sometimes if they aren't installed correctly they need to be repaired.

They are great faucets. They still wear out. They are the only brand of faucets I install. I carry a full line of repair parts on my service truck. Parts wear out. I have dozens of faucets over 20 years old. They still work fine, but I have to replace washers and stems once in a while. I also have to replace the whole faucet set occasionally. Sometimes they are just worn out. Especially kitchen faucets.

Selling parts at a box store is not the same as installing and servicing them for decades.

[MWesner55]

Touché. I've only worked there for a week anyway. They just tell us to tell the customers we know what we are talking about... Most of the time we don't.

[uscra112]

I hate household plumbing. I can tell you how to repack a MillMAX tailings pump but I never figured out the faucet in my college apartment. Landlord never fixed it so I sweated in fittings and a ball valve. No more dripping!

Ball valves. God gave us ball valves. Why use anything else?

[Blacksmith]

I love asking questions at the big box store. The questions I ask usually get the deer in the headlight look from the kid 1/3 my age who started work a week ago.

[Alvarez Kelly]

I love asking questions at the big box store. The questions I ask usually get the deer in the headlight look from the kid 1/3 my age who started work a week ago.

I have found exactly one, reasonably knowledgeable person working at any of the four local box stores. He works in the electrical department. He actually knows enough to be helpful.

[KYCaster]

I work at Home Depot. You prolly need a new faucet. Buy a Delta they just don't break.



I've been doing this for 35 years and I repair more Delta/Peerless than all other brands combined.

I realize that they're the best selling brand (mainly because Lowe's pushes them), but they fail at a higher rate than other major brands.

Jerry

[MWesner55]

No way my KY. Without a doubt pfister fails more than any brand out there. Garbage.

[KYCaster]

Don't see many of those around here.

Jerry

[Alvarez Kelly]

No way my KY. Without a doubt pfister fails more than any brand out there. Garbage.

I quit buying them years ago. Had nothing but trouble, even with brand new ones.

[MWesner55]

I think we can all agree delta rocks. Pfister sucks. Period.

[gbrown]

I read all this and just laughed my tail off--not at others on the forum, but at myself. I have an older house with older plumbing. Everytime I get into it, every job is a 3X trip (s) to Home Depot. It's like cut 'n paste. I can sympathize with you, waksupi. Congratulations on your success.

[Bad Water Bill]

waksupi

Glad to hear you were able to whittle a new wooden peg for the faucet.:bigsmyl2:

[blackthorn]

I have NEVER tackled even the most minor plumbing repair job without it turning into a major pain in the butt!! When it comes to plumbing, I have learned to just---CALL THE GUY!!! Glad to hear you got your problem fixed.

[gbrown]

I love asking questions at the big box store. The questions I ask usually get the deer in the headlight look from the kid 1/3 my age who started work a week ago.


I have found exactly one, reasonably knowledgeable person working at any of the four local box stores. He works in the electrical department. He actually knows enough to be helpful.

Guy I like to deal with works at Home Depot, about my age. Have known him 40+ years, he is the son of the Sheriff I worked for. He has worked in hardware stores all his life. A walking encyclopedia of plumbing, electrical and hardware issues. You think they appreciate him? I got a 1000 to one odds they ain't gotta clue.

[frkelly74]

A solid brass faucet with a washer and packing in it that could be replaced was a darn good system in my opinion. Any of the washerless ones are a good system till they start to leak and then they are a pain .... in my opinion.

[KYCaster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa1ez7yL_T4

[Alvarez Kelly]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa1ez7yL_T4

I AM the man. :-)

[Dark Helmet]

Replaced your stem with the one that has the metal insert on the bottom for the cup to ride on, I hope? Not the all plastic stem?

[salpal48]

What your really Missing In the DIY is a good PLUMBER
That's It

[waksupi]

Replaced your stem with the one that has the metal insert on the bottom for the cup to ride on, I hope? Not the all plastic stem?

Got metal!