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Even the most reliable faucets begin to leak water over time – they flow or drip. It is not always necessary to call a plumber to fix a faucet. Most breakdowns can be fixed on your own. But, before you repair a dripping faucet, you need to understand its design and workflow.
Types
Let’s start with definitions. There are faucets and faucets in the bathroom and not in the kitchen. Taps only supply water, mixers also allow you to regulate its temperature by mixing two streams – cold and hot water. In this article we will talk specifically about cranes and how to repair them. Repair of mixers is very similar, but has its own characteristics. By the way, you can read about the repair of single-lever mixers here.
There are several types of taps for the bathroom or kitchen:
- valve;
- single-lever (also called cartridge or flag).
Cranes – flag and valve
Their device is different, so that the repair, even with the same damage, is significantly different. Therefore, each of the species will be considered separately.
Self-repair of a valve valve
Valve taps can be called classics of water supply. And, although they are gradually being replaced by new designs, there are still plenty of them. Their internal structure has not changed over the decades. Only the design has changed – it has become more diverse and refined. Today you can find both the most common models and very exotic ones.
Water taps of this type are still in use, as they are simple and reliable, they serve not for years, but for decades. If all the “stuffing” is of good quality, all that can fail during this time is gaskets. Replacing them is the main way to repair a valve valve.
Replacing the rubber gasket
If, with the valve completely closed, the faucet in the kitchen or bathroom continues to drip, most likely the reason is the gasket on the valve that has lost its elasticity (see photo in the next paragraph). She stopped snuggling tightly against the saddle, which is why the water continues to flow and sometimes the tap does not just drip, but even flows. Repair the faucet in this case – replace the gasket. To do this, you need a wrench, or better – an adjustable wrench and a set of gaskets.
Before you fix a dripping faucet, turn off the water supply (you can completely, you can only in this branch, if possible). Next, it is useful to make sure that the water is still blocked. Water does not flow – we begin repairs. You will need a wrench or adjustable wrench. They will need to unscrew the head housing (the upper part of the housing).
It is better to work with a wrench. In order not to damage the surface during the operation, wrap it with a soft cloth, and then apply the key. Unscrew the head, remove the valve. Now you can replace the gasket or install a new valve. You pry the old one with something sharp – you can use a screwdriver with a flat blade, you can – with an awl, etc.
When choosing a gasket, please note that its edges must be beveled at about 45 °, otherwise the plumbing will make noise during operation. If this is not in your arsenal, you can trim the edge with something sharp – a knife or scissors.
If there is no suitable gasket, it can be cut from a sheet of dense rubber (porous is not suitable). The thickness of the rubber sheet or gasket is 3,5 mm, the inner diameter is slightly less than the stem diameter, the outer one should not protrude. Don’t forget the 45° beveled edges.
After installing the gasket, put the valve in place, twist the head. The new models do not require a winding on the thread. Moreover, winding is contraindicated – it can cause a crack in the body. If an old crane from the times of the USSR is being repaired, tow is placed on the thread, lubricated with packing paste, then twisted. After that, you can gradually turn on the water.
Sometimes the opposite story happens with this gasket on the valve – water does not flow or barely oozes. In this case, the gasket flew off the stem and blocked the flow of water. First, you can try to open / close the tap a couple of times, and if it doesn’t help, you need to repeat the operation described above, that is, repair the tap by replacing the gasket. Just remember to remove the old one stuck to the saddle.
Water oozing from under the stem
If water drips from under the valve, the seals are most likely worn out. There are two ways to fix a faucet with a leak from under the stem. To begin with, you can try to twist the head housing more tightly. They do it again with a wrench. It is undesirable to use pliers, as traces remain after them. Tighten the head as far as possible (just don’t overdo it).
If the thread is tightened to the maximum, and water continues to ooze, it is necessary to replace the gaskets on the stuffing box. To do this, first tighten the tap to the limit, then remove the tap head again, pry something sharp and remove both rubber rings, replacing them with new ones.
Water does not shut off
If the gasket is changed, and the water does not shut off, when the tap is rotated, the thread is torn off, it is necessary to change the stem – the thread on it has worn off. There are two options here – replace the stem itself or completely the entire valve head.
If the threads are not worn, the gasket is new, but the faucet is leaking, inspect the seat. It may have a hole in it. It is formed gradually – it is washed out by water supplied with high pressure. If the gasket is pressed loosely in some place, a sink will form in this place. Sometimes water undermines the entire circumference, forming sharp edges, which quickly damage the gasket. The gully and sharp edge must be removed. Take a regular screwdriver and run it along the edge to dull the sharp edge. The same operation can be done with a nut file or a piece of fine-grained sandpaper. The main thing is to achieve a smooth (as far as possible) and non-sharp edge.
How to fix a cartridge faucet
Most often, taps with one lever are installed in the bathroom or in the kitchen. They are also called flag or single-lever. For opening / closing the water in it, a special device is responsible – a cartridge, because they are also called cartridge.
Inside the cartridge there are two plates with holes. The lower one is fixed rigidly, and the upper one is movable. A rod is attached to it, and it, in turn, is attached to the handle. Turning the handle, we move the rod, and it shifts the movable plate, which opens / closes the water and changes its pressure.
If there are problems with such a faucet, it can only be repaired by replacing the cartridge. The main problem in them is that they start to flow – water oozes or drips from under the handle. To repair a leaking or dripping cartridge faucet, the cartridge must be replaced. The only way.
Replacing the cartridge
First of all, you need to turn off the water, then remove the handle. To do this, first remove the colored plug – it closes the screw. Having unscrewed the screw, the handle is pulled up, separating it from the stem. After the handle is removed, unscrew the clamping ring – it holds the cartridge. Now it remains only to take it out.
Then, along with the cartridge, you need to go to a store or market, buy exactly the same. The new one must match in size, the holes in its lower part must have the same shape and location. In general, you need to find an exact copy.
Assembly is in reverse order:
- we put the cartridge (strictly vertically, scrolling a little around its axis so that the protrusions in the case fall into the recesses on the cartridge),
- tighten the clamping nut;
- install the handle
- screw in the fixing screw;
- insert a plug.
An initial check can be made after the pressure ring has been installed. You can open the water and check if the faucet is flowing now.
If the flow of water has become too weak
Most modern faucets are equipped with a mesh on the spout that traps solid particles that may be contained in the plumbing. If gradually the stream of water became not so elastic, and the pressure on other taps did not change, the reason is the clogging of this very grid. In this case, you can fix the faucet in a couple of minutes.
Unscrew the nut with the mesh, which is located at the end of the spout. Rinse it, clean the clogged holes (you can use a needle or an old toothbrush). Install the cleaned mesh in place.