Don’t worry about a leaking faucet in three minutes

Many people experience dripping or leaking faucets in their homes. Most people don’t pay much attention to it at first, and feel that a drop or two of water is not a big deal. But in fact, this undoubtedly caused a great waste of water resources. If you find that the faucet at home is leaking, you should spend time to find the cause. If it is not a major problem, you can solve it by yourself. Below, the editor will introduce several solutions to leaking faucets.

1. Three common water leakage situations and cause analysis

1. Causes of water leakage at the outlet

That is due to the wear of the shaft gasket in the faucet. Use pliers to loosen the gland and remove it, take out the shaft gasket with a clamp, and replace it with a new shaft gasket.

2. Causes of water leakage in the lower gap of the faucet

That is caused by the wear of the triangular gasket in the gland. You can loosen the screw to remove the bolt head, then loosen and remove the gland, then take out the triangle seal inside the gland and replace it with a new one.

3. Water leakage at the joint

Roughly the cap nut is loose, you can re-tighten the cap nut or replace with a new U-shaped gasket.

Second, the solution to the leakage of different faucets

1. Leaking push-type faucet

Prepare tools: screwdriver, penetrating lubricant, slip joint pliers or adjustable wrench and the pad to be replaced.

Faucet repair steps:

Step 1: Close the water inlet valve. Remove the small screws on or behind the faucet handle to remove the handle fixed on the faucet body. Some screws are hidden under metal buttons, plastic buttons, or plastic sheets, which snap into or screw into the handle. As long as you turn on the button, you will see the handle screw on the top.

Step 2: Remove the handle and check the parts of the faucet. Use large slip joint pliers or an adjustable wrench to remove the packing nut, being careful not to scratch the metal. Turn the spool or shaft in the same direction as when you turned on the faucet to unscrew them.

Step 3: Remove the screw holding the washer. If necessary, use penetrating lubricant to loosen the screws. Check the screws and valve core, and replace them if they are damaged.

Step 4: Replace the old washer with an identical new washer. New washers that almost exactly match the old washers generally keep the tap from dripping. You should also pay attention to whether the old gasket has a bevel or flat, and replace it with the same new gasket. A gasket designed only for cold water will swell violently when hot water flows through it, blocking the water outlet and slowing down the flow of hot water. Some gaskets can work in both hot and cold water, but you should make sure that the replacement gasket you buy is exactly the same as the original one.

Step 5: Fix the new gasket to the valve core, and then reinstall the parts in the faucet. Rotate the spool clockwise. After the spool is in place, reinstall the packing nut. Be careful not to scratch the metal with the wrench.

Step 6: Reinstall the handle and put the button or disc back. Turn on the water supply again and check for leaks.

2. Water tap leakage caused by the sealing ring of the tap

Dripping occurs when the faucet is closed; water leakage occurs when there is water flowing through the faucet. If you see water pouring from around the handle, your faucet is leaking; the first thing to do is to make sure that the packing nut of the faucet is tight, but be careful not to scratch the nut with pliers or a wrench.

Tools: adjustable wrench, replacement faucet seal, petroleum jelly.

If you find that the cause of the water leakage is not the loose nut, then you need to replace the sealing ring. The sealing ring of the faucet can be a tight sealing ring composed of one or more O-shaped rubber rings, or it can be something like a string or soft metal wire wrapped around the valve core under a packing nut. When replacing the faucet seal, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Turn off the water supply and remove the faucet handle.

Step 2: Unscrew the packing nut, remove the nut and the old sealing ring from the valve core.

Step 3: Install a new seal ring. If you are using a linear sealing material, wrap it around the valve core a few times. If it is a sealing material such as a soft metal wire, only wrap around the valve core once.

Before you reassemble the faucet, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the threads of the valve core and packing nut.

3. Water leakage caused by the valve seat of the faucet

If you change the gasket and the faucet still drips, then there may be a problem with the valve seat of the faucet. A damaged gasket may cause the valve seat of the faucet to be worn out by the metal valve core and become uneven, or the deposition of chemicals in the water may form a residue, which prevents the gasket from being completely compressed with the valve seat.

How to repair a broken faucet seat? Of course, you can replace the entire faucet. Another option is to just replace the faucet holder. If you have the right tool-called a seat wrench, then removing the old seat is a simple matter. Insert the valve seat tightening wrench into the valve seat, and then turn it counterclockwise. Once you remove the old valve seat, make sure that the new valve seat you bought is exactly the same as the original one. If the seat cannot be removed, insert a seat cover that can slide into the proper position of the old seat and provide a seal. Two types of valve seat rollers or sanders that can flatten worn valve seats.

Another option is to use a seat roller or sander, which is an inexpensive tool that can flatten a worn seat. When using this tool, be careful not to use it for too long or use too much force, because the valve seat is made of soft metal, and you can easily wear it off too much.

When using the sander, first remove the faucet valve core, and insert the valve seat roller down into the valve seat in the faucet body. Rotate the tool clockwise several times with moderate force. Then use a cloth to wipe clean the metal shavings from the valve seat.

4. The O-ring of the faucet can also cause the faucet to leak

The faucet in the kitchen has one or more O-rings to prevent water from gushing around the outlet. If the O-ring is worn out, you will see water flowing out of the bottom of the outlet every time you turn on the faucet.

Tools: adjustable wrench, water pipe jointing tape, replacement O-shaped.

Steps to replace O-ring:

Step 1: Turn off the water supply, turn counterclockwise and remove the threaded coupling nut that fixes the water outlet. Be sure to wrap the nut with tape to prevent it from being scratched by pliers or wrenches.

Step 2: After removing the coupling nut, lift the water outlet up and take it out of the water outlet seat. You can see these rings in the water outlet seat.

Step 3: Replace the problematic ring with a new one of the same size. Reassemble the faucet.