advice on how to fix a leaky faucet on my own?

[freeplessinseattle]

or should I just call the landlord? would rather not just for that, plus I'd have to actually do a thorough cleaning, but if it's explained simply enough to the mechanically challenged I might just be able to swing it..

thanks in advance!

[teach1st]

1. Dang! You must be my twin...

...I've got the same problem, same aversion to calling the landlord.

Eagerly awaiting some advice.

[freeplessinseattle]

8. lo, glad it's not just me, I was feeling silly about posting this but

you made me feel better! good luck to you!

[amerikat]

2. two handle faucet?

This should be about as easy as explaining how to tie ones shoes, but i'll give it a try

[freeplessinseattle]

9. oh, yeah, I s'pose that makes a difference, shows how little I know!

it's a one handle rotate on a ball type, if that makes sense, but it sounds like it may not be that easy to explain unless you were standing beside me with a flashlight! thanks for the thought though!

[AZCat]

11. I actually work at a hardware store on weekends...

We sell a lot of plumbing stuff (specialize in heating/cooling/plumbing). Can you tell what brand it is? It might say something like "Delta" on the faucet. If so, it's a pretty easy fix. The stuff you need should all come in a repair kit - just ask the hardware store people about it. It also helps if you take the "stuff" out of the faucet and take it to the hardware store with you (make sure you shut the water off first).

[freeplessinseattle]

14. Yes, it's a Delta! and a swing handle though, is it doable for me

I'm not mechanically inclined, but determined and patient, nad may actually own my own home someday, keep hope alive!

[AZCat]

15. Good! This isn't so bad...

Here is what you need to know: Delta has TWO types of single-handle balls - don't worry about which one you have, just make sure to take the ball or the white plastic cover that fits over the ball to the hardware store. This will make sure that you get the right stuff. The OTHER things you need to take with you are the springs and rubber "seats". Delta switched the design of these a while back and you will either have the old set or the new set. Again, don't worry which - just take it and ask the service person to match it up.

Go to this page for a nice schematic and walthrough. It's not quite the same (it's a kitchen faucet) but it is close enough that you should be able to understand what you are looking at.


Good luck!

[intheflow]

3. Depends on the plumbing. Hard to diagnose on line.

So as someone who knows nothing of plumbing, I would take pictures of the faucet at different angles, note if the opening is threaded or not, go to a hardware store and talk to the person in plumbing. Show your pictures. Ask their opinion. Get a couple opinions from a couple different places, if possible. Then you'll have a better idea of what you're up against.

[freeplessinseattle]

10. pardon my stupidity, but what does "threaded" mean?

and thanks for the advice, btw! that does help!

[intheflow]

13. Like when you open a soda bottle.

Where the cap meets the bottle, the grove that seals the bottle when closed is referred to as threaded. So there might be threads on the outside of the faucet, like the neck of a soda bottle.

But the inside the cap is threaded too. Some sinks also have a thread inside them where some kind of faucet cap might be needed. (Faucet cap is just my name for it. I'm picturing an end piece that maybe holds a screen or something. I vaguely remember having a faucet like that once. It dripped all the time!)

[Kali]

4. great book

old but maybe available in library or used book store (or reissued) from Time/life called "How things work in your home and what to do when they don't"

Easy to understand illustrations and instructions. Covers several different kinds of faucets - I could help you but you would neet to give me a LOT of verbal info that is so much easier to deal with if you have an illustration right in front of you.

and lastly if you are desperate - turn off the main supply to that sink or faucet and begin gently to take things apart, remembering EXACTLY what order and where they were. Take it all to the hardware store and have them give you the relevant replacement items.

[Old and In the Way]

5. Maybe this will help....

http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/homemaintenance/plumbing/faucet/comp.php


Google is your friend!

[wtmusic]

6. this usually works

1) turn off water under sink
2) take faucet apart (turn anything counterclockwise you can get a screwdriver or a wrench on) remembering where everything goes
3) at some point you'll come across a black neoprene (like rubber) ring--take it off and go to the hardware store and tell 'em you want a new one
4) put everything back together

Voila! Good luck!

[NV Whino]

7. There's a great book available

How to Fix Damn Near Anything. Honest, that's the title. I got it as a remainder, but I'm sure you could find it if you did a search.

Fawcets are a piece of cake, really. It's probably just a washer, but getting the right sized washer can be a challenge. If it's a single handle lever, forget it and call the landlord. Those things can't be fixed and the entire fixture needs to be replaced. And that's why you pay rent... so someone else has to deal with those problems. Besides, your landlord can deduct the expense. You, as a rentor, can't.

[freeplessinseattle]

12. oh, poo, guess I'm calling the landlord

and spend the rest of the weekend making my place spotless (and taking down the pictures I shouldn't have nailed into the wall, better get some Crest, this Aqua-Fresh would be a dead giveaway!)

s'pose I should get off DU soon and be productive, but there's so much more to read than ever, I probably won't budge until SNL starts.

thanks so much for your advice!