Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather ChannelKitchens and Baths, Plumbing, Repairs and Installation, Interior Published 09/21/2007 by Danny Lipford
After years of daily use, a faucet may develop a leak around the handle when it is turned on, or drip constantly from the faucet no matter how hard you try to turn it off. Both problems can often be solved by replacing the washer and sealing the valve threads with Teflon tape.
Article Continued Below
Start by turning off the water, then remove the screw in the handle of the faucet.
Next, pry off the faucet handle. If corrosion has it frozen in place, you may have to use a spray lubricant like WD-40 and slowly work it loose.
After the handle is off, use a deep well socket and wrench to unscrew the valve from the housing.
Once the valve is loose, take it out of the housing.
Remove the screw in the end of the valve, and take out the washer.
Replace the old washer with a new one of the same diameter and thickness and tighten the screw holding it on.
Wrap the housing threads on the outside of the valve with Teflon tape to prevent it from leaking at the handle.
Screw the valve back into the housing, being careful not to strip or over tighten the threads.
Replace the handle, turn on the water, and you should be ready to go.
Comments Below
Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford® is brought to you by:
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:06 am
I have water leak under my bathtub. water coming down the drain pipe. i can’t find where is the leak coming from.How can find my problem. Please help
November 5th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Joe ,Infrared can find it.If Danny doesn’t mind,
tell me what part of the country you live in and I can get somebody that can help.
John Cannamela
www.infraredsurvey.com
November 11th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
I have a leak behind my bathtub faucet that has caused the drywall to get wet and the tiles are loose. Whenever we shower the water drips in my laundry downstairs. can you help me?
December 17th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Hi, I am trying to repair the drain pipe under my sink in the bathroom. This is an old 1939 Spanish house and it has rusted thru and leeks in the elbow. I have purchased the items and bot a wrench. Is there anything I should be aware of when taking off and replacing the new one. I was told not to use plumber’s tape. Thanks, Betty
May 4th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
We tried the fix described in this article, but the tub and showerhead faucets still leak from both hot and cold taps. One of the valves broke when we removed it, so we took the whole set up of both handles to a trusted plumbing supply for replacement parts and advice. When we followed directions but still had a leak, we tried taking it apart to re-do it, but of course that only made things worse. Any ideas?