Easy Cartridge Faucet Repair You Can Do!
Repairing a modern type of cartridge faucet can
be one of the easiest home repairs that you can do. In
general, anybody can do this, with or without experience with
plumbing. In fact, you can even coach
someone over the phone about the whole process and still get good
results. All you would need is pay
close attention, and you would be done in no time!
General Problems
The most common problems encountered in cartridge faucets, is
usually caused by a problem in the
interior cartridge, which usually wears and tears over time.
Nevertheless, there is no need to worry since
this type of faucet was created with simplicity of repair in mind.
Getting Started: Purging The Lines
To start off, you need to purge your water lines. In order to do
this, you should turn off the entire water
source that is running to your faucet. Try looking beneath your
faucet and there you can see the shut off
valve that cuts of the water source. If you don’t have one somewhere
near your faucet, then you would have to turnoff the main valve.
If you have to deal with the main valve, take note that it would
take you longer to purge. Most
households have a shutoff valve feature that is directly placed
under the sink, so it is the least of
possibilities that you need to shutoff the main valve.
After you have cut the water source, turn on the faucet. Let the
water keep on running. Try to wait
until all the water in the pipes has emptied, and before you proceed
to the next step, double check
first if the water lines are really empty.
Working On The Faucet
Now, to start working on the faucet itself, you need to remove the
sink handles. You would have to unscrew them. Locate the protective
cap and pop it off. This is where you would usually find the screw.
You can use a butter knife or a screwdriver to do the trick. While
doing this, try to be very careful so that you do not scratch it. In
this way, it would still look nice after the job. Now you can start
unscrewing the knobs until you completely remove them.
If you already know which type of cartridge it is that you need,
then the better. If you don’t you can simply
bring your old one to your local hardware and people there will be
able to help you out.
Once you get the new cartridge, go back and install it. Then,
replace the knobs. When you are done with
this, try testing out the water. If the test runs smoothly without
problems, then you are done.
However, if you experience some water leaks during the test, you
have to do some adjustment again. Turn off the water source and take
off the knobs once more. Try to check and ensure that you placed the
cartridge in the right position. If it’s not, then try to maneuver
it into the right place.
Put the knobs back into place and turn on the water source again.
Try the water test once more. If this
time it runs smoothly, then you have reached success with your
repair. If you are still experiencing
problems, then you may have a problem coming from a different
source.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
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