DO-IT-YOURSELF : Fix a Leaky Faucet Without Feeling Drained

The toughest part of fixing a leaking faucet is getting to the job, but you shouldn’t put it off. Only one drop a second will waste a shameful amount of water--2,300 gallons a year.

The tools needed for faucet work are a large adjustable wrench, flat-blade screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver and pliers.

If the faucet is a tub-shower kind, you may need a set of special socket wrenches that cost about $10. These reach behind the wall to remove the packing nuts so you can remove the valve stems. With the stem out, tub-shower washer service proceeds as with smaller faucets.

The first step is to turn off the water supply. If you’re fixing just one side, hot or cold, of a dual-handle faucet and the fixture has handy shut-off valves beneath it, you need to turn off only the side to be worked on. Lacking under-fixture shut-offs, you’ll have to turn off the branch water supplies or the main house supply.

To remove the faucet handle, loosen the Phillips-head screw that holds it to the stem. Sometimes this screw is beneath a decorative trim cap in the center of the handle.

The cap either unscrews or can be snapped off by prying it with a putty knife. Handles lift or are pried off the upper end of the stem. If the old faucets are badly corroded, consider replacing them. It may be advisable to replace the entire faucet assembly.

Directly below the handle is the packing nut. Remove this nut to reveal the stem and any old packing around the stem. On the other end of the stem, you may find a rubber O-ring and, just beyond, the seat washer secured to the end of the stem with a washer screw. Then you will see the packing-nut washer and the faucet seat.

Remove any old packing from around the stem and examine the stem. If it shows areas that are badly rusted or corroded, replace it if possible. The seat washer is probably the source of the leak or the drip. Check it for a flattened appearance or a groove.

It may also be ragged or cracked because it has become brittle with age. Replace this washer even if it seems in good shape. It is secured with a screw. If the screw is rusty, replace it with a brass screw.

It is not easy to tell much about a faucet seat by looking at it. For best results and to avoid having to repeat this whole procedure soon, replace it too. Be sure to get one of the same size and shape.

Always take small parts to be replaced when you go to the supply or hardware store.

While at the store, buy a small pack of flexible packing if you had to remove old packing from around the stem. This is simply wound around the stem just above the threads for four or five turns.