Here in Gainesville, plumbing repair shouldn’t be the headache most people assume it will be. A leaky faucet, if fixed promptly, is only a leaky faucet – no big deal. A dripping faucet or showerhead can be fixed sometimes by simply tightening things up a little more. It can be literally one twist of a wrench away from being solved. Of course, there are repairs that are more extensive both in time and breadth, especially if left
Repairing a faucet the DIY way
unattended to for a while; but many plumbing problems can be sorted in a jiffy. And many of them can be done by the homeowner without calling a plumber.
Take, for example, the leaky faucet. There are several types of faucets on the market today and you will need to determine which type you have before you can deal with the problem. Fortunately, a quick search on the web can help you discover this fairly easily, and the people at your local DIY store are also only too willing to help.
Let’s say you are repairing a compression faucet (one of the most common) that is leaking from below one of the taps. The procedure is simple and requires no specialized tools. Turn off the water under the sink by twisting the shut-off valves to the right. Plug up the sink with a rag to stop any parts from dropping down the drain and being lost forever (a hair-pulling event if ever there was one). Pop off the plastic plate on the top of the tap – the one that normally has the hot and cold labels – revealing a screw underneath. Remove the screw and pull off the handle.
What you should see is a little bronze-colored valve. Sometimes just tightening up the valve with a crescent wrench will do the trick. Try it and reassemble the faucet before you turn the shut-off valve back on. If the leak is gone, you are done. If it is still leaking, then you need a do a couple of extra steps.
Once you have re-exposed the valve, unscrew it from the sink. It’s very small and should come right out. If the threads where the valve screwed into the sink area are dirty or rusted, sand them. On the base of the valve is a small ring of rubber (the gasket) that acts as the seal between the valve and the pipe. If this ring has deteriorated, take it off and take it with you to your local DIY store and get a replacement. They cost pennies. Pick up a tube of plumbers putty while you’re there.
Reassemble the faucet back at home and apply a little plumbers putty to the screw thread before screwing it back in and reassembling the tap. This should fix the problem. If it doesn’t, the next step is to replace the valve itself. Once again, take it in and have the DIY store workers help you find an exact match. This entire process works the same way for bathtub taps.
And there it is: easy procedures to do your own plumbing repairs in Gainesville. And for the big stuff, or for any plumbing repair job you don’t feel comfortable attempting, call us here at Roto-Rooter, where an expert is right around the corner.
