Basics of Faucet Maintenance

A broken faucet is not a common occurrence, but when it does happen it is a messy one. If you own your own home you have to expect these incidents from time to time. The key is not to panic when there is water spraying around the room, but to concentrate on finding out where the problem is and get it fixed. The solution to most indoor plumbing problems is a lot simpler than you expect. It helps to have a basic knowledge of the general plumbing issues that you might encounter and how to fix them, or even better, prevent them from occurring in the first place with a little faucet maintenance.

Your kitchen gets at least as much use as your bathroom and kitchen faucets can spring a leak just as easily as those in the bathroom. Often the leak is not spotted as quickly as some faucets are hidden with a kitchen cabinet. Fixing the leak is fairly simple. Firstly you need to turn off the water valve that leads to the kitchen sink. Remove the leaky section of pipe and hold it up to the light to check for cracks or holes. You will need to replace the part of the pipe that is damaged. Wrap the open end of the pipe in plumbers tape or Teflon tape, with four or five rounds. Put the pipe back together and hook up the faucet. Turn the water back on to check that there are no more leaks in the pipe.

Waking up to find you have a frozen water pipe may be annoying, but you will probably find trying to track down the offending pipe even more frustrating. Try all the different water systems in your house to determine how many pipes are actually frozen. Turn off the ones that are working but leave the valve open on the ones that are not producing water. Next you need to turn off the main water valve to the house. You can now try to thaw the pipes.

Check what kind of pipes you have under your house. They could be made from plastic, or from a metal alloy. You will need a hairdryer or heat gun to thaw out the pipes, but be careful with plastic pipes as it is possible to melt them with too much heat. Before crawling under your house to thaw the pipes, make sure you have a long enough extension cord, the thawing device, and a flashlight. You may need to repair a hole or split in the pipe, and that may be the cause of the ice plug. In this case you will need spare pipe and plumbers tape as well. Assuming there is no hole you can heat the pipe by running the hairdryer or heat gun over it in a swishing motion, for no more than five minutes. Turn the water main back on and make sure there aren?t any leaks that you haven?t spotted.

Of course it would be better to prevent the pipes from freezing in the first place and this can be achieved by surrounding them in a heated pipe space, or installing insulation around them. Wrapping the pipes with heat tape, which can be purchased at your local hardware store, can also do the trick.

Jerry Blackburn very often pens news on ideas related to kitchen faucets and cabinets. You can have a look at his work on kitchen faucet maintenance over at http://www.kitchen-cabinets-tips.com/kitchen-faucets.html and many different sources for faucet maintenance tips.

Why Replace Your Kitchen Faucets?

When it comes to making your kitchen stand out and look great even the littlest things can make a big difference, so if your kitchen faucets are causing you a problem it is well worth forgetting about trying to mess around with repairing them and instead consider replacing the faucets altogether. This is a very cost effective and simple procedure that can make a huge difference to the appearance and practicality of this room. You can find faucets to suit all needs, and by installing faucets that fit in with any theme you have going in your kitchen or with the general d?cor you can enjoy really adding to the appearance of the room. You will find the perfect sink faucet to match your kitchen, as there is such a great choice available, and you can find accessories to match your kitchen cabinets, countertops, sinks, and decoration of your kitchen.

Replacing your kitchen faucets can make a real difference

When you replace the faucets in your kitchen you will enjoy a range of benefits. You can look forward to finding accessories that really fit in with your d?cor. You can add to the style and class of your kitchen as well simply be replacing the faucets for one of today?s modern and sleek styles. And with these faucets boasting a range of features you can also increase practicality in the kitchen, making life easier for yourself and others that use the kitchen. You will be able to select from many wonderful styles, with designs and features to suit all needs. Enjoy a choice of brass, copper, chrome, stainless steel, and more, which ensures that there is something to suit every taste and pocket. You can select the features that best meet your needs too, with choice that include filter faucets, double or single handle faucets, wall mount faucets, mixer faucets, shower faucets, and many others.

You won?t have to spend a fortune on your faucets

By shopping for your faucets online you can make really huge savings, as well as enjoy a far greater choice of faucets. You will find many top manufacturers offering great deals on faucets via the Internet, and the deep discounts on offer mean that you can enjoy excellent value for money. Enjoy comparing the faucets on offer to find the designs and features that best meet your needs, and look forward to saving money on the cost, ordering with ease, and even getting fast and convenient delivery of your order. Plumbing your faucet in should prove no problem, so once you receive them you can get your kitchen looking perfect in next to no time.

Whatever the theme or d?cor of your kitchen, you will be able to really complement it by installing the right faucets to match the style of your kitchen and the kitchen fixtures. This is a great and cost effective way to add to the look and functional benefits of your kitchen.

Focusing on the area of kitchen cabinets, the columnist writes at large for http://www.kitchen-cabinets-tips.com . You might find out more about his publications on kitchen faucets over at his website .

Bathroom Faucets: Beauty, Functionality, and Versatility

The bathroom is often one of the smallest room in the house, but it ranks second behind kitchen for the number of design and architectural decisions that must be made. From a design standpoint, the bathroom has some of the greatest challenges. Take the case of the humble bathroom faucet. Today you can make a unique style statement in your bathroom by complimenting the bathroom with stylish bathroom fittings and embellishments. The bathroom faucets display an almost infinite variety of styles and finishes. The faucets can be purchased in a fabricated finish such as polished chrome, brass, nickel, gold, acrylic enamels of colors, stainless steel, copper and mix and match combinations. Your imagination is the limit.

There are a few things you should be considered when selecting the perfect bathroom faucet. First, consider the type of handle you prefer, the style you prefer, the finish you want, the requirement of the lavatory it will be installed in, and at last, consider how much you want to spend. The most incisive consideration in choosing a bathroom faucet is the requirements of not only the sink but the countertop on which it will be mounted as well. Not only is the number of holes critical, but also some sinks such as vessels cannot be drilled at all. It has to be mounted on a deck or through a wall. It is also important to remember that desired accessories such as hot water spout, sprayer, a soap dispenser or the like need additional holes. Of course, many popular pedestal sinks are an all in one sink and faucet.

The bathroom faucet can come in an abundance of varieties and the only limit to the design of the bathroom faucet is the manufacturer's imagination. The bathroom faucets are manufactured in basic three styles called centerset, widespread and mini-widespread with a number of variations within those styles. Thus, the decorative and functional faucets are often chosen to complement the architectural style of the bathroom. Bathroom faucets are available in literally thousands of various designs, patterns, and colors to please even the pickiest of potential faucet owners. Each of the manufacturers offer designs and models in several different styles. The only choice you need to make is which one fits your needs and which one would look best in your bathroom!

Phil has been working as a repairman for more than 7 years. He has plenty of experience in repairing homes, especially in bathrooms since that is where he started his career. He is focused on water conservation, since the bathroom is the number one place of water consumption in the home. Visit http://www.3falk.com to learn more about conserving water and shower faucets.

What You Should Know About Kitchen Faucets

With today's kitchen faucets there are countless options. At one time the lowly kitchen faucet was just a way to get water into the sink. But today there are a large number of styles available to the consumer that are based on functionality, color and material from brass, to stainless steel.

But when considering a type of faucet you also need to consider if it is easy to get parts or to repair and replace parts. Warranties on kitchen faucets vary. The best ones offer lifetime protection against leaks and drips, insuring that your faucet will provide years of trouble-free service.

Most kitchen faucet models will fit all kitchen sinks, however there are some exceptions. So it is a good idea to check sizes first. For instance, you will want to verify if the spout length is not too long to prevent the spout from hitting inside the sink basin. Some people choose goose-neck faucets because they provide a high sink clearance for filling pots.

The most popular brands of kitchen faucets are Delta, Moen, and Kohler.

There are basically two groups of kitchen faucets. They are wall mounted or sink mounted. While wall mounted kitchen faucets were common, today most kitchen faucets are mounted into the top of sinks.

The best way to choose a kitchen faucet is by the quality of the product and its practicality and durability, as well as how if fits into the new décor and layout of the kitchen.

With most faucets being turned on and off hundreds of times a day, and for many years, it is necessary to select one that not only looks great, but also provide durable service.

There are generally two types of kitchen faucets in use today. Single-handle faucets are centersets where hot and cold are controlled by one lever or knob that's often part of the spout. The most common type of kitchen faucet is the widespread kitchen faucet. This type of faucet requires three separate holes and consists of the hot-water valve, the cold-water valve and the spout all being mounted separately.

In selecting a kitchen faucet you will want to consider the kitchen sink. Kitchen sinks usually come with from one to four or more holes to accommodate various types of kitchen faucets. If you are considering changing a faucet on an existing sink, it is better to select a faucet to fits the sink's current hole configuration. If you want to change from a three-hole type faucet to a single-hole one you will be left with open holes that will need to be filled. On the other hand if you try to knock out additional holes to change from a single-mount to a three-hole type faucet you run the risk of damaging an existing sink. Therefore you will find it much easier to also install a new kitchen sink and faucet together because you can choose any kind of kitchen faucet and sink that is compatible.

While you are at it, you might also consider installing the new kitchen faucet on your new sink and then install the faucet and sink combination into the new countertop at the same time. This way you will not have to work in such a tight place under the sink as you would have to when attaching a new faucet.

Today there are more choices than ever before when it comes to faucet finishes. Brushed nickel is moving up in popularity, at least according to Moen. It is now second only to chrome in popularity. Other finishes such as oil rubbed bronze are also becoming more popular with consumers.

The finishes available on the market provide both performance and durability. Most any color or texture for your kitchen faucet finish is available today. The most affordable material is chrome. PVD finishes, stainless and antique looks are generally more expensive.

Stainless steel remains the choice of kitchen faucets with most homeowners because it is easy to care for. A finish like brass will require a lot of time for cleaning.

James Mahoney is the author of many kitchen design articles and has a site about kitchen design ideas at Kitchen Designers Ideas.com. He also publishes a newsletter on kitchen design.

How Easy It is to Install a Kitchen Faucet

 

Your options for your kitchen faucet's main material pretty much come down to solid brass or plastic. Kitchen sinks are one of the most functional elements in any kitchen.

Internally, your kitchen faucet will control the flow of water using rubber washers, a plastic or ceramic cartridge, a plastic, brass, or stainless steel ball valve, or a ceramic disk.

Installing a kitchen faucet into a new sink is simple because you can do it before setting the sink in place, with full access to the faucet parts, including the hard-to- reach mounting nuts.

If the sink is already in place, replacing a kitchen faucet can be a challenge since your only access is from under the sink. Depending on your circumstance, you may find it easier in the long run to remove the sink first.

After installing your new kitchen faucet, remove the aerator from the faucet and flush the lines to ensure that any debris does not clog and reduce the water flow. Many new faucets require some assembly before mounting to the sink; if that is the case, follow the manufacturer's directions.

Insert the rubber gasket between the base plate of the kitchen faucet and the sink top to create a watertight seal. If no gasket is provided, pack the cavity of the faucet with plumber's putty, then inserts the faucet body through the holes in the sink top.

Thread the mounting nuts provided onto the faucet shafts, then center the threaded shafts in the sink's holes and tighten the nuts firmly.

Hook up the kitchen faucet's hot and cold supply lines to the water supply shutoff valves under the sink. Simply wrap a couple of turns of pipe-wrap tape around the threaded nipples on the valves and connect the tubes. Tighten the nuts with an adjustable wrench.

About The Author: Roger King has been writing articles on home decorating ideas for several years, and has been helping people find and review the best value for interior design solutions.

Visit his web site www.all-homeinteriordesigns.com for free tips and guides for your home improvement projects