Addressing Your Leaky Faucet

Leaky faucets not only make annoying sounds and leave pools of water, they also waste water. Not a huge conservationist? This might grab your attention: that wasted water raises your monthly water bill. But calling a plumber can be expensive too. Before doing that, take a little time out of your day to see if you can fix it on your own.

Please note that the below steps are only recommended for people who feel comfortable with their tools and handyman capabilities. If you have little - no experience working with tools, please call a licensed plumber instead.

There are too many makes and models to be able to tell exactly how to fix your specific sink, part by part, but there are general guidelines you can follow. First, you'll want to go to your manufacturer's homepage and see if they have a diagram of your sink on the website. If not, you can usually request this information and have it sent to you.

Before taking your sink apart, try and find out what type of water-control mechanism you have. Single-handled faucets can have either a ball, cartridge or disc mechanism. Dual-handled faucets can have either a compression, disc or cartridge mechanisms. Of these four mechanisms, compression faucets are most likely to leak to do the functionality of the design causing more wear-and-tear on the washers.

To get started, crawl underneath your sink and be sure that the water is turned off. Following a diagram of your faucet, start taking it apart. As you take each piece apart, look for any signs of leakage such as loose or damaged sealants (o-rings, washers, etc) or wetness where there shouldn't be. If you cannot isolate the location of the leak, put the faucet back together, making sure everything is tightened. If this does not fix the leak, replace all sealants. If the problem persists, call a licensed plumber.

Greg Mauro is a staff author for Best Home Resource as well as Help for Health and it's conglomerate sites.

Choosing A Kitchen Faucet

These days, kitchen faucets do not only serve as a basic, functional piece in the kitchen. With all the shapes, sizes, designs, and finishes available in the market, they now become a factor in setting the style of your kitchen.

Whether your kitchen has a classic country design or an ultra modern architecture, there is a faucet available to exactly fit the atmosphere you wish to create.

Here are some considerations that you need to think about when choosing a new kitchen faucet:

 

1. First and foremost, choose a faucet that matches your sink's faucet connection. Then, check how many mounting holes your kitchen sink or your counter top has. Make sure you choose a faucet that will be easy to operate when mounted into the sink. Choose one that is just the right size relative to your sink.
2. There are a wide variety of sink faucet materials in the market. Whether it is brass or polished, made of copper, stainless steel, or chrome, the kitchen faucet body must be durable, heavy-weight, maintenance-free, suitable to your kitchen theme, and should not corrode or discolor. Faucets made of brass are very resistant to adverse conditions, while chrome-plated ones are most affordable. It is important that you go for durability - your faucet should last a very long time without dripping. Thus, try to choose one that is of best quality and fits your budget just right.
3. The handle and the spout usually determine the style of kitchen faucets. Faucets can have single or two handles. Single handled faucets are quite convenient when it comes to control of water temperature and volume. Double-handled one, on the other hand, allows the precise flow and temperature adjustment as it has separate cold and hot controls. It can also be more stylish than the former. There are also three different spout styles to choose from. There are those that have pull down or pull-out sprays, those that have side sprays and those that don't. Imagine what you usually use kitchen faucets for and choose one based on your needs. There are also wall-mount faucets that require no deck holes, pot filler faucets that can be mounted near the stove, as well as bar or entertainment faucets that can be added to other areas in the kitchen.
4. The fourth factor that you should determine is the spout height and reach. Standard arch faucets are usually 3-5 inches high and are best for smaller to average-sized sinks and for everyday use. High arch faucets are usually 6-8 or even 10 inches high for washing pots and oversized kitchen wares. Also, you should make sure that your spout reach is compatible with the sink size and the number of bowls or dishes you anticipate to wash. Whatever the spout reach you choose is, make sure that it directs water directly into the center of the bowl. If your sink is the double-bowl type, choose one that can reach both areas.
5. Lastly, find out what other additional accessories you will need in your kitchen such as water filters, hot water dispensers, or soap dispensers. You would need one or more extra holes in your sink for these accessories. With all the types of faucets available, it can get very confusing and overwhelming to choose one that will fit your kitchen. You do not only choose based on aesthetics and budget, but more importantly, on your current and future needs.

Please visit author's websites at Quality Undermount Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks, Faucets and Home Improvement Articles.

How To Fix That Leaky Bathtub Faucet - Fast!

Fixing a leaky bathtub faucet - or any other leaky faucet for that matter - can be an expensive job - UNLESS you can do it yourself!

In this article we want to look at the most common reason for a leaky faucet and show you how to fix it quickly and cheaply.

Preparation

It almost goes without saying that you should turn the water off first! Where to find the handle that does that? Just look under your sink and see where the pipes run. Somewhere along their length you will see either a handle or a wheel you can use to shut the mains supply off. In nearly every case you will need to turn it clockwise to shut.

One other preparation is to block the sink drain - just to prevent a nasty accident with something loose (like a screw or a small nut) disappearing down the drain never to be seen again. Use the plug you normally use, or put some cloth into the aperture. No good being wise after the event!

And - even though it goes without saying - make sure you have bought a replacement washer (or two) from the local hardware store - you don't want to be looking for that when you have the faucet in pieces do you!

Action

Locate the screw that is holding the handle of the faucet in place (it may be hidden behind a small plate or cover and that cover needs to be prised off using a small screwdriver or similar). Then undo the screw.

The next job is to get the handles off. Use a screwdriver to do this - you might need to use a little bit of force to prise it but it will come.

Now you will see the old washer (don't worry if not, we will put one in place anyway). Take off the old washer and replace with the new. Notice that the hole in the washer should just be a touch bigger than the central post that the handle turns.

Now retighten the handle, but only hand tight i.e. only until it stops turning without extra force needing to be applied.

Next, turn on the water again and see what happens! If there's no leak you're home and dry (excuse the pun!). If it still leaks, try tightening the handle a little more.

If it still leaks after that- then the problem is elsewhere and you'll need to get a plumber after all. But al least it was worth a try!

(And by the way - if you notice a big build up of lime around the handle - clean that off with a special removal product from your hardware store - it will pay you in the long run).

Things needed

A screwdriver or two - maybe one flathead and one Phillips or cross-screw. Also two washers (maybe take the old one off ahead of your visit to the store to be sure of getting the right one, or just buy a pack of mixed washers - not an expensive buy).

David Woodford is a freelance writer and owns info4u-services which helps people with free advice to help solve everyday problems. To find out more about fixing your faucet and other DIY jobs around your home, visit http:/http://www.fixleakyfaucet.com it will REALLY help you.