Stop Those Leaky Pipes Cold

It's a good idea to repair a leaky faucet promptly. A night spent listening to a leaky faucet can be miserable. Even if it's too far away to be heard, that dripping means money leaking out of your pocket as well as the wasting of a valuable resource.

Before you start repairs, take these steps:

Turn off the water supply to the faucet. For sinks, hot and cold water shutoff valves usually are located under the basin. For tub and shower repairs, you'll probably have to turn off the shutoff valves to the bathroom. They're usually in the basement or the utility room where the hot water heater is located. Wrap pliers and wrench jaws you'll be using with plastic electrical tape to prevent scratching the finished surfaces of the fixtures. Open the faucet to drain any residual water. Close or cover the sink or tub drain before beginning work so that if you drop any small parts they won't fall down the drain.

You are now ready to begin.

The most basic design is the stem and washer faucet, which plumbers call a compression faucet. Leaks usually are caused by a defective or worn-out seat washer. Remove the decorative cap and the screw beneath it that holds the handle in place. Pull off the handle and the decorative bonnet under the handle if there is one. With a wrench, remove the packing nut.

Next, unscrew and lift out the entire valve stem. (It may help to reattach the handle when unscrewing the stem.) Remove the screw holding the seat washer, and replace the washer. If your stem assembly has a diaphragm shaped like a top hat, pull it off and snap on a new one. Then reassemble the faucet, and open the water supply valves. If replacing the washer does not stop the leak, you may need to replace or resurface the valve seat. The valve seat is made of soft brass and can be damaged by corrosion or wear. Use a flashlight to examine the valve seat to see if it's pitted or scarred.

Most newer valve seats can be removed with a special valve seat wrench. Insert the wrench and turn it counterclockwise to take out the valve seat. Take the old seat to a plumbing supply store for an exact duplicate. Before installing a new seat, apply pipe-joint compound to its thread, then push the valve seat firmly onto the seat wrench and screw it into place. If the seat cannot be removed, you'll have to smooth it with a seat-dressing tool fitted with a cutter the exact size of the seat. Screw the tool into the faucet so the cutter is flush with the valve seat and the guide fits snugly in the valve. Turn the handle of the tool until it moves smoothly, then remove it and flush the grindings away with water.

When the faucet handle leaks, chances are the packing washer or the self-forming packing under the packing nut needs to be replaced. Once you've taken the faucet apart, if you see there's a washer under the packing nut, replace it. If the packing nut has self-forming packing under it, remove it and wind enough new packing onto the stem to fill the nut, then add half again as much. The packing nut will compress the self-forming packing to form a seal when reassembled.

There are three common types of single-lever faucets. All control the volume and temperature of the water with one handle. However, the interior design varies from model to model, so a kit of replacement parts for your particular model must be purchased. These kits come with detailed instructions.

Usually, when repairing this type of faucet the biggest challenge is finding the screws that must be removed before taking it apart. They're often hidden under the handle or beneath the decorative plates and buttons. You'll probably need a small Allen wrench - it may come with the repair kit - to remove them

Both faucets are a little tougher to get at than sink faucets. Once you've followed the basic steps, you may need a special, deep-bodied socket wrench to remove the faucet from the wall, and you may have to chip away some plaster to make room for the wrench. Otherwise, bath and shower faucets are repaired in much the same way as sink faucets.