Tips for Repairing a Ball Type Faucet

Repairing a ball shaped faucet in your home is a fairly easy and inexpensive home improvement or repair project that can be completed with a minimal investment and very little plumbing experience. If you are not sure of the parts you need to make the repairs just find the brand and model number. Or you could even take a picture of the required parts and carry this along with you to the home repair store. Most leaks occuring with ball shaped faucets occur at the spikot or the handle of the faucet and are caused by defective o rings or those that are old and worn. Again, if you need to replace a part, remove it and take it along to the store with you. That way you are sure to get exactly the part that you need to make your repair.

To begin the repairs on your faucet you will need a Hex key, screwdrivers, a utility knife, a bucket, some water pump pliers, a pair of tweezers, a faucet repair kit and some silicone grease. Before you begin make sure all the shutoff valves are in the off position and there is no water running to the faucets. You might begin to repair a leak by replacing the washers. Then if you still have a leak afterwards, there may be a problem with the faucet valve seat. You will then need to take the faucet apart and clean out any mineral deposits found on the ball. This is done after removing the rubber o rings found in the body of the faucet. You can also rub vaseline or some other form of petroleum jelly into the o rings and rubber seals to relieve the dryness. This will make it more easy to remove or replace the o rings. When you are making the needed repairs make sure the bowl in the faucet body is clean and there is no food debris, soap gunk or mineral deposits, this helps the threads to seat properly. Reassemble the pieces in the reverse order that you took the faucet apart. If you still cannot find the source of a leak then you will probably have to replace the whole faucet. So a trip to the home repair store will be necessary to purchase a faucet repair kit and the other needed supplies previously mentioned.

To do a quick fix on your ball shaped kitchen or bathroom faucet, you will need to take the faucet apart and remove the ball assembly lever. Remove the rubber seals which are found in the bowl that is located in the body of the faucet. Remove the rubber o rings and again, it is very important to clean the ball of any mineral deposits. A build up of these deposits can cause significant damage to your faucet. When removing the handles from your faucet make sure and use a pair of water pump pliers and you may even consider wrapping the pliers jaws with masking tape to prevent scratches and nicks to your faucet. Use the Hex key to loosen the cam housing, the seal and the ball, inspecting each part thoroughly for any notable damage. When lifting out the seats from the faucet use a pair of tweezers for easier gripping of the seats and springs.

A ball faucet is one of the most common types of faucets found in homes today. It was also one of the first types of washerless faucets created. It is very easy to identify a ball shaped faucet by their single handle that moves over a rounded ball shaped base. The plastic ball inside the faucet body control the water flow and temperature of the water. For more information on repairing a ball shaped faucet visit www.homedepot.com.