Leaky faucets are not only annoying, but they can cost you lots of money.
Even just a small drip can waste as much as three gallons of water per day.
Water leaks will also leave rust colored stains in your sink.
If it`s just a small drip, and you`re sure you don`t need a plumber, try fixing the sink yourself.
In this article I am going to discuss how to fix small leaks in your bathroom faucets.
Although there are many different kinds of faucets, all of them still have the same basic parts and are basically assembled the same way as well.
The majority of bathrooms have what is called stem faucets.
This is a faucet that has two separate knobs, one for hot and one for cold.
If this is the case with your faucet, then both of the knobs may need to be fixed.
The more common causes of leaks in faucets is either loose nuts or a worn out washer.
If water is leaking out around the bottom of the knobs, it could just need to be tightened.
You can do this by tightening the nut located just below the knob with a plumbers or an adjustable wrench.
Many knobs these days such as those found on Moen faucets have fancier casings on the top that you will need to pop off to get to the nut.
The absolutely most common cause of leaky bathroom faucets is because of a washer that is either worn out, the wrong size or has not been put on right.
If the water is dripping from the faucet itself or the base of the faucet, you probably need a new washer.
In order to replace a faucets washer, you will need washers in different sizes, a plumbers wrench or an adjustable wrench and a screwdriver.
First you need to turn off the water going to the faucets.
This can be done simply by shutting off the valves that are located either right under your sink or sometimes in a cabinet under the sink.
Once you have turned the valve off, check the faucets to make sure the water is in fact off.
Next, loosen the packing nut by turning it counter clockwise.
(The packing nut can be found just below or inside the faucet handles.
If you have designer faucet handles, you'll first need to remove the designer cover.
) Pull out the entire valve unit, using the faucet handle, by twisting and turning it until it pulls free.
Next, you need to locate the old washer.
It will be at the bottom of the valve unit.
Once you have found it, take out the screw that is holding it in place.
Now you can simply replace the old washer with a new one of the same size and put the screw back in.
After you have tightened the screw, you need to put the valve unit back into the faucet and turning the knob to its correct position, before you tighten it.
Finally, you may tighten the packing nut and turn your water back on to see if the problem is resolved.
If the faucet is still leaking, you will need to use a bigger washer repeating all of the above steps.
This should fix your leaking problem.
Even just a small drip can waste as much as three gallons of water per day.
Water leaks will also leave rust colored stains in your sink.
If it`s just a small drip, and you`re sure you don`t need a plumber, try fixing the sink yourself.
In this article I am going to discuss how to fix small leaks in your bathroom faucets.
Although there are many different kinds of faucets, all of them still have the same basic parts and are basically assembled the same way as well.
The majority of bathrooms have what is called stem faucets.
This is a faucet that has two separate knobs, one for hot and one for cold.
If this is the case with your faucet, then both of the knobs may need to be fixed.
The more common causes of leaks in faucets is either loose nuts or a worn out washer.
If water is leaking out around the bottom of the knobs, it could just need to be tightened.
You can do this by tightening the nut located just below the knob with a plumbers or an adjustable wrench.
Many knobs these days such as those found on Moen faucets have fancier casings on the top that you will need to pop off to get to the nut.
The absolutely most common cause of leaky bathroom faucets is because of a washer that is either worn out, the wrong size or has not been put on right.
If the water is dripping from the faucet itself or the base of the faucet, you probably need a new washer.
In order to replace a faucets washer, you will need washers in different sizes, a plumbers wrench or an adjustable wrench and a screwdriver.
First you need to turn off the water going to the faucets.
This can be done simply by shutting off the valves that are located either right under your sink or sometimes in a cabinet under the sink.
Once you have turned the valve off, check the faucets to make sure the water is in fact off.
Next, loosen the packing nut by turning it counter clockwise.
(The packing nut can be found just below or inside the faucet handles.
If you have designer faucet handles, you'll first need to remove the designer cover.
) Pull out the entire valve unit, using the faucet handle, by twisting and turning it until it pulls free.
Next, you need to locate the old washer.
It will be at the bottom of the valve unit.
Once you have found it, take out the screw that is holding it in place.
Now you can simply replace the old washer with a new one of the same size and put the screw back in.
After you have tightened the screw, you need to put the valve unit back into the faucet and turning the knob to its correct position, before you tighten it.
Finally, you may tighten the packing nut and turn your water back on to see if the problem is resolved.
If the faucet is still leaking, you will need to use a bigger washer repeating all of the above steps.
This should fix your leaking problem.
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