Your home life in Saskatoon could quite suddenly be disrupted should one of your trusty plumbing fixtures go haywire. Especially if it’s an annoying leaky sound from the faucet. You can always rely on an excellent Saskatoon plumbing professional to fix it. Although they probably wouldn’t be able to rush down to your place to patch up the leak for you, so what can you do in the meantime? Here are some quick fixes you can do while you wait for help from the experts.
First, know that there are four kinds of faucets, and there are different fixes depending on what yours is. Before you begin, shut off the water under the sink, and find a place to lay out all the parts as you remove each, one after the other. Here are some useful facts from This Old House magazine contributor John D. Wagner:
There are four kinds of faucets: compression, cartridge (sleeve), ceramic disk, and ball type. {…..} The less detailed version will identify the kind you have. The more detailed one will help as you make repairs
A compression faucet relies on rubber washers to seal the valve seat. Rubber washers wear out and must be replaced occasionally. The other types, often called washerless faucets, last longer but they too can develop leaks. When these cartridge, ceramic-disk or ball-type faucets leak, you can either replace the O-ring or neoprene seal that’s causing the leak or replace the entire assembly.
Ball Faucets
The cartridge and compression faucet’s main leak hazards are the O-rings. Ball faucets may have a lot of things in them that could go wrong. For one, either the inlet or the outlet seal could be damaged, which is why your trusted plumber will typically replace the seals as well as the rings. If, after you’ve replaced the rubber seals, the faucet still leaks, just turn off the water supply until the plumber comes.
Single-Handled Faucets
In the case of a single-handled faucet, you will have little trouble disassembling it to get to the gasket. Just pry off the decorative cap and you’ll find a handle screw, so remove it and tilt the handle back and pull it off. There might be a threaded clip holding the cartridge in place—use needle-nose pliers to remove it in this case.
Even after you’ve done these quick fixes, it’s still best to consult with reputable Saskatoon plumbers like Perfection Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Ltd. for professional diagnosis and repair of your faucet.
(Source: Fixing a Leaky Faucet, This Old House)