Dripping faucets can be a nightmare. You can lose sleep with the constant plopping sound you’ll hear. The water droplets falling on the floor or sink can drive you crazy. The good news is that leaky faucets are so easy to fix. In most cases, you can do the process by yourself. Let’s find out the different kinds of water taps and 4 easy tips on how to fix a leaky faucet.
4 Kinds of Water Taps
According to tap repairs Sydney contractors, there are 4 kinds of faucets according to design. These are cartridges, ceramic disc, and compression, and rotary ball taps.
- Cartridge taps are the most common kind of faucet used among households. It has a handle that can lift up and down. Yet, its design is somewhat complicated because it has a series of O-rings that control the flow and temperature of the water.
- Ceramic Disk taps have a similar design to cartridge faucets. Their only difference is that they use ceramic disks instead of O-rings. This makes them more durable than cartridge faucets.
- Compression taps rely on the rubber washers underneath the valve seat. The water flow on this type of faucet can be controlled as you tighten down the washers.
- Rotary ball taps contain a hollow ball socket to control the water flow and temperature. The rotary ball can be made of plastic or stainless steel. They are the easiest to repair among the 4 types of faucets.
4 Easy Tips On How to Fix a Leaky Faucet
The very first step to fixing a leaky faucet is to shut down the water supply and do a quick cleanup of the faucet and its connecting pipes. Furthermore, here are 4 easy tips on how to fix a leaky faucet depending on its design.
- To fix a leaky cartridge faucet, pull out the decorative cap by tilting it and unscrew the handle. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the retaining clips if there are any. Then pull the cartridge straight up. You may first need to replace the O-ring. Remove the spout and cut the O-ring using a utility knife. Put a new O-ring in place, grease it, and put the spout back. Then place the new cartridge with matching length and stem that attach to the handles. Reassemble everything back in place.
- To fix a leaky compression faucet, pull out the decorative cap by tilting it and unscrew the handle. Next, unscrew the packing nut using a crescent wrench. Loosen the tap’s stem using an adjustable wrench. Unscrew the rubber washer underneath the tap’s stem and replace it with a new one. Grease the washers and put everything back in place. There are cases when the valve seats of a compression tap need to be replaced. Calling tap repairs in Sydney can help you resolve the issue.
- To fix a leaky ceramic-disk faucet, push the tap handle back to access the set screw. Unscrew the handle and remove the escutcheon cap. It is the metal plate around the handle base. Unscrew and lift the disk cylinders. Lift out the neoprene seals using a blunt screwdriver. Clean the cylinder holes with a soft scouring pad dipped in white vinegar then rinse them. Replace the ceramic-disk and put everything back in place. After reassembling, turn the faucet on slowly to prevent damaging the new ceramic-disk.
- To fix a leaky ball-type faucet, it is best to buy a replacement kit and put all new parts in. Pull off the index cover using a pocket knife. Loosen the screw on the hex head and pull off the tap handle. Remove the cap and collar. Loosen and lift the cam, gaskets, rubber seats, rotating ball, springs, and washers. Slip in the new rubber seats, springs, and washers using a pencil tip or tool. Reinstall the rotating ball. Ensure that it is properly aligned on the faucet tab. Then install the new cam cap and gaskets on top. Hand-tighten the top assembly back onto the tap. Tighten the nuts back properly to provide tension on the rotary ball.
