A leaky kitchen faucet is equally annoying as not muting the background noise during a meeting. Because a leaking faucet will engross a handsome fraction of your savings and cause water wastage, it will damage your house structure if you keep ignoring the issue.

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The repair work of the faucets is easier than it seems to be. You can quickly repair the faucet using essential plumbing tools and prior plumbing knowledge. Therefore, this article explains the causes and detailed repair process for leaking faucets, specifically for kitchen faucets.

Causes of a Leaky Kitchen Faucet

There are four types of faucets: cartridge, compression, ceramic disk, and ball type. The compression faucets utilize rubber washers to seal the valve seat. This rubber washer can wear out and cause water leaks. You will need to replace it. While in the other three types of faucets, the O-ring or neoprene seal is the main culprit. Therefore, to fix the leaking issue, you need to replace the rubber washer in the compression faucets and the o-rings in the other three types of faucets.

How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Faucet?

This section is about fixing the leaky kitchen faucets.

Locate the Leak

The first step to initiate the repair process is to identify the correct leaking point on the faucet. Ensure the water supply is on, and turn off the valves one at a time. If one valve is turned off and the faucet still leaks water, you need to replace the other valve and vice versa. If you are still looking for the exact leaking point, you may need to replace both valves.

Turn Off the Water Supply

Once you locate the leaking point, it’s time to turn off the kitchen’s water supply. If you do not have a dedicated control valve to control the water flow to the kitchen, turn off the water supply from the main. If the water supply is on, water will keep leaking out of the faucet, which will cost you big time.

General Disassembling of All Types of Faucets

Different types of faucets are available in the market, each having a different composition and hence different repair procedures. But some of the generic steps apply to all kinds of faucets.

Turn the faucet on to release the residual water. Close the drain and place a towel or a cloth in the sink to save the surface and capture the dropped parts, if any.
Remove the aerator and check it for any damages. If it is blocked due to mineral deposits, use vinegar in the towel and wrap it around the aerator to help loosen mineral deposits. After some time, twist the aerator with pliers.
As you disassemble the old faucet, put the parts on a flat surface and snap a reference picture. Put these parts in a plastic bag, and take them with you to find their replacements.

Fixing the Compression Faucets

In most cases, you need to replace the washers, gaskets, or valve seats for compression faucets. You will do it in the following manner:

Remove the faucet handle by pulling it off from the base. Some faucet handles have screws to tighten them up to the base, and you need to loosen them to remove the handle.
Remove old o-rings and washers from the stem. You should also remove the valve seat. Apply some grease and replace washers, o-rings, and valve seats.
Reassemble the unit and check it’s working.

Ceramic Disc Faucets

For ceramic disc-type faucets, you mostly need to replace the cylinder to fix the leaking issue; you will do it in the following sequence:

Unscrew the set holding screw and the nut to remove the old cylinder.
Replace the cylinder with a new one of the same size, and reattach the assembly.
Slowly increase the water pressure because high initial pressure can damage the new cylinder.

Cartridge Faucets

Draw the screws from the handle, and also remove the nut.
Pull out the cartridge and reattach a new one.
Slowly turn on the water supply to validate the process.

Ball Faucets

Loosen the set screws, and use a wrench to remove the cap.
Remove the cam washer and the ball.
Use a mini-sized screwdriver to disengage the seats and springs.
Replace the ball, cam washers, and o-ring, and install new seats and springs.
Reassemble the faucet to check it’s working.

How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Faucet Handle?

The reason behind a leaky kitchen faucet handle is usually the cartridge, and you need to replace the cartridge to fix the issue.

Conclusion

A leaky kitchen faucet is a headache for homeowners, and you cannot let it continue ruining your savings. The repair process is simple, but one needs to learn before stepping into the practical process. You can follow the repair steps to fix the issue without professional assistance.