Single handle kitchen faucets are easier to repair if they malfunctions. But different faucet designs make it a touch complicated for beginners. Different types of parts and different troubleshooting techniques with robustness in the solution are challenging. Single-handle faucets typically use a ball or cartridge; in most leaky units, replacing this cartridge resolves the problem.
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However, the single-handle disk type faucets differ and require different repair techniques. Therefore, this article is about kitchen faucet repair methods to explore the easiest repair methods.
Identification of Different Kitchen Faucets
The ball, cartridge, and disk faucets from the outer body look similar enough to confuse a non-specialist. You will observe that a ceramic disk faucet has a shorter, wider body, not an upright cylindrical shape similar to cartridge faucets. It is a good design that needs less care than standard ball-type or cartridge faucets.
Because of its effectiveness, the disk-type design is widely used in domestic kitchens. In most cases, cleaning the seals and replacing the cartridge resolves the problem, but in some cases, you need to do extensive plumbing, and you should call a professional for that purpose.
How to Repair a Single Handle Kitchen Faucet with Spray Hose?
This article describes the disassembling of a single handle kitchen faucet, its seal’s cleaning, and fixing minor plumbing problems. These solutions also apply to kitchen faucets with a spray hose. Read the article till the end to enhance your knowledge about leaking kitchen faucet repair.
How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Faucet Single Handle?
This section explains the repair process clearly and systematically.
1. Turn Off the Water Supply
Locate and turn off the water supply of the kitchen faucet. Usually, you can find the water control valve under the sink, and you can turn off the water supply by rotating it in the opposite direction of its previous direction.
However, if there is no valve controlling the water on that side, you need to turn off the whole house’s water supply. After turning off the water supply, open the faucet to release its pressure, and drain the residual water.
2. Disengage the Faucet Handle
It would help if you found the hex screw that holds the handle and the faucet body together. Usually, it lies under a plastic cap, or it remains uncapped. Unscrew it using the screwdriver to disengage the handle from the faucet body. You can also utilize a wrench to ease the process, which depends on you.
3. Remove the Cartridge
When you separate the handle from the body, the cartridge is usually exposed, but in some cases, you need to loosen some other screws to reach the cartridge. In some designs, the cartridge is sticky, and you need to hold the stem with a plier to detach this from the disc smoothly. Check the cartridge; if it is damaged, replace it with a new one of the same size.
4. Remove the Seal and Clean the Spots
This step varies slightly, depending on the faucet’s model and manufacturer. Most disk faucets leak because the rubber seals in the bottom of the ceramic disk get damaged with grit or mineral buildups. Use a small screwdriver to remove the rubber seals from the water inlet ports.
Do this process carefully to prevent damaging the seals. Now clean the seals using a soft Nylon brush or an old toothbrush. It would help if you also cleaned the ports at the bottom. If the ports have a significant volume of calcium, products such as Lime-A-Way may help dissolve the buildups.
5. Replace the O-ring
The O-rings are placed in the neck of the faucet body and play a crucial role in making a leak-free seal. However, if the o-rings are aged and have started to wear out, you need to replace them with fresh ones to avoid faucet leaks. Put some grease before reinstalling the assembly.
6. Reinstall the Assembly
Start the reassembling process by placing the rubber seals, followed by the disc cartridge. Reinstall the mounting screw and its cap, if any. Reattach the faucet handle and tighten the screw to reattach the assembly correctly. However, do not over-tighten the screw to prevent it from damaging.
7. Open the Water Supply
Now you can turn on the water supply to test the repair process. If the faucet is leak-free, you have succeeded, or you need to call a plumber to do it.
Conclusion
Single handle kitchen faucets have various designs available in the market. The repair method also depends on the type of faucet used at a particular place. However, repairing leaking kitchen faucets is more manageable and does not require much plumbing knowledge. All you need to do is to read the instructions and carefully start the repair process.