How to Repair a Stripped Faucet Handle
Your faucet is subject to wear and tear from regular use either in your kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere else. The cartridge and faucet stem bear the brunt of these turning motions as you open and close your faucet during use. The combined work of the cartridge, attached to the handle is how water supply is discontinued or sustained in your living space.
If your faucet feels loose and spins continuously when turned, you do not need to worry; a faulty faucet stem is most likely the source of the problem. With $20, a pipe wrench, and a few screwdrivers, you can do the job of getting your faulty faucet good as new in no time, all without hiring the services of a plumber. In just five clear-cut steps, we outline how you can be done fixing your two-handled faucet in barely ten minutes.
Shut off the water supply
Before you begin any work, find the control valve supplying the faulty faucet you want to fix. You can start by checking the cupboard below the faucet (if you have one below it) and trace the pipe until you find the valve. For your bathtub, you will find the valve outside the house where the pipe enters the bathroom. If you are having difficulty finding the valve, just go for the house main valve and close it.
A few tiny screws may fall into your tub/sink so we advise covering your drain pipe before you begin to unscrew the faucet.
- Remove cover plates and unscrew faucet handles
Remove the cover plates using a flat screwdriver. A cover plate protects the screws from excessive moisture. Next, you unscrew the faucet cartridge. Use a flathead or Phillips-screw driver for screws of the same type to prevent the screw from wearing out, and preserving it for future use. You could be faced with an Allen screw also, depending on the faucet model, so you might want to keep an Allen key handy. Once you are done unscrewing, removing the handles with your hands should be relatively easy.
- Loosen the locking nut
The more common faucet models give you access to the locking nut, after unscrewing the faucet handles. On the top of the cartridge, there is a small brass screw. Remove this and keep safe because your replacement cartridge does not always come with a new brass screw. Next, you use your pipe wrench to loosen the locking nut.
- Take out the faucet cartridge
Once you have loosened the locking nut that fastens the cartridge to the rest of the faucet, you can remove the faucet. Many months of being in place mean the cartridge may not bulge even after the locking nut is removed. You can use your pliers to remove the cartridge and take along with you to the hardware store to make sure you get the right one.
- Couple the faucet
When you get the right cartridge, you can reverse the order in which you uncoupled the faucet, paying attention to use the right screw in the right position. As long as the replacement is not defective, your faucet will be back to normal.
Ensure you fasten the screws and nuts securely or you might have to work on the faucet shortly.
There you are. All done!
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