One of the most common places leaks occur in a bathtub are around the two water handles. Left unattended, such leaks can boost your water bill and lead to expensive water damage. Fortunately, you do not have to always be a professional plumbing contractor to fix this problem. Read on to learn the basic idea behind repairing a leaky faucet handle. Of course if you are looking for plumbing contractors near me, please contact Kew Forest Plumbing & Heating.
Preliminary Steps
Just as with any plumbing repair, you must not forget to begin by turning off the water supply valves leading to your fixture, in this case, the bathtub. Failure to attend to this simple task will lead to a veritable flood of water once you have removed the handle. After shutting off the appropriate valve, twist the faucet open and allow all standing water to drain out of the system.
Handle Removal
Use a knife to carefully pry the plastic insert from the center of the handle in need of repair. You should now see the head of a screw. Use the appropriate type of screwdriver to remove it. At this point, you should ideally be able to pull the handle off of its stem. In reality, however, this may not be so simple. If the handle does not come free, try giving it a squirt or two of penetrating lubricant. Eventually, this should loosen it up enough for removal.
Stem Replacement
With the handle out of the way, you will now be looking at the end of the cylinder. Also referred to as the cartridge, this is the component that is responsible for your leak. While it may be possible to disassemble the cylinder and replace the gasket at the heart of the leak, unless you are an experienced plumber, you will likely find it easier to simply replace the entire cylinder.
Remove the existing cylinder by using an adjustable wrench to rotate the nut located near the wall in a counterclockwise direction. In this manner, you should be able to get the cylinder out of place. Be sure to replace it with an identical component before rebuilding the handle.
If you would prefer to have a licensed plumber attend to your leaky faucet handle, please contact Kew Forest Plumbing & Heating. When looking for plumbing contractors near me, choose Kew Forest Plumbing. We are proud to feature an experienced and professional staff of plumbers.
