Faucet Repair - txtha.org · Faucets must also pass several environmental regulaons. The Naonal Sanitaon Foundaon 61 regulaon, which limits contaminants in drinking water (lead is

Faucet Repair

D A Y T O N D A V I S I N S T R U C T O R

The History of The Faucet

Haveyoueverturnedonthewatertofillyourtubandwonderedaboutthehistoryofyourfaucet?

The History of The Faucet Thefaucethasaninteres8nghistorythattracesbacktoancient8mes.Asearlyas1700B.C.,plumbingandfaucetswerebeingusedtocontrolthewatertofountainsandprivatehomes.TheRomansu8lizedplumbingandfaucetstorunwaterto11publicbaths,856privatebaths,and1,352cisternsandfountains.

The History of The Faucet Faucetsstartedoutwithtwohandlesforhotandcoldwater.Ifyouwererunningabath,youturnedonthehotwaterfaucetandthecold-waterfaucet.However,in1937,AlMoenburnedhishandsinthehotwateranddecidedtodesignasingle-handledfaucet.Hisfirstdesignwasrejectedandbetween1940and1945,hefinallysucceededindesigningafunc8oning,single-handledfaucet.Finally,peoplewouldbeabletoadjustthetemperatureofonestreamofwaterun8ltheyfoundtheirdesiredtemperature.

The History of The Faucet Manyotherscon8nuedtoimproveuponthedesignofthefaucet.In1945,LandisPerrycameupwiththedesignforaballvalveforfaucets.TheDeltasingle-handlefaucetwasthefirstfaucettou8lizetheballvalve.WolverineBrassalsoaddedtothefunc8onalityoffaucetsbydesigningceramicdiscsforwatercontrol.ThediscslastlongerthanrubberandprovidebeWercontrol.

The History of The Faucet As8memarchedon,moreandmoreimprovementsweremadetofaucets.Someoftheseimprovementsincludefilterstoreducecontaminants,sprayhosesthatcanbepulledoutfromthesink,electronicfaucets,andfaucetsdesignedforthehandicapped.Electronicfaucetsarebecomingthenorminpublicbathroomsbecauseusersdonothavetotouchthehandlestoturnthewateron.Theysimplyholdtheirhandsinfrontofasensorandthewaterturnson,makingthesefaucetsmorehygienicthantradi8onalfaucets.

Itwillbeinteres8ngtoseewhatthefutureholdsfortheworldoffaucets.

Background Afaucetisadevicefordeliveringwaterfromaplumbingsystem.Itcanconsistofthefollowingcomponents:spout,handle(s),li]rod,cartridge,aerator,mixingchamber,andwaterinlets.Whenthehandleisturnedon,thevalveopensandcontrolsthewaterflowadjustmentunderanywaterortemperaturecondi8on.Thefaucetbodyisusuallymadeofbrass,thoughdie-castzincandchrome-platedplas8carealsoused.

Background

Themajorityofresiden8alfaucetsaresingleordual-controlcartridgefaucets.Somesingle-controltypesuseametalorplas8ccore,whichoperatesver8cally.Othersuseametalball,withspring-loadedrubbersealsrecessedintothefaucetbody.Thelessexpensivedual-controlfaucetscontainnyloncartridgeswithrubberseals.Somefaucetshaveaceramic-disccartridgethatismuchmoredurable.

Background

Faucetsmustcomplywithwaterconserva8onlaws.IntheUnitedStates,bathbasinfaucetsarenowlimitedto2gal(7.6L)ofwaterperminute,whiletubandshowerfaucetsarelimitedto2.5gal(9.5L).

FaucetsrunanaverageofeightminutesperCapitaPerDay(PCD),accordingtoastudybytheAmericanWaterWorksAssocia8onResearchFounda8oncompletedin1999thatwasbasedonwaterusedatacollectedfrom1,188residences.IndailyPCDuseindoorwaterusewasat69gal(261L),withfaucetusethirdhighestat11gal(41.6L)PCD.Inresidenceswithwater-conservingfixtures,faucetsmoveduptosecondat11gal(41.6L)PCD.Faucetusewasstronglyrelatedtohouseholdsize.Theaddi8onofteensandadultsincreaseswateruse.Faucetuseisalsonega8velyrelatedtothenumberofpersonsworkingoutsidethehomeandislowerforthosewhohaveanautoma8cdishwasher.

Quality Control Faucetsmustalsopassseveralenvironmentalregula8ons.TheNa8onalSanita8onFounda8on61regula8on,whichlimitscontaminantsindrinkingwater(leadisppb[partsperbillion]inwaterfromendpointdevices),appliestokitchenfaucets,lavatoryfaucetsanddrinkingwaterdispensers.Otherlawsaremorestrict—California'sProposi8on65limitstheallowableleadto5ppbforaconsumerfaucet.Therearealsoplumbingcodestodealwith,whichcanvaryfromcitytocity.Manynowrequirean8scaldtubandshowerfaucets.

ToreceiveNSFCer8fica8onofafaucet,manufacturersfirstsubmitalistofallmaterialsincludingtheformula8onusedintheproduct.NSFToxicologiststhenreviewthematerialformula8onstodeterminepoten8alcontaminantsthatmayextractfromthefaucetandintothedrinkingwater.NSFthenconductsaninspec8onofthemanufacturingfacilitytoverifymaterialformula8ons,materialsuppliers,qualitycontrolproceduresandopera8ons.Productsamplesarerandomlyselectedfortes8ngatNSFlaboratories.

Faucetsundergoarigorousthree-weektes8ngsequence,wheretheyarefilledwithanextractantwaterspecifiedintheStandard.Selectedwatersamplesareanalyzedforcontaminants.NSFtoxicologistscomparethecontaminantlevelstothemaximumallowablelevelsestablishedinANSI/NSFStandard61.IfallcontaminantlevelsoftheproductmeettherequirementsoftheStandard,theproductcanbecer8fied.OnlythenisthemanufacturerallowedtodisplaytheNSFMarkontheproductsignifyingNSFCer8fica8on.Tobecomecer8fied,somemanufacturershavehadtocompletelymodifytheirmanufacturingprocess,suchasswitchingtoapurerbrassmaterialoraddingafinishingrinseprocess.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting Faucets

•  Thissec8onwillexplainthebasicsoffaucetrepair,toolsandmaterialneeded.Therearemanydifferenttypesoffaucetsandrepairkitsavailable.Knowingwhatstylewillassistinorderingandkeepingpartstokeeponhandfortheserepairs.

Beforeyoucanstartthinkingaboutmakingrepairstoyourfaucet,youneedtofirstdeterminewhatkindoffaucetyouaredealingwith.TherearefourtypesoffaucetsincommonuseinAmericatoday:Compressionfaucets,andtheso-called"washerlessfaucets"-cartridgefaucets,ballfaucetsanddiscfaucets.

Stem Identification Faucetstemiden8fica8oncanbefoundon-line.Thereareseveralon-lineavenuessuchasBrassCra]thatoffersacompletePDFlistofstems,handles,splineID.131pagesthatshouldassistyouiniden8fyinganystemavailable.KISSLERalsohasa172pagePDFthatiden8fiesnumerouskits,stemcomponents,andcompressionitems.Thereisgreatvarietyofaidstoassistiniden8fyinganystemthat’savailable,alsoyourplumbingrepresenta8veshouldhaveasourceofstemiden8fica8on.

FaucetStems,Compression,Washerless,&Ceramic.Akitchenorbathroomfaucetcanleakfromthespoutforavarietyofreasons.Oneofthemostcommonreasonsisthefaucetstemiswornordamaged.

Compressionfaucetsarethetradi8onaloldstylefaucetswithtwohandles,oneeachforcoldandhot.Insideeachhandleisavalvethatopenstoallowwatertoflowandclosetoblocktheflow.Arubberwasheronthebaseofthevalvegets"compressed"toblockanysmallamountsofwaterfromflowingandcausingdrips.

Replacing a Faulty Washer

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FixingCompression-typeFaucetLeaksRequiredTools:•  Wrench,screwdriverRequiredMaterials:•  Washer–flatorbeveled

iden8caltooldwasher

Cartridgefaucetscanbeeithersinglehandledortwohandled.Theinsideofthefaucethasastemcartridgethatmovesupanddowntocontrolwaterflow.Singlehandledcartridgefaucetsoperateupanddowntoregulatewaterflow,andle]andrighttocontroltemperature.Twohandledcartridgefaucetslooksimilartocompressionfaucets,butfeeldifferentsincetheystopwaterflowwithoutyouhavingtoactually"turnoff"orcompressawasher.

Cartridge Faucet Repairs

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Ballfaucetsareeasytoiden8fysincetheyhaveasinglehandlethataWachestothefaucetbasewitharoundbase.Theballshapedcontrolhaschambersbuiltintoittocontrolwatervolumeandmixhotandcold.

Ball Faucet Repairs

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MajorbrandsincludeDelta,MoenandPeerlessRequiredTools:•  AllenWrench,channellocksRequiredMaterials:•  Repairkitthatincludesball,springs,seatsandO-

ringsforthespout

Discfaucetsarethemostrecentdevelopmentinfaucettechnology.Onceagaintheyaresinglehandledwithacylindricalshapedbody.Insidethefaucetareceramicdiscsthatslideovereachother,controllingflowandtemperature.

FaucetRepairBasics

NomaWerwhatkindoffaucetyouaredealingwith,therearesomebasicswhenitcomestorepairinganyofthem.

• Firstturnoffthewatertothefaucet.Theremaybeindividualwatershut-offvalvesunderthesinkoryoumayneedtoshutoffthemainwatersupplyforthehouse.

• Opentapsandletanywaterinthepipedrainout.

• Putthedrainstopperoratowelinthesink(incaseyoudropanythingyoudon'twantitgoingdownthedrain).

• Tomakesureyougettherightreplacementparts,takeanypartsyouremovefromthefaucetwithyoutotheplumbingsupplystore.Thatwayyou'llbesuretogetanexactmatch.

Replacing O-Rings

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LeaksAroundBaseofSpout

RequiredTools:screwdriver,ChannelLocksRequiredMaterials:O-rings,plumber’sgrease

Replacing a Faucet

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RequiredTools:•  BasinWrench•  CrescentWrenchRequiredMaterials:•  Plumbers’puWyorgasket(if

suppliedwithnewfaucet)•  ThreadSealant

Repairing a Spray Hose

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AsprayhoseisaCachedunderthesinkatthebaseofthespoutassembly.TheenEresprayassemblycanberemovedfromthetopofthesinkbyunscrewingitandpullingitoutthroughthehoseguide.

Repairing a Bathtub Faucet

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RequiredTools:•  Adjustablewrench•  U8lityknife•  Handlepuller•  Bathsocketwrench,Seat

wrenchRequiredMaterials:•  Stemvalverepairparts•  Plumber’sgrease

Compression Tub/Shower Stem

How to Fix a Leaky SHOWER Faucet Waterfaucetleakscanbeannoyingtosaytheleast,buttheycanalsocausecorrosiononfixturesifrelentlessdrippinggoesunrepaired.Cheaperbuilders'gradefaucetsaregenerallyballstylespigotswhichfeatureaballjointthatisrockedbackandforthforhotorcoldwater.Withballstylespigots,theusualculpritforaleakyfaucetistheinletseatspring.Thesespringswilllosetheirtensionover8meandstarttowearandcompress.Althoughtheyarenotaspronetoleaksascompressionfaucets,leakscanhappenduetosedimentbuildupandwornspringsandseals

Compression Tub/Shower Faucet

Single-Lever Tub/Shower Faucet

Steps for Repairing a Single-Lever Faucet

Step1-ShutOfftheWaterSourceMakesurethewateristurnedoffbyshunngoffboththehotandcoldvalvesunderneaththesinkarea.A]erclosingthevalves,it'salwaysagoodideatoverifythatthewaterisindeedoffbyturningthehandleofthefaucet.

Step2-RemovetheFaucetHeadRemovethefrontcapontheballbypryingitoffgentlywithascrewdrivertoaccessthescrewonthefaucethandle.UnscrewtheroundfaucethandleandrevealtheballjointbyusingyourPhillipsheadscrewdriver.

Step3-RemoveBallJointAssemblyUsingyourAllenheadwrench,loosenuptheballjointheadanditshouldslideoffofthemountforyou.Whenunscrewinganyoftheparts,paycarefulaWen8onnottoscratchthefinishofyourfaucet.UsingyourAllenwrenchagain,loosenthebasecamassemblytoremovetheen8reballjoint.

Step4-RemoveInletSeatandSpringOncetheballjointisremoved,youcannowaccesstheinletseatsprings.Usingyourneedlenosepliers,prytheseatspringoffoftheinlet.Placeinsideyourpartsbagandtakethespecificsizespringtothehardwarestoretomatchupwhatpartsyouwillneedinordertocompletetherepair.

Step5-InstallNewInletSpringPlaceyournewinletspringbackinsidetheseatanduseyourneedlenosepliersoryourhandtoworktheseatbackintoholes.Makesuretheyareseatedproperlyandarenotkinkedorcrookedinanywaytoavoidanypossiblefutureleaks.

Step6-ReinstallBallJointReinstallyourballjointbytakingadabofplumbersgreaseandworkingitovertheopeningsontheballbase.Placeyourballjointbackintotheinletbyfindingthegrooveontheballjointbaseandmakesureitgetsseatedovertopoftheinletpinontheoneside.

Step7-ReinstallCamAssemblyFindthegrooveonthesideofyournewcamassemblyandalignthecamassemblydownovertheballjointbaseofthegroove.It'simportanttoapplypressureandmakesurethisstaysalignedwhilescrewingitdownoverthesinkheadoryouwillhaveproblemswithyoursinknotsealingproperly.Oncescrewedon,8ghtenupthecamassemblyusingyouradjustablewrench.Step8-ReinstallBallJointMountUsingyourAllenwrench,reinstalltheballjointmountbyslidingitdownovertheballjointand8ghtenuptheballjointheadbyturningitclockwise.

Step8-ReinstallBallJointMountUsingyourAllenwrench,reinstalltheballjointmountbyslidingitdownovertheballjointand8ghtenuptheballjointheadbyturningitclockwise.

Step9-ReinstallFaucetHandleandSinkCapReplacetheroundfaucethandleovertopoftheballjointmountandreinsertscrew.TightenwithyourPhillipsheadscrewdriver.Replacefrontsinkcapbysnappingitbackinplace.

Step10-ReinstallAeratorandTurnWaterBackOn

Turnyourwatervalvesbackonunderneathyoursinkandreplacethetapaeratorontotheundersidefaucet8pbyhand8ghteningcounterclockwise.A]erturningthewaterbackon,letyourfaucetrunonhotandcoldinordertoflushoutanygreaseresiduethatmays8llbele]behind.

• Allstemsfordrinkingwaterapplica8onsshouldbe100%compliantwiththenew

No-LeadLegislaEon.

• StemsareorganizedbyLengthorManufacturerofthefaucet.

•  Ifyouknowordon’tknowthemanufacturerofyourfaucet,youcansearchforyourstemonlineorincatalogs.

• Moststemphotosareactualsizeandincludethefaucetmanufacturer’sname,plusacompletebreakdownofallthecomponentspartswiththerelatedpartnumbers.

No-leadlegisla8on:whatisit?Thenewno-leadlegisla8on,FederalPublicLaw111-380,prohibitsthesaleofplumbingfixtureswithaweWedsurfaceareacontainingmorethanaweightedaverageof0.25%lead.Thislawvirtuallyeliminatestheleadcontentofpipes,pipefinngsandfixturesintendedtoconveyordispensewaterfordrinkingorcooking.

Whatdoesthismeanyou?Yourcurrentinventoryofanynon-compliantbrassproductsbecameobsoleteonJanuary4,2014.ANon-compliantproductisnotgrandfatheredforcon8nuoususeandcannotbesold.

Whichproductsareexemptedfromtheno-leadproducts?Thoseusedexclusivelyfornon-potableservicessuchasmanufacturing,industrialprocessing,irriga8on,outdoorwatering,oranyotheruseswherethewaterisnotan8cipatedtobeforhumanconsump8onarenotpartoftheno-leadlaw.

Questions??

This Concludes this Session

ThankyouforyouraWendance