Fixed a leaky faucet with a $6 part from Ace Hardware and felt like a plumber for a whole afternoon

So I was at my parents' house last Sunday helping them clean out the garage. Their kitchen faucet has been dripping for like two months. Dad kept saying he'd get to it. I popped the little cap off the handle and saw the rubber washer was all shredded. Ran to Ace Hardware on Lincoln Ave and the guy there showed me exactly which one to grab. Took me maybe 20 minutes to swap it out. No more drip. My mom acted like I was a hero. Has anyone else had a super simple fix that made you feel way more handy than you actually are?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin69219d ago

Gently pull that rubber washer out and check the seat where it sits too... sometimes those get rough or pitted from the constant pressure and then a new washer doesn't seal right. I had a similar thing with my bathroom sink last year, swapped the washer and it still dripped a little. Ended up having to grab a little brass seat reamer tool for like eight bucks and just gave it a couple light spins to smooth it out. Worked perfect after that. Not trying to rain on your parade but you might want to peek in there again in a couple weeks if it starts dripping again. That old seat can be tricky.

rowanharris19d ago

Did you check if the faucet handle itself is fully seated? Sometimes a loose handle lets the stem wobble a bit and that wears the washer down faster.

victor_jones9919d ago

@rowanharris oh absolutely, next thing you know I'll be calling myself a plumbing contractor after changing a lightbulb.