· 3 min read
How to stop a dripping faucet
A drip is nearly always a worn part that costs a few dollars. Work out which type of faucet you have, and the repair takes under an hour.
Kitchen and bath fixes
Dripping faucets, leaking traps, weak showers and cranky garbage disposals. The small repairs that save a service call, with a straight answer about how hard each one is.
Kitchen and bathroom repairs are the gateway to home plumbing. The parts are cheap, the tools are ordinary, and the worst outcome of most of them is a trip to the hardware store for the right washer.
The honest difficulty scale
- Easy, under an hour: a dripping compression faucet, a leaking trap nut, cleaning a shower head, a jammed disposal
- Moderate, an afternoon: a cartridge faucet, a new faucet, a toilet fill valve, a new sink trap
- Harder: a tub or shower valve in the wall, resetting a sink strainer, a leaking disposal flange
- Not yours: anything behind a wall that involves soldering, a shut-off valve that has failed, a drain pipe leaking at the wall
Two rules
Photograph everything before you take it apart, and put the plug in the drain so that nothing small disappears.
What this topic covers
- Dripping faucets and leaking sink traps
- Weak shower pressure
- Swapping a faucet, a shower head or a toilet fill valve
Common questions
How hard is it to replace a faucet myself?
The plumbing is straightforward: two supply lines and a mounting nut. The hard part is working on your back inside the cabinet, and old nuts that will not budge. Allow an afternoon, and have a plumber's number ready in case a valve under the sink fails when you turn it.
Can I replace a toilet myself?
A capable homeowner can, in a few hours: the toilet lifts off two bolts, and the new one goes on a fresh wax ring. Get a helper for the lifting, and check for rocking before you use it.
Tips on this topic
· 3 min read
Replacing a kitchen faucet, step by step
A new kitchen faucet is one of the most satisfying upgrades a homeowner can do. The plumbing is simple; the difficulty is entirely in the cabinet. Here is how to get it done in an afternoon.
· 3 min read
Re-caulking a bathtub or shower: the job that stops leaks into the ceiling below
Cracked or moldy caulk where the tub meets the tile lets water into the wall and the floor. Redoing it takes an afternoon, and the secret is removing every trace of the old caulk first.
· 3 min read
Garbage disposal problems: humming, jammed, leaking or smelly
Most disposal faults are cleared with the hex key that came with it and a little patience. Here is what each symptom means, how to fix it safely, and when the unit is finished.
Need a professional?
When it is more than a quick fix, search for plumbers near your town and verify the New Jersey license in a minute.