You wind up your day, turn off the lights and television, and get ready to snuggle inside your blanket. It is just then that the drip-drip sound from the bathroom pierces your ears. Any effort to ignore it doesn’t work, no matter how hard you try to avoid hearing the unpleasant sound. And at last, you have to rise from your bed and check on the situation. Many people go through this experience at least once in their lifetime. Hence, you don’t have to stress about it so much. Still, the sight and sound of a leaky faucet can be impossible to ignore.
If you don’t want to suffer such problems, buy a quality product from a trusted store, such as a Kraus bathroom sink faucet. Bathroom sink faucets engineered with ceramic cartridges can offer a leak-free experience even after several uses. Nevertheless, this advice will be useful when you have to replace your old faucet. But, right now, the focus is on correcting the dripping tap. Here are some suggestions to help you fix this pesky issue without spending lots of money, assuming you use a single handle vessel sink faucet.
DIY tips for vessel sink faucet leak
Get the repair kit
Single handle faucets for vessel sinks can be expensive than traditional options. These can consist of different parts. However, if it operates with a single lever, your task will be comparatively straightforward. Before you do anything, gather all your tools and necessary materials. You can remove the sink stopper and gag the drain with a piece of rag. It will ensure that small parts don’t drain out through the opening. Anyway, check if you have a repairing kit for a single handle faucet. A complete repairing box would have all types of wrenches, nuts, utility knives, screwdrivers, etc. Other than this, you would need a cartridge valve for replacement, silicone plumber’s grease, a used toothbrush, and others.
Begin the repair job
Water shutoff valve
When working on the leakage, you can accidentally damage the faucet finish because of wrenches in the difficult-to-reach areas. To avoid this, you can cover it with a thick cloth till you are using tools. As you begin to remove parts one by one, keep them safe to remember the steps. Make sure you have turned off the water supply before taking out the handle cap. Both hot and cold water supply lines should remain closed until you finish your job. Usually, water shutoff valves hide under the sink and feature small handles for hot and cold water pipes.
Faucet handle
After closing the supply lines, you can run the faucet to release pent-up air pressure and water. You will have to remove the faucet handle first to access the cartridge. It can be tricky as a screw can be lying under a handle cover plate or cap. You can use a thin-blade screwdriver to open the lid. If you can see the handle screw, you can use a hex wrench to loosen it up and take it off the handle.
Old cartridge
Different faucets will have different styles for holding a cartridge in its place. In most cases, a retaining nut helps it stay in its position. In older models, you usually come across large nuts that become visible as soon as you pry the handle up. However, expensive fixtures can hide them under some decorative parts. So, you have to remove them to reach the retainer nut. If you can locate it, use a wrench or pliers to turn it open. Is the nut still not visible? It means your faucet has a complicated design. Please remove all the parts one after another carefully and store them in the same order to avoid confusion later.
With intricate designs, you may first have to open the screw of the decorative collar and bracket. As soon as the frame is out, you notice a white plastic ring in the faucet’s body. Since it controls the faucet handle’s movement, you have to make sure you fix it back properly. Get the stem washer and other elements out to reach the retainer nut. Remove it as well.
A brass clip of a specific shape will be holding the cartridge in its place. You have to remove them. However, again you have to check how they helped the cartridge stay in its place so that you can exactly put them back. Anyway, with all clips and fasteners out, it can be easier to take out the cartridge. But minerals in the water can cause them to stick to the surface. You need to use your cartridge kit to get it off from its spot with a proper tool. When you release it, some water will spill. But it’s quite common.
New cartridge
Replace the old one with a new cartridge. Fitting a new cartridge should not be a problem if you have the right kit with you. After a few simple steps, you can put the new cartridge in the right location and push it down until it settles well in the cartridge housing. In the end, reassemble all the parts in reverse order to get everything aligned. Change the retaining nuts and other essential elements also.
Once everything goes back, you can open the water supply to check the leak. Sometimes, cold and hot water controls get exchanged because you ended up fixing the cartridge backward. You will need to reopen all the parts once again to place the cartridge at its correct angle.
In the end, you can peacefully climb back to your bed to enjoy a peaceful sleep. It may have been a bit exhausting for you to fix the leakage. But at least you don’t have to put up with the dripping sound anymore. Also, you can pat your back to save water from wastage. If you are not satisfied with your repairing work, you can call the professional for assistance and get it checked. If they recommend replacement, make sure to buy a leak-proof design from a reputable store.
