Faucet washers

Disclaimer: IANAP. I hereby offer my humble sacrifice to the Gods of Plumbing and prostrate myself before the temple of great white porcelain fixtures.

So I replaced both the seats and washers in my friend's kitchen faucets, but the damn thing still drips. Not much, but enough to be really annoying.

The washers in the faucets were unlike any I'd seen before: really tall, and orange/yellow rubber. Seemed to be more pliable than the black washers, too.

Old house (ca. 1920), old fixture: two pipes going into wall, faucets on each side, crosspipe running to swinging arm in center. I originally got a kit from Ace with all parts (seats, washers, seals). The washers looked wrong, but I put them in.

Yesterday I took one of the stems to a Real Plumbing Store. The guy there said that I had the right washers, but I ended up getting a set of green ones (resistant to chloramine, he said) instead of the generic black ones. Installed them; no detectable change.

When I asked about the orange/yellow washers, the guy said that made no difference--"just a different manufacturer".

Anyone here (preferably a real plumber) know about different washers? Is there a special magic washer that can solve my problem? Or does my friend need to just replace the whole old shebang?

Reply to
David Nebenzahl
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Usually you need to use one of the valve seat cutters to clean up the corroded valve seat that is letting water leak by.

Reply to
Pete C.

On 8/14/2009 11:14 AM Pete C. spake thus:

I thought it would have been clear that I not only bought a repair kit that included seats, I installed them. No need to recut a seat when they're so cheap.

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

If that is the case, the fixture probably is beyond economical repair.

Reply to
Pete C.

That's nothing. I bought a brand new old style fixture (back mount) and it leaked in 1 month. I ordered new washers and seats from an internet company, replaced them and it finally stopped leaking.

Reply to
Van Chocstraw

On 8/14/2009 10:30 AM David Nebenzahl spake thus:

Update: after putting in the new green washers, the damn things still drip. I give up. (Client/friend is not too bothered by it.)

Nobody has said anything about those big giant yellow/orange washers I took out. Anyone know about these things?

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

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