My almost new (Oct. 2010) kitchen faucett started dripping today. First, I took off the aerator and washed it out because there is a lot of sediment in our water. I had not noticed it dripping before. When I put it back on it started -- it's a very slow drip. I hate to call a plumber for this but am afraid it might get worse. There is a "new" type screw that holds it in place....one of those that does not use an old fashioned screw driver but the "L" shaped ones ... I don't have one that fits. If I could find one that would fit into the hole there, would I be able to stop the drip by tightening it? I don't want to make it worse -- and have no idea why it would start. Any help would be appreciated.
I think Leaky Faucett was Farah Fawcett's youngest child. At least until he was toilet trained.
Nonetheless, sand in the aerator won't make it leak.
Allen wrenches. Those screws have hexagonal holes, with six flat sides.
If that's what it is, you can buy a set for 3 dollars. But I don't know if that will help. Loosening or removing the set screw enables you to remove the handle, but that does no good in iteself. It gives one a better look at the knurled ring that is just above the smooth part of the faucet and just below the handle, but you can perhaps get a good grip on that ring wihtout removing the handle.
Identify whether it is the cold or hot that is dripping.
TURN OFF BOTH the cold and hot water.
Remove the ring. But a it with rubber parts for your model faucet and replace the two black rubber cups and the springs underneat them. Keep track of the ones you remove, which was left and which was right.
If perchance you don't fix this the first time, and you have to do this again, you can use the side that WAS working on the side that wasn't. You should probably throw away the rubber part from the side that was dripping.
Delta is very misleading imo opinion, when they say there are no washers. There are still rubber parts that have to be replaced. It doesn't matter to me what they are shaped like or what they are called. "Washerless" was meant to imply maintenance-free and they aren't. Nonetheless I have one two. One eventually wouldn't stop drippign even when I replaced the seals and springs a second or third time, and replaced the ball twice too, qith a nylon one and then a metal one. But I don't like the style of the more expensive ones and I ended up with a Delta again.
Not by doing only that.
< I don't
If it doesn't last forever, it has to start dripping some time. When would be more likely than now?
Thank you for sending the web site .... I did find it useful. I may add Allen wrenches to my collection but I really don't think tightening it will help ... the drip appears to be cold water but the faucet is the kind where it's hard to tell because there is just the one handle.
That L-shaped tool is an Allen wrench, also called a hex key, for an old, old style of screw head that's been common for decades and decades. You can buy a whole set of hex keys in a fold-up unit from real hardware stores, Sears, and auto parts stores:
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Several minutes before loosening the screw, apply some penetrating oil, like PB Blaster, Kroil, or Liquid Wrench, in case the threads have seized from corrosion. WD-40 doesn't work as well.
I think your Delta faucet uses a ceramic cartridge valve, and it rarely leaks unless a piece of grid passed through it just at the moment it was opened or closed, but it probably has some rubber o- rings to seal it to the faucet body, and they may be leaking. You're covered by a lifetime warranty, and Delta will provide repair parts for free if you phone them. BTW, Delta voids warranties if you use non-Delta parts, and for models that use rubber cup seals instead of a ceramic cartridge, their cup seals last a lot longer than those from other companies anyway.
That screw does nothing but hold the handle to the faucet, and overtightening it can strip the threads in the soft metal around it.
In the case of single-handle faucets it doesn't matter because a single cartridge valve handles both hot and cold. It's possible the leak is caused by the cartridge valve not being screwed in tightly enough, in which case removing the top cap (use a leather strap wrench so the finish won't be scratched) and then _slightly_ tightening the big hex nut at the top may be enough to stop the leak. If it doesn't, turn off both the hot and cold supplies to the faucet and loosen that hex nut so the cartridge valve can be removed. Check any o-rings around that cartridge valve and their sealing surfaces because maybe simply cleaning some junk will seal it. The o-rings should be lubricated with silicone grease (plumbing supplies have it), but liquid dishwashing detergent will work in a pinch.
I misread this. That is, I didnt' finish reading the sentence. I jumped to the conclusion that you were asking if you could stop the drip by loosening it and removing the handle.
Yes, as someone said, I think Delta does have cartridge faucets now. It depends on how old yours is. You posted the model number but not time now to look it up. I don't know what the difference is anyhow; I don't know what cartridges are like or if the presence of one means there are no springs and seals. A place that sells replacement parts for Delta, usually in bubble packs hanging from a hook, will have a list of what models each pack is meant to refurbish.
Hey you gusy, even the ones that use cartridges have to be refurbished once in a while, don't they? By buying a new cartridge.
She's not entitled to a warranty replacement until after she replaces the cartridge and it doesn't fix it, isn't that right?
This paragraph is not in answer thot the post it quotes!!
You can tell which is drippign by turning off the hot or the cold water but not both, underneath the sink. YOu have to turn off both to do any repairing.
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