One of the faucets to the hoses of our washing machine started leaking. I thought I would be able to simply remove it and replace it. It is a metal faucet in a plastic pipe, and I can't get it to budge with an adjustable wrench. It is a metal faucet in a plastic pipe. I'm afraid that if I put too much force on it, the pipe will break. Is there a trick to getting this kind of faucet off the pipe?
You may be forced into a major repair. Prepare in advance by rounding up the parts needed (a quarter turn faucet is a must), plastic pipe coupling, pipe nipple of appropriate length, threaded el, etc. Then turn off the supply valve and start the repair. You might get lucky and the valve will back out, but from here it the best guess is that it was installed with a thread locking sealant because of leakage often found in molded threads in plastic fittings. Plan ahead and good luck.
Joe
If I can't simply take the faucet off and replace it, it is beyond what I can do. I turned off the water, let it drain, and tried both faucets and neither would budge at all at the force I applied, trying to be careful not to break it. Since they wouldn't come off easily, it sounds like it is more than I can do. I replaced one of these outside, but it was metal on metal and came off easily.
I'm assuming that when you say "faucets to the hoses" you mean the shutoffs.
If there is a shut-off prior to this one (I doubt it) turn it off. If not, turn off the house main.
Once that's done "Go for it"! If something breaks, you'll know what you need to buy to fix it.
I suggest you start this in the morning so you have all day to chase down parts. Worst case is you might have to cap off the pipe leading to the shutoff so you can turn the water back on.
I would tend to hire a plumber. If it's something like CPVC pipe you could break it.
Well there is something very similar to a faucet for a garden hose in the wall.
I did shut off the main valve to the house.
If something breaks, it will be beyond my ability to fix it.
That would be beyond what I'm able to do.
Yes, it is some sort of PVC pipe. If I break that trying to get the thing off, there would be no way I can fix it, so I'd have to have the whole house w/o water until I could get a plumber. So I don't want to risk breaking it.
Here is a radical thought; why not rebuild the leaking one? That used to be a first response.
I thought it would be simpler to replace it, but that doesn't seem easy. Repairing it may be more than I can do. I've repaired kitchen and bathroom faucets, but they were designed to be repairable.
It is the hot water spigot that is leaking. When it is off it doesn't leak. When it is on it leaks about three drops per second, out of the shaft. For the last couple of days we've had it off and have been washing cold/cold.
Repair with new pipe and glue would probably be simpler than sweating copper. Plumbing is not rocket science but I often say that the difference between me and a plumber is that the plumber has a truck full of parts while I'll be running back and forth to the store.
Neighbor's son told me he broke a section of his fathers CPVC pipe crawling under sink hanging onto pipe. Said it was quite brittle.
You can try tightening the nut at the stem. A 1/4 turn may stop the leak. Turn it on and tighten 'till snug. YMMV.
I tightened the nut on the top and it almost quit leaking. A little water forms on the outside but not enough to drip. It seems OK for the time being.
My thanks to everyone who helped,
If you could locate a faucet of the same design & hopefully manufacturer, you could just swap out the innards by backing out the packing nut, winding out the stem, & reverse the procedure for the new part.
See how to repack the stem:
Based on what you wrote, you appear to have it almost fixed.
The nut that you tightened on the top compresses some paking that is around the shaft and underneath the nut. Compressing that packing seals the leak.
You could try loosening the nut all the way and looking at what is underneath the nut. You can buy teflon "valve stem thread" or "valve stem packing" (I forget exactly what it is called) at any hardware store etc. -- in the plumbing repair area. Then, loosen the nut, wrap a little of the packing thread around the shaft under the nut, then tighten the nut. That should stop the leak completely.
re: That would be beyond what I'm able to do
But only because you have never done it before.
Google this and pick 1 or 2 hits to see how simple it is to do.
Whoops!
Google this and pick 1 or 2 hits to see how simple it is to do
video glue pvc pipe
I was going to say that first!
The only repair that seems possible is if it's leaking at the handle stem. Then, on a metal faucet there is usually a six-sided part that unscrews and you can repack the packing that keeps the water from leaking out.
Crescent wrenches, adjustable wrenches are great for bicycles, but they're always getting loose for a lot of other things and rounding off corners or slipping. Except maybe the ones with gimmicks to keep them at one setting. I used to have a set of Craftsman combination open/box end wrenches but I lost them and now have a cheap set. So far they've worked fine and been strong enough.
That's what I meant by stem. I hadn't read this far.
I hear you can do that. The new soaps must be a lot better in the last 30 years. Really dirty things that would never come clean before come out perfectly clean in warm/cold. Haven't tried cold/cold much.
I didnt' believe they had enzymes in the detergent until I read that there was a safety issue at the factory bnecause of enzymes. They must really work.
Probably shoudl remove the old stuff first when doing that, right?
The stuff I had was about an eigth of an inch in diameter. Should I have squished the overlap together before putting the nut back on.
The YouTube video link that Oren posted above pretty much shows the whole process.
He wrote,
"See how to repack the stem:
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.