Leaky faucet - how to unscrew stripped Philips screw?

My bathroom faucet has a drip and I traced it to the hot water handle. Unfortunately, I can't seem to unscrew it because the Philips screw is stripped.

Any suggestions as to how to take off the handle? It's one of those handles where the screw is in the middle of an indented circle.

If I do get it off, what's the procedure for stopping the drip? When I shut the hot water valve under the sink, I notice that the drip moves to the valve.

Reply to
lisas90210
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I'm no pro, so all advice is worth what you're paying.

When I need to get out a stripped phillips screw, I take a dremel with a cutting disk to it and notch the head across. I then use a flat head screwdriver in the notch to get the screw out and replace it.

The drip seems strange, where it moves to the valve when you turn the valve off. I'll let someone with more knowledge take that one.

Good luck.

Reply to
DanKMTB

Usually, when someone says a screw is stripped they mean the threads are stripped, so you can turn the screw with a screwdriver without it backing out (or tightening).

Is that what you're trying to say?

Or is it the Phillips head recess which is buggered up so a screwdriver can't engage it?

If it's the former, then you can probably have a helper pull up one the faucet handle while trying to rock it while you turn the screw counterclockwise,

If it's the head which is fouled up, then try Dan's suggestion. If you don't have a Dremel type tool or if the recess in the handle is too deep to get a cutting wheel into, then try carefully drilling down into the screw head's Phillip's recess just until the head disappears. That should enable you to pull the handle off, and if you're lucky there will still be enough of the screw protruding from the faucet stem to let you remove it with pliers. If not, new stems don't cost all that much.

Re the dripping from the shutoff valve: Chances are its stem packing is dried up and the drip you are experiencing is just the water standing in the upfeed tubing and faucet slowly leaking out around the stem. If you get more than a few ounces of drip and it doesn't eventually stop, then the shutoff valve's washer is probably shot.

Both the packing and the washer don't take the skills of a rocket surgeon to replace. Someone who knows how can show you in just "a matter of a moment."

HTH,

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

Or easy-out

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Don't you mean an "Easy to snap off" tool, Ed?

Chances are the screw is corroded tightly in place and the OP may be the one who buggered the Phillips head recess trying to back it out.

You probably have more faith than me, Ed. I think his chances of successfully removingthat screwt with an easy out are two, slim and none. And Slim rode out of town yesterday.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

For calling you Ed, Joseph....

My bad.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

If you're going to drill out the screw, buy some left-handed drill bits from Harbor Freight (the only place that has cheap ones, last I looked) and use a reversible drill to drill in reverse. Use a bit that is clearly smaller than the screw shaft so as not to damage the stem. Often the screw will come out some time during the drilling, because you're drillling counter-clockwise, just like unscrewing is.

If that doesn't happen, you can go back with a bigger drill until you have one that takes the head off.

Something about the packing around the stem. With some faucets you don't even have to remove the handle to get to the pakcing nut, and I think the first thing to try is tightening the packing nut, the nut that surrounds the stem. In a bathroom they try to make it prettyy so you probably have to remove the handle.

You mean that when you turn off the valve under the sink, it leakes there instead. That means you have two leaks.

But many undersink type valves don't leak when they are all the way open or all the way closed, and leak in the middle. Maybe you haven't tightend the valve closed enough. But for a short time you might be able to catch the drip with a pan.

In many/most/all vanities, the bottom is made out of particle board, so if it gets wet it will fall apart. I've ended up cutting a piece of thin plywood or something to fit under 3 of my 4 sinks. Not so hard and should last forever. I have the sawdust from the powder room vanity in a little bowl on the counter, like pot pourri, but it has no smell. :)

Reply to
mm

I think I'd spring for the $10 screw-extractor at the local junk store, before drilling the head off.

Reply to
Goedjn

Hve you ever successfully extracted a BRASS #8 screw with one of those?

I can't say that I ever have.

Drilling the required 1/16" diameter hole down the center of that size screw with a hand held drill is more than I'd ever try and pull off.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

Funny thing you were still right. It is Joseph Edward. Meehan :-)

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Assuming as someone else already addressed, that the head is in bad shape not the threads (unlikely to strip threads in that spot, far more likely corroded) couple of things to try.

First, soak the threads for a while in vinegar of CLR or one of the other lime removers -- has a chance to help on some of the corrosion. Then, the Kroil or similar penetrating oil just might do a little good if can clean it up first so it has a chance to get somewhere near the threads.

Then, before buggering up the head any further, get a properly sized (probably #1, maybe #0) screwdriver bit and put it in a reversible hammer-drill and if there's any head at all left, chances are pretty good the impact plus torque will back it out...

If that fails, then the more extreme remedies come into play but I'd not try them until the above technique fails.

Reply to
dpb

If it gets to the point that you need to buy screw extractors or try to drill out the screw, the easiest solution may be a new faucet. They aren't all that expensive, and you have the benefit of a nice new faucet, which is worth something, as I'll bet the existing one isn't exatly in primo condition.

Reply to
trader4

If none of those work, you can always remove the screw head with a suitably-sized twist drill. That will allow you to pull the handle off the faucet. With luck, there will be enough of the screw still sticking out of the faucet shaft that you can grab it with vise grips and unscrew it.

If the screw is too badly seized to remove with vise grips, you can sometimes drill it out entirely using a drill diameter that's about equal to the root diameter of the screw thread. You'll need to mark the centre of the screw accurately, and drill straight. When done well, you end up with nothing left of the screw but a little spiral of thread, and little or no damage to the female thread in the faucet shaft. You can pick out the remainder of the screw with small pliers, clean the thread with a tap of the appropriate size and pitch, and you're ready to reassemble using a new screw. (Use brass or stainless so it doesn't corrode next time).

Dave

Reply to
Dave Martindale

I've never really had a faucet handle screw too be so difficult; that I need big tools. This did remind me I have needle nosed vise grips I forgot about. Now I won't slip and pinch myself with a standard set (as much)...

-- Oren

..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..

Reply to
Oren

Before doing anything that might damage more than just the stripped screw have you tried tapping a properly sized phillips screwdriver into the screw head using a few moderate blows with a hammer? This has never failed me when trying to rejuvinate the screw head (at least to the point where the screw can be removed).

Reply to
M.Paul

"M.Paul" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@newsreg.cos.agilent.com:

Thanks to all for their advice. I'm going to try the above today. It's not the treads of the screw that's stripped, but the head. It's an old faucet and the handles haven't been taken off in years.

There's been a constant drip for several weeks now. If I turn off the hot water valve under the sink, the drip from the faucet stops, but then continues from the valve.

Reply to
lisas90210

On May 11, 12:02 pm, snipped-for-privacy@nospamplait.com wrote: ...

As someone else already noted, the other drip is unrelated (of course, I'm assuming you already knew that). The cutoff valve is closing so you don't have water pressure at the tap so that leak stops. Meanwhile, owing to age and infrequent usage, the packing around the stem of the other valve has deteriorated so that it now leaks a little around the stem when not in the fully open position. Quite common.

As a first try, take a wrench and see if the packing nut at the base of the stem will tighten just a little without applying a whole lot of force. If so, may have enough additional compression to stop the drip. If not, to fix it means turning off the water to the house or, if it's a hot water line instead of cold, at the outlet of the water heater, and removing the packing nut and seeing whether it's a washer or packing type. May be able to find new washer, if not, a little added packing around the stem will solve the problem in all likelihood.

As for getting your screw out, the idea of using a screwdriver and hammer to retool the head slots isn't bad, but to have much chance at breaking the screw loose and not simply rounding them over again I still strongly recommend finding a friend w/ a cordless hammer drill to apply the vibration. Highly unlikely will be able to get enough torque simply w/ the handheld screwdriver w/o stripping out the head even further imo.

There is, of course, the hammer-actuated handheld variety available that are sometimes successful. They have the advantage of also applying the torque while the hammer blow holds the bit firmly in the head reducing the chances for riding "up and over" as they're wont to do when trying by hand....

Reply to
dpb

Impact driver... ( $25 - $50 )

Can't remember the last time I needed it. :-))

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-- Oren

..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..

Reply to
Oren

...

Not since I got the hammer drill, I think. Although I may have had a place or two the drill wouldn't fit that it came in handy although can't say as I can recall exactly. But, it's still in the tool drawer 'cause "ya' never know"... :)

Reply to
dpb

Mine is in the top left drawer and sits there with the bits. It must have been purchased 25+ years ago; when I could work on a car.

Even without the hammer; press down and torque left.. good tool.

-- Oren

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"

Reply to
Oren

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