According to the Environmental Protection Agency, plumbing leaks cause an average of 10,000 gallons of lost water every single year—enough to fill an average swimming pool. That’s a lot of water, and also a lot of money out of your pocket. One of the most common sources of household plumbing leaks is in faucets, where even a slow drip can add up significantly over time. Repairing a leaky faucet doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal—in fact, the most common causes of faucet leaks are actually remarkably simple fixes. Check out our latest blog to learn about these common causes of leaky faucets and how to fix them.
O-Ring Problems
The faucet handle is held on by a piece of hardware known as the stem screw. The stem screw has a small, flexible plastic disc attached to it, known as the O-ring. When this O-ring becomes loose or wears out, your faucet could start dripping near the handle. Common signs of this are calcium or other mineral deposits near the base of your faucet handles.
Corroded Valve Seats
Compression faucets have a connection between the faucet and the water spout itself, known as the valve seat. Over time, sediments in water can cause this valve seat to corrode, shrinking the seal and causing the valve to leak.
Loose Parts
Faucets are some of the most often-used devices in your home, so it’s not unimaginable to think that over time, things will wear out, break in, and become loose. Packing nuts, O-rings, seals, gaskets, and more all need to be adjusted, replaced, or re-sealed to ensure that everything in your faucet remains tight. Taking a wrench to various nuts and bolts to make sure they’re tight can fix a ton of problems.
Worn Out Seals
Disc faucets have both inlet and outlet seals that are integral to their operation. Similarly to the last point, constant usage will progressively cause these seals to wear out, primarily due to water deposits like calcium and magnesium. You have two options in this instance: clean the seals to remove the deposits, or replace them with brand new duplicates.
Need help fixing a leaky faucet? Call a professional San Fernando Valley Plumber! Contact Duran & Sons Universal Plumbing & Rooter today at (818) 946-0545 to schedule your in-home service appointment.