Problem: Your two-handle faucet leaks, but you don't want to buy a new faucet.
Solution: It's fairly easy to repair a faucet. While you're at it, you can update the handles to give your bathroom a new look.
Materials:
slip-joint pliers
Phillips- and flat-head screwdrivers
needle-nose pliers
Allen wrenches
faucet repair kit
- Turn off the water at the valves beneath the sink. If there aren't any valves beneath the sink, you'll need to shut off the main water supply. It's also a good idea to plug the drain or close the pop-up so small parts won't fall in.
- Remove the handles from the faucet. This may involve loosening a setscrew or removing the cover plate to access the handle screw.
- Next, loosen and remove the bonnet nut holding the faucet stem in place (figure A ).
- The faucet stem has a raised ledge on one side (figure B). Make a note of the direction the ledge faces and remove the faucet stem.
- Fish out the packing and spring assembly with needle-nose pliers (figure C ).
- Install a new spring, small-side up, and push the new packing into place on top of the spring. This part can sometimes be a bit tricky, so be patient.
- Replace the stem and reattach the bonnet nut. If you want to reverse the direction the handles turn, you can reverse the direction of the ledge on the stem.
- Reattach the original handles, or install new handles to give your bathroom a different look.
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