Plumbing! I Needed To Fix My Bathroom Faucet, So I Turned Hot And Cold Water Faucets Off Under The Sink.?
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 at
9:30 pm
Now, when I turned them on, they are dripping. My plumbing was installed 2 years ago and everything is pretty new. The nipple which holds the faucet handle is impossible to turn in any direction and water is dripping from it. How can I tighten is?Would it work if I just put silicon around it to stop water? I know that’s the best is to call plumber, but they charge so much even for little things. Please ,advise.
Tagged with: Bathroom • Cold • Faucet • Faucets • Needed • Plumbing • Sink • Turned • Under • Water
Filed under: Articles-Home Repair
Your valve has a packing gland in it. There is a nut you should be able to tighten to stop the leak. You will want to use 2 wrenches to do it, one to tighten the nut and the other to hold back against the valve. Tightening that almost always fixes those leaks.
I have years of plumbing experience. Be sure that where the water is dripping from is also where it is leaking from. Water can migrate before dripping. Dry area with TP or paper towel, with good lighting watch water reappear and repeat until your sure of the actual source. It is very common for supply stops (valves) to leak from the packing around the valve stem after being closed and reopened. These leaks are easily stopped by tightening the packing nut, (just behind the valve handle), clock wise. If this doesn’t solve the problem, ask all your friends and neighbors for a good (not cheap) plumber referral. Water damage can be a lot more expensive. ps. Silicone wont work on pressurized water!
Daveduncan40 gave good information.
The shutoff handle is screwed to the valve stem. You can remove the handle and screw.
When you turn the handle to close the faucet under the sink, you compress a washer inside the valve to stop the water flow. The stem is held onto the body of the valve by the gland nut. Either the washer is worn out, or the gland nut and any packing is loose or worn.
Shut off your all water to your house at the whole-house cold water inlet valve. Back at the sink, open the shutoff valve, then remove the stem screw and handle. Loosen the gland nut, remove it and pull out the stem (you probably have unscrew it.)
Check the condition of the gland packing and the stem washer, and replace if either are worn. Reassemble all the pieces, tighten the gland nut, replace the handle and turn on your water outside.
Brassco is one company which makes these bathroom and kitchen water shutoff valves. You can look at their website for assembly pictures. Or check out a plumbing book at the library, Home Depot, Lowes or other stores. One of the salespersons might be helpful to show how these valves operate, and provide a spare parts replacement kit.
Good luck.
The valve you used to turn the water off under the sink is called a stop. The handle you turned is attached to a shaft called a stem that is held into the valve by a packing nut, the hex shaped thing the stem goes into. It’s pretty common for the packing nut to leak if the stop is shut off or on. To stop the leak, you have to tighten the packing nut. Use a wrench and turn the packing nut clockwise until the leak stops. If it isn’t working, don’t use excessive force. Your leak may be from something else, and you don’t want to break the valve. Good luck.
sometimes they stop after a little while, I don’t know why. If they continue to drip, turn the water off to the house at the street and try what others have posted. Otherwise replace them.
1.Turn the water off at the mains.
2. Undo the washers which hold the tap/faucet to the sink.
3. Wrap around some PTFE tape over the thread of the washers, dont know what its called in USA but its a very fine white tape which fills in micro gaps.
4. Tighten the washers again over the thread and tape.
That should do the trick.
Have you checked the washers? They’re super cheap and really easy to replace. Depending on your type of sink, you can google specific directions if you don’t already know how. Also, if you’re unsure the size of your washer, take one off and bring it to a hardward store with you. Make sure to clean off everything once you take it apart and good luck.
there is a set screw under the plastic cap . its come lose or missing , or the third possibility is the plasticx is stripped out . you can get a new unit at one of the stores and do it yourself , good luck
water is actually drippping from the gaket located right behind the valve. the gasket is under a nut like thing directly behind the valve handle that you can tighten clockwise with a wrench or pliers. if you have a problem understanding go to a hardware store and ask the clerk they are a great way to get info for free and they will have a valve to deminstrate on.