c/fix-my-leaky-faucet

Hit 47 faucet washers replaced this weekend...

I know I'm probably weird for counting but I just hit my 47th bathtub faucet washer replacement this year. Got tired of hearing that slow drip from Mrs. Henderson's unit and realized I've done almost one a week. Anyone else keep a running tally on stuff like that?

2 comments

fisher.taylor•3d ago

Took me 3 hours to replace a simple kitchen faucet cartridge - should I have just called a plumber?

I thought swapping a cartridge in my Moen would be a quick 20-minute job. Got the old one out easy enough, but the new one didn't seat right no matter what I tried. Ended up fighting with it for 3 hours, had to take the whole faucet apart twice, and finally realized the clip was bent. Do you guys think it's smarter to just pay a plumber $150 for stuff like this, or is it worth the hassle to learn it yourself?

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david123•3d ago

Old plumber told me my trap arm was too long, cost me a weekend

Had a slow drain in the kitchen sink that I'd snaked three times. A retired plumber at the hardware store said my trap arm was over 5 feet and that was causing the clogs. Shortened it to 2 feet and haven't had an issue since. Anyone else run into code limits on drain lengths?

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michaelw26•5d ago

Overheard a neighbor say he never uses plumber's tape on compression fittings

I was out in the yard last weekend and my neighbor Ted was fixing his hose bib. He said he never uses Teflon tape on compression fittings because the seal comes from the nut crushing the ferrule, not from tape. I've been wrapping tape on every compression fitting for 10 years and I always got leaks. After he showed me his dry fit method I tried it on my bathroom supply line and no drip after 3 days. Has anyone else found that plumber's tape causes more problems than it solves on these fittings?

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matthewross•7d ago

Pro tip: that $12 basin wrench from the hardware store saved my Saturday

I used to think you needed the expensive $50 basin wrench for sink work. Last month I was swapping out a faucet on a tight undermount sink in my rental property. The cheap one had enough reach and the handle held up fine through all the nuts. Has anyone else found the budget version works just as well for occasional use?

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charles_wilson•9d ago

That Teflon tape trick my neighbor swore by flooded my bathroom floor

I tried wrapping Teflon tape around a faucet cartridge like my neighbor said, but I went overboard and used 12 wraps on a single stem. The tape bunched up inside the valve body and stopped the water flow completely at first. Then when I turned the pressure back on, it shot a stream of water right past the o-ring and soaked my vanity. Took me 20 minutes to pick all the little white shreds out of the valve with tweezers. Learned the hard way that Teflon tape is only for pipe threads, not for sealing flat surfaces. Has anyone else had tape fragments clog up their faucet internals like that?

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the_avery•9d ago

Tried the compression sleeve trick my uncle swore by and it actually worked on my kitchen faucet

My kitchen faucet at home was dripping nonstop for two weeks. My uncle said to just swap the rubber sleeve inside the compression fitting instead of replacing the whole cartridge, and I was skeptical but it stopped the drip after 20 minutes. Has anyone else had luck with that old school fix over the fancy kits?

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drew_thomas9•10d ago

Talked to a plumber named Joe who said most leaky faucets just need a 50 cent washer not a whole new fixture

He literally fixed my kitchen faucet in 10 minutes with a part from his truck and I felt stupid for almost buying a $150 replacement at Home Depot.

2 comments