Faucet & Fixture Repair in Pennsylvania

Know what kind of faucet you have

Almost every faucet uses one of four designs, and the repair depends on which one is inside:

• Compression faucets have separate hot and cold handles that you tighten to stop the water. They seal with rubber washers against a seat. Drips are common and usually fixed with a new washer and, if the seat is worn, a new seat.
• Cartridge faucets use a replaceable cartridge that moves up and down or turns. Single-handle kitchen and bathroom faucets often use them. A drip or stiff handle usually means the cartridge needs replacing.
• Ceramic disc faucets use two hard discs that slide over each other. They last a long time; drips usually come from worn seals rather than the discs.
• Ball faucets, mostly older single-handle kitchen faucets, use a rotating ball with several seals and springs.

The brand name is usually printed on the faucet or on the escutcheon plate. Knowing the brand and model makes finding the right cartridge far easier, and many manufacturers sell or send replacement cartridges.

A dripping faucet

A drip from the spout means the seal that stops water inside the faucet is worn. On a compression faucet, it is the washer or the seat. On a cartridge faucet, it is the cartridge or its seals.

Before taking anything apart:

1. Close the shutoff valves under the sink. If they don’t close, or start leaking when you turn them, stop and call a plumber; forcing an old valve can break it.
2. Put the plug in the drain so small parts can’t fall in.
3. Take a photo at each step so you can put it back together in the same order.

Replacing a cartridge is a reasonable job for many homeowners. What usually goes wrong is a cartridge that is stuck in the body after years of mineral buildup, or a retaining nut that won’t budge. A plumber has pullers and the right replacement parts, and will often suggest replacing a very old faucet rather than fighting it.

Weak flow from one fixture

When only one faucet or shower is weak, the problem is almost always close to that fixture:

• A clogged aerator. Unscrew the tip of the faucet and look for grit and scale. Rinsing it, or soaking it in vinegar, often restores full flow.
• A clogged shower head. The same mineral deposits block the small openings.
• A clogged cartridge or a partly closed valve. Debris often gets into fixtures after water main work on the street.

When every fixture has weak flow, the cause is upstream: the main shutoff, a failing pressure-reducing valve, or narrowing galvanized pipe. In older Pennsylvania houses, galvanized supply pipe is a frequent culprit; see repiping and water line replacement.

A shower that won’t hold its temperature

Most modern single-handle showers have a pressure-balancing valve that keeps the mix of hot and cold steady when pressure changes elsewhere in the house. When its cartridge wears out or clogs with scale, the shower swings hot or cold whenever someone flushes a toilet or runs a tap.

Replacing the cartridge usually fixes it. If the shower runs lukewarm no matter where the handle is, check the rotational limit stop inside the handle, which can be set too low, and make sure the water heater itself is working; see water heater repair.

Older two-handle showers have no balancing feature at all. If sudden temperature swings are a safety concern, especially for children or older relatives, ask about replacing the valve.

Shutoff valves: test them before you need them

Every sink and toilet should have its own shutoff valve, and every house a main shutoff. In older houses, many of these are multi-turn gate or compression valves that have not been touched in decades. When they are finally needed, they won’t close, or they start to leak around the stem.

A good habit: once a year, close and reopen each fixture valve. If one won’t move, or leaks afterwards, have it replaced with a quarter-turn ball valve. Replacing the main shutoff with a full-port ball valve is one of the most useful small upgrades in an older house, because it makes every future emergency easier; see emergency plumbing.

Leaks under the sink

Check the cabinet under each sink a few times a year. Look for:

• Drips from the supply lines. Braided stainless lines last longer than old solid or plastic ones.
• A damp slip nut on the drain trap. Hand-tightening often stops it; a cracked trap needs replacing.
• A leaking garbage disposal or dishwasher connection.
• Swollen or soft cabinet floors, which mean a slow leak has been going on for a while.

A leak sensor in the cabinet is inexpensive and catches slow leaks early. For leaks you can’t find, see leak detection.

Outdoor faucets

Outdoor faucets (hose bibs) are a fixture repair with a Pennsylvania twist: winter. A standard hose bib can freeze and split, and the damage often only shows when the hose is turned on in spring, with water running inside the wall. A frost-free sillcock keeps its valve inside the heated house, but only works if the hose is disconnected before freezing weather. See burst and frozen pipe repair.

Repair or replace the fixture?

Repair is usually worthwhile when the faucet is in good condition and parts are available. Replacement makes more sense when:

• The faucet body is corroded or cracked.
• Parts are discontinued or keep failing.
• You are remodelling anyway, or want features such as a pull-down spray or touchless operation.

When replacing, ask the plumber to replace the shutoff valves and supply lines at the same time. It adds little to the job and removes the most common source of future leaks.

What affects the cost

• The type and age of the faucet, and whether parts are available.
• Access: some sinks and showers are cramped, and some shower valves are only reachable from the front.
• Stuck parts and seized valves that need extra time.
• Valve replacement at the same visit, which often makes sense.
• New fixtures if repair isn’t worthwhile.

Ask about the visit charge and the repair price before work starts. Our how calls work page explains what to ask. A dripping toilet tank is covered on its own page: toilet repair.

Faucet and fixture questions