If you don’t shut off the water, you could quickly find yourself in the middle of a flooded bathroom.
For extra protection, pull on the lever behind your sink to shut the drainage hole at the bottom of the basin. Once you’ve fixed the faucet, remember to remove the rag.
Repeat the process to cover the other side of the wrench’s jaws as well.
Ball-type faucets will only have 1 faucet handle with a single cap.
Set the faucet caps and the screws to the side in a safe place. For example, set them in a shallow bowl so they don’t roll off your bathroom counter.
Set the handle in a safe place where it won’t roll away—for example, in the same dish that the screws are in.
If you’re fixing a cartridge-type faucet, there may be a plastic retaining clip holding the cartridges in place. Remove this with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
If you’re dismantling a ball-type faucet, you’ll also need to remove the seals and springs from inside the faucet with a needle-nose pliers.
A damaged washer is a common cause of leakage in older sinks or sinks that get used many times a day. When the washer is damaged, you’ll notice water leaking out from the base of the faucet handle.
Purchase new washers at a nearby hardware store. When you go shopping for washers, take the old washer with you so you can match it to the new washer. You can also find plumber’s grease at any hardware store.
Some larger hardware stores may stock a variety of bathroom-faucet cartridges. However, it’s more likely that you’ll need to order a new cartridge directly from the manufacturer’s website. If you’re not sure whether or not the cartridge is responsible for the leak, it’s better to err on the safe side and replace it anyway.
If you’re struggling to pull the O-ring out of its housing, you may need to use a utility knife to cut through 1 side of the O-ring. Do not throw away the old O-ring. Instead, take it with you to a hardware store so you can precisely match the new O-ring to the size of the old one.
Waterproof plumber’s grease will keep the O-ring’s seal tight and prevent any minerals in the water from damaging the plastic ring.
To see if the leak is fixed, run the faucet. At this point, the leak should have stopped. If it still leaks, it may be time for you to call a plumber.
