Home bathroom and sanitaryDIY Faucet Repair - Gasket, Cartridge Change & Co

DIY Faucet Repair - Gasket, Cartridge Change & Co

A dripping tap does not need to be replaced immediately. Often only a seal in the fitting or the cartridge is defective in a single lever mixer. You can do this repair yourself at low cost. We will show you step by step how exactly this is done.

A new faucet can be very expensive depending on the model. However, the individual replacement parts for a tap or a tub outlet are usually not that expensive. At a faucet, different parts can be easily replaced by any home improvement. Whether it is the cartridge in the single lever mixer, the seals or the aerator, so the aerator at the water outlet, the work is as well as the number of tools required very manageable.

You need this:

  • Wasserpumpenzange
  • combination wrench
  • Screwdriver slot small
  • Allen key
  • knife
  • old toothbrush
  • soft towels
  • cartridges
  • seals
  • vinegar
  • dish soap
  • Entkalker

Tip: At the various discounters, there are regular small boxes with a range of seals. At a low cost you have with such a box always a basis to carry out a variety of repairs to taps and other things.

Replace cartridges at the single-lever mixer

Our first manual refers to the replacement of the cartridges in the faucet. A defective or calcified cartridge is very often the reason for a dripping faucet. In rare cases, a slipped component in the interior of the cartridges may mean that no more water comes out of the tap. Then you may just hear a loud gurgle in the single lever mixer. The well-known brand manufacturers, in which replacement of the cartridges in a single lever mixer is actually worthwhile, usually have the right cartridges available for their different models for up to 30 years.

Tip: For high-quality taps keep the boxes or at least the exact description and designation. In a specialist shop, the seller can then order the appropriate spare parts from the manufacturer for many years to come. Some manufacturers also offer the customer this service themselves .

1. Open the single-lever mixer
As a precaution, you should turn off the angle valves under the sink or sink for all work related to the faucet. If there are no corner valves, or in rare cases they can no longer be turned, you will unfortunately have to turn off the main water tap. You can usually find this in the basement or in a utility room, such as the laundry room.
In most cases, the small red and blue signs on the faucet must first be removed to open the tap. To do this, carefully hook the knife tip behind the edge of the cap. This usually pops out very easily. Now comes a small Allen screw to the fore, you can unscrew. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule, then this lock can also be on the back of the single lever mixer.

On some models, the top of the single-lever mixer has a lid with a notch on the back. Underneath can then be hooked the screwdriver to lift the lid. It may also be necessary to turn this cover to open it. So sometimes you have to look for something to open a single-lever mixer.

2. Pull out the cartridge
The cartridges themselves usually can not be repaired. If you can open this component at all, the assembly is often no longer possible. If you have opened the faucet, there is a cover over the cartridge, which is partially screwed.

Tip: Always use the water pump pliers on sensitive and sensitive things, such as a single-lever mixer, with protection from the jaws. Pieces of paint fleece or scraps of an old towel provide the necessary protection.

3. Buy cartridge
Do not rely on manufacturer's name or the general shape of the tap, the connections of the cartridge are crucial, whether it fits later to the tap. The diameter of the spare part must also be the same. In addition, the placement of the retaining pins on the bottom is important for the correct fit. Therefore, you should definitely take the old cartouche with you when you go to the hardware store. As a precaution, ask if you can return the part if it does not fit.

Tip: There are now plastic cartridges. These models do not necessarily have to be worse, but they should be much cheaper in any case. Depending on the value of the single-lever mixer that you want to repair, you should decide on a case-by-case basis whether the spare part should also be made of plastic .

4. Insert the cartridge
Do not throw away old cartridges. The original could be important again, if maybe in a few years the replacement is also broken and you want to repair it again. Before you use the new part, you should clean the mixer well. Be careful with harsh chemical cleaners, as the chrome on the outside starts up quickly.

After inserting the cartridge, simply work the upper points backwards. Then you can test if the work was successful. When you have opened the stopcock again, there is usually air in the line, therefore, the mixing lever should first be opened only slightly, until the air is out of the water system.

Replace the seals on the two-handle fitting

A two-handle faucet is often used in laundry rooms or guest bathrooms. However, because of their robust mechanics, in the meantime also in all other wet rooms more and more double handle valves are used, which can be easily repaired. Part of the retro design is also characterized by a fitting with two handles. When a two-handle mixer begins to drip, in contrast to the single-lever mixers, the seals in the two handles are usually responsible. Make sure to turn off the water at the angle valves or directly at the main tap before starting the repair.

1. Remove the handle
In the two-handle faucet, either the side handle is simply removed or there is a small cover on the handle, usually in blue or red. These can be removed with a fine flat-head screwdriver or a knife tip. Underneath is a small slotted screw or an Allen screw. When you have solved this, the handle can be removed.

2. Take out the valve
You can usually loosen the valve with an open-end wrench or the water pump pliers, then it can be taken out.

Tip: Keep old cotton T-shirts. These serve as protection over the jaws of the water pump pliers as well as cleaning and cleaning cloths for the back of the faucets.

3. Replace the seal
Under the valve sits the seal, which is held again by a fixture. You must also solve this nut or screw. Then the seal can be easily replaced. Make sure, however, that the new seal has exactly the same size and the same inner hole. In addition, always a seal of the same material thickness should be used. If you can not immediately get the same seal, the old seal can be partially used again after a bath in warm water with detergent. Then the seal should be turned however.

4. Assembly
Brush all parts with an old toothbrush and warm water with detergent before reassembling the handles of the two-handle fitting. Be careful with certain bathroom cleaners and descaler, as they may do more harm than good.

Tip: Descale the screws and the inner workings of the two-handle fitting carefully when the valve is already open. Some incrustations can be perfectly solved with a little bit of toothpaste, which you then have to rinse off well.

Descale or replace the perlator

If the water spurts out of the tap in all directions, the pearlescer is probably calcified. Many also know the pearling as an aerator. Basically, the perlator usually consists of a large nut, in which a fine grid is embedded. Lime often accumulates in it, so that it sometimes looks like sand is sitting in the lattice.

1. Loosen the aerator
The perlator can be unscrewed with a spanner or very carefully with a water pump pliers. The aerator has smooth sides on two sides intended to hold an open-end wrench. You can even turn off some models by hand. This is the best solution because no damage can occur on the metal of the pervator.

2. Descaling
Depending on the strength of the calcification, the old toothbrush can be used again to brush out the grid in the aerator. If the complete nut is encrusted with the sieve, it is then placed in vinegar or a descaler for a while and then rinsed well with clean water. Some models already have a plastic sieve in the aerator, which can be cleaned much easier with the small brush, as the lime does not settle properly. However, these plastic inserts are not durable so long.

Tip: Be careful with the descaler in a stainless steel kitchen sink or sink. The stainless steel could be damaged and start. These discolorations are irreversible.

Plastic pacifier. This mixes air under the water jet, so that, for example, water is saved when washing hands.

3. Replace aerator
If the entire aerator is already badly calcified or the insert is damaged, you should replace it. Matching models are available for a few euros in every hardware store. Especially on a hand basin makes an aerator with a reduced water passage sense. It gives off more air and gives the impression of a large amount of water, while in reality it greatly reduces the amount of water. Especially in the guest bathroom or restaurants should therefore be used for cost reasons such Wassersparsprudler.

Tips for quick readers:

  • Determine error source
  • Note the type of tap
  • Remove cartridges from the single-lever mixer
  • Cartridges take to the hardware store
  • Insert cartridges
  • Renew seals on the two-handle fitting
  • Unscrew the aerator
  • Release calcifications with a brush
  • Be careful with chrome and chemicals
  • Rinse off detergent with plenty of water
Cleaning windows in cold weather / frost: this is how it is possible in the deepest winter
Remove shoe odor - 10 home remedies for bad odors