There might be nothing more annoying than the constant echoing of droplets bouncing off your sink basin. Sleepless nights that once were the clock’s ticking are now due to a pesky faucet leak, not to mention the stress of an inflated water bill keeping you up at night. Insanity comes in all forms but shouldn’t come from a subtle faucet drip. Today we will help you determine why your faucet might be leaking and explain possible solutions to fix these problems.
Common Reasons Your Faucet Might Be Leaking
Thousands of plumbing issues can occur without warning, from shower faucets to lavatory and kitchen faucets. With years of experience under our belts, a common issue we see daily is, in fact, a faucet drip. Below are the steps you or your friendly plumber can check to help diagnose and understand these issues.
Check the Water Softener System
Many Homeowners are surprised to learn that hard water is the leading cause of valve leaks in a home. When receiving a call regarding a dripping valve, we immediately ask the homeowners if a water softener is installed on the house.
As the local professional on-site, we always test the quality of the water. The tests run are for water quality with a pH, Chlorine, and Hardness test strip.
On average, in Florida, the typical numbers displayed for a water quality check are as follows:
- pH: 6-7
- Chlorine: 1-5
- Total hardness: 1-5
These numbers are based on city or county water in the Hillsborough and Pinellas County areas. For those plumbing systems on a well, the total hardness usually increases due to metals in the water.
Then, for valves like a Moen posi temp and Delta single-handle unit, these issues can occur over time. Unfortunately, it is a prevalent problem, but there is a reason for it. You see, poor installation and water quality will stiffen the cartridge, resulting in a slight drip when turning the handle.
In more severe cases, the valve will not shut off or could break from the stem. With hard water affecting these valves, nine times out of 10 times, sediment builds up inside the valve. That sediment can damage internal balancing units, seats, or washers.
And the reason for the common occurrence of these issues is purposeful– if you will. In fact, the cartridge is designed to wear out before doing any damage to the valve. And that is genius because replacing a cartridge is easier and much less costly than replacing a valve.
A Faulty O-ring Due to Improper Installation
Although seen less often, another cause is faulty installation causing bad O-rings. Most of the time, the O-rings slide into a metal or brass housing. If that O-ring has no grease, the lack can cause friction and tear the O-rings. On tub spouts that are slip fit 1/2′, there are O-rings that need greasing at the time of installation, and the same applies to Moen and Delta cartridges.
Your Faucet Might Be Leaking Due to Faulty Products
With most name-brand faucets, you can run into the issue of an internal leak. This type of leak occurs whenever the O-rings or metal innards of the faucet go defective. Then that defectiveness can cause leaks that go right into the countertops and walls. No one wants that!
For every name-brand faucet, there are ways of contacting the manufacturer to check on warranties. See if the limited lifetime warranty covers the leak, which could result in a replacement.