Top Reasons Your Faucet Is Dripping

You turn on your faucet and water comes out. You turn it off and it stops. It’s something that most people take for granted, despite the fact that nearly one billion people don’t have access to safe water. It’s not just in third-world countries, in parts of rural Australia people struggle to get water.

Of course, once the faucet starts to drip you’ll become more aware of your water supply. A dripping faucet can be annoying and costly. It’s a good idea to have the number of a reputable emergency plumber Sydney on hand.

You should also be aware of the most common reasons why your faucet is dripping.

The O-ring

Every faucet has an o-ring inside it. It’s a type of washer that sits between the valve on the faucet and the water supply. In effect, when you close the faucet the valve pushes against the o-ring, ensuring no water can get past. Over tighten the tap too many times and it won’t seal correctly. This allows a drop of water to come through and out your faucet. It can also happen with normal wear and tear.

The good news is that it’s easy to repair.

You should note that the o-ring is usually sitting with a washer. The washer creates the seal between the base of the faucet handle and the water supply, the o-ring does the sides to prevent any water from getting past. It’s usually a very reliable and robust solution.

Valve Seat Damaged

If your o-ring is okay then the valve seat may have become damaged. Again, this is a result of wear and tear. In short, it will happen to every faucet if you leave it in place for long enough.

The valve seat is the area where the o-ring sits, allowing a connection between the faucet control mechanism and the water flow. When this becomes damaged the o-ring can’t sit in the seat properly and it’s impossible to get a tight seal.

In other words, you’ll have a leaking faucet. The best way of sorting a damaged valve is to replace the faucet. In rare cases, it is possible to replace the valve but it is not usually an economically viable solution.

Bad Repair

Any faucet can lea if it’s not repaired properly. When you replace the o-ring or even the washer that sits with the o-ring, they need to be the right size and positioned properly. If they are not then they will not do the job properly.

The good news is that a bad repair job will be obvious. The leak won’t stop and it will change in nature. In many cases, the faucet will drip faster.

If you’ve tried to replace the o-ring and washer yourself and it’s now leaking more then you need to get the professionals in. A leak is annoying and can be surprisingly costly while the professional repair is considerably less than you may think. It will save you from needing to replace the tap in the near future.

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