In an ordinary apartment, there are not so many plumbing fixtures. Typically, faucets and sinks are installed in bathrooms and kitchens. Sooner or later, such devices need to be repaired or replaced. To perform this procedure, most residents prefer to call representatives of the Housing Office (this is their diocese). However, you can carry out repairs and replacements on your own. This approach allows you to save money (the plumber will not work for free) and gain confidence in the quality of the work performed. So, how does a do-it-yourself mixer repair work?
Symptoms
How to change the faucet in the kitchen? To answer this question, you need to firmly know that it is a replacement, and not a minor repair, that is needed. The following signs indicate problems with the mixer:
- Dampness near the sink, the formation of small puddles is possible. This is an alarming signal that residents rarely pay attention to, attributing the appearance of moisture to their own carelessness. Cause: depressurization of flexible hose connections.
- The faucet is leaking. Water constantly drips from the faucet nozzle, even in the closed position. Reason: wear of rubber seals.
- Water flows from under the lever or valves. Reason: failure of the bushing valve or cartridge.
- Weak pressure, difficulty in adjusting the water temperature. Probably, there was a clogging of the supply hoses or poor patency of the common house pipes.
In any of the situations described above, you can disassemble and repair the mixer yourself. An exception is the repair of modern models, stuffed with electronics and touch controls. Even the plumbing of the housing office will not help here: you will need to call representatives of the manufacturer's service department.
It is worth noting that three types of faucets are used for the kitchen: single-lever, two-valve with a worm or ceramic faucet box. Consider the repair of each structure separately.
Preparation for work
Before you disassemble the mixer in the kitchen, you need to carry out preparatory work. In particular, shut off the water supply: we wrap the shut-off elements on the supply of common house pipes to the apartment. Given that the shut-off valves rarely close, the procedure can cause certain difficulties. Lubricant applied to the thread will help turn the tap. You should not use hammers and other percussion instruments: you can break the threaded connection and flood the neighbors from below.
It will be right to prepare the tools in advance. In particular:
- Screwdriver: flat and Phillips.
- Pliers.
- Set of hexagons.
- Set of wrenches, including adjustable wrenches.
In addition, FUM tape, rubber for the manufacture of seals, linen thread may be required.
So, how to properly repair a faucet?
single lever
This is the most common design found in most kitchens. This is a rotary mechanism, where the pressure and temperature of the water are regulated by lifting or turning the handle.
A faucet of this design leaks for three reasons:
- Deformed or damaged rubber gasket.
- Mechanical damage to the hull.
- Cartridge failure.
What to do in these situations? First, visually inspect the hull for chips or cracks. The detected crack clearly indicates that the mixer needs to be replaced. You can briefly cover the chip with sealant or "cold welding", but this is a temporary measure. If the outer shell is in order, the valve must be disassembled. This is done as follows:
- We remove the decorative cap. This is a small plastic circle that is located under the rotary knob. It can be pry out with a flat screwdriver or a knife blade.
- Unscrew the fixing bolt. To do this, you need a hexagon of the appropriate diameter. Using a screwdriver is not recommended: you can grind off the edges of the latch.
- Remove the swing arm.
- Unscrew the control washer.
Having completed these manipulations, we get access to the internal filling of the mixer. In particular, you can see the sealing ring and the cartridge that is located under it. If the faucet is leaking due to wear of the seal, we will replace it. The new ring should exceed the diameter of the allotted connector, and fall into place with a noticeable effort.
If the wear of the O-ring is not visible upon visual inspection, the problem lies in the cartridge. This element cannot be repaired and is replaced entirely. In order to guarantee the repair of the tap and eliminate the leak, you need to clean all the component parts from the formed plaque. The mixer is assembled in the reverse order.
With two worm-type crane boxes
In two valve models, mixing of water occurs by alternate rotation of the "lambs" responsible for the supply of cold and hot water. The design is quite cheap, so it is in high demand. If the mixer is leaking due to a crack in the body, it is necessary to dismantle the faucet and install a new one. However, the most common failure is the wear of the rubber gaskets that hold back the flow of water. This problem is typical for a valve that supplies hot water. Regular exposure to high temperatures destroys rubber, which violates the tightness of the joint between the faucet box and the mixer body. To eliminate the defect, you need to disassemble the crane.
How to remove a worm-type tap?
Here's what to do:
- We remove the decorative plug from the "lamb".
- We unscrew the fixing screw with a screwdriver.
- We remove the valve.
- We unscrew the valve box with an open-end wrench.
- Remove the worn gasket.
- Install a new seal.
- We assemble the crane in the reverse order.
Please note that a worn element can be replaced with a factory gasket, or you can cut an analog out of dense rubber yourself. Replacement of the bushing valve in the mixer is carried out in case of thread wear or mechanical damage to the part.
With ceramic faucet box
This is an analogue of the previous model, which has a longer service life. The reliability of the design is ensured by replacing the rubber gasket, ceramic plates. However, such bushings are sensitive to water quality: the presence of sand or fine litter has a detrimental effect on ceramics. In particular, the plates are ground off, which leads to a violation of the tightness of the joints. If you use a faucet with ceramic faucet boxes, be sure to install a water filter.
Dismantling a model with a ceramic faucet axle box occurs according to the scheme described above, but the mixer can be repaired differently. If the plates are worn, they must be replaced. You can buy the necessary elements in a plumbing store, taking a bushing crane with you. The problem may also lie in the wear of the gasket: it presses the plates, blocking the water. If the faucet is dripping, you can build up the gasket by sticking a layer of rubber on top or winding a few turns of electrical tape. Don't forget to make water holes! Replacement of the bushing valve in the mixer is carried out if current repairs are not possible.
Replacement
How to change the faucet in the kitchen? All the above models of kitchen faucets change in the same way: they remove the fixing bolts connecting the faucet and the sink, disconnect the flexible hose connection. Then you can completely remove the sink, check the condition of the hoses and the siphon.After that, a new faucet is installed: we hang the sink in place, connect the mixer with a flexible hose, and put the fasteners.
It is not difficult to repair the mixer, the main thing is to carefully perform all the steps, and not to apply excessive force when tightening the threaded connections.
