If you’re uninterested in taking note of the drip-drip-drip of water leaking from your bathtub faucet, we’ve good news! This is often one home repair you’ll tackle without smashing your thumb with a hammer, hitting your head on a beam, or spending an enormous sum of cash. While many plumbing jobs are better left to the professionals, this isn’t one among them. Fixing an easy leak within the bathroom may be a DIYers dream.
We’re so confident that you’ll roll in the hay yourself we’re sharing a couple of plumber’s secrets. Grab your tools and skim our step-by-step guide that shows you ways to repair a leaky bathtub faucet.
The Tools of the Trade
First of all, you need to gather your tools. Most owners have a minimum of a number of the tools needed for the work. If not, make a fast trip to the ironmongery shop.
Here’s the list of the tools:
- Vice Grip Pliers
- Bathtub Caulk
- Phillips Head Screwdriver
- Rag
- Flat Head Screwdriver
- Jar Grip
Note: Any old rag can also work. The caulk is optional but recommended. Consider buying a pipe wrench, if in case you’re adding to your tool collection anyway. These pipe wrenches are available handy for several DIY plumbing tasks.
Turn Off the Water
Before you’re taking anything apart, close up the water. Find the water cutoff and switch off the water to the bathtub faucet. After you shut off the water, open the tap. This relieves water pressure and drains any water left within the pipes. Now you’re able to remove the tap handle!
Remove Screws and Nuts
First, find the screw on the tap handle. You have to check underneath the spout for a hole by putting a screw in it. Use your Philips head screwdriver and switch the screw counterclockwise. Once you remove the screw, pull the spout far away from the wall.
Your faucet might not have a screw.
In that case, grab your rag and therefore the tube wrench. Put the rag over the tap (spout) and therefore the wrench within the middle of the handle. Turn the wrench counterclockwise until you’ll move the tap by hand.
The Escutcheon
You’ll see a collar that snugs up against the wall. This is often called the escutcheon. Unscrew it. Most of the time, the escutcheon gets stuck to the wall. Grab your jar gripper and pliers. Now you’ll loosen it without damaging the metal or tile. Next, loosen the bonnet nut. The bonnet nut holds the tap stem within the housing. Now you will have access to the valve stem.
Replace the O-Ring
If you’ve got one handle faucet, you’ll have a worn-out O-ring. The O-ring fits around the valve stem and when it wears out, the tap springs a leak. Replacing the O-ring is straightforward. Just pull the valve stem out and take away the old O-ring. Put a little amount of petrolatum or silicone on the new O-ring and slide it on the stem. Before you reattach the escutcheon, you’ll apply a touch bathtub caulk. This ensures a decent or waterproof fit.
See how easy that was? Now you can recognize the way to fix a leaky bathtub faucet!
Conclusion
Before you set away from the tools, turn the water on and confirm you’ve fixed the leak. Beyond that, there are a couple of other recommendations on the way to fix a leaky bathtub faucet. Keep in mind you’ll have a washer-less faucet. therein case, you’ll replace the cartridge, not the O-ring. Also, if the stem isn’t in great shape, you ought to consider replacing it.
