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DYI plumbing 101 for 56 year old female brain :) how do I fix leaky faucets ?

Low on funds, like the rest of the world, and would like to DIY fix leaky faucets, bathroom sink, tub, and other bathroom sink and outdoor faucet when I put on house leaks about 1/3 at faucet. I am kind of mechanically inclined for a female, so have at it and also, my toilets "run" sometimes. I know the basic toilet tricks where the water is, but this does'nt solve it. Let's see, what else is broken , hmm, what isn't? I'll be back to DIY If anyone needs DIY help for teaching kids, parenting etc, I'm available. Lots of experience and a good road record. the bathtub faucet leaking seems to be the worst, any thoughts on this as it seems the whole unit has to be dismantled or such. It is ceramic tub, built in 1981

Public Comments

  1. For faucets, turn off the water line below and unscrew the faucet to see if it needs a washer. You can find a pack of washers of different sizes at any hardware store. As for the faucet outside you might need to buy a sealer it could be leaking from the connections. As far as connecting your hoses make sure you have the proper washer that fits into the mouth of your water hose. Go to Internet do it yourself site.
  2. Check your O-Rings in your faucets. That's normally the culprit...at least it always has been in my case.
  3. From another 54 year old female who has remodeled many homes, I rely on my husband to fix the plumbing but I watch so I know the tricks. Very difficult to explain how to fix without seeing the problems as it could be a number of things. Many times with faucets it is a matter of putting in new washers to stop the leaks. But this is only true of older fixtures. The newer ones do not have washers, per se. My best advise is to go to your local library and check out a Do-It-Yourself Plumbing book. It will have diagrams and steps to take to fix any minor plumbing problem in your house. Ask at the desk in the library and they will send you to the area with these books. Pick out the one you understand the easiest. I have one of these by Readers Digest and you can literally fix any plumbing problem with ease. My husband and I have managed over 200 Vacation Rentals for over 20 years. When something happens for the renters after hours you have to go take care of it or the renters want to leave and get their money back. Believe me when I say we fixed many toilets and water leaks in the middle of the night. Usually, it is something simple and not too costly. You can do it too just get a little help.
  4. was gonna throw in .$.02 worth , but the ladies got you covered better than I
  5. If you have washerless faucets beware when you take them apart--they lie, washers, springs and you name it will shoot around the room. Been there like you and done it all. Old ones are easy new ones are crazy. Remember on the tub righty is tighty and lefty is loosey, turn water sources off and have a wealth of different sized washers etc at hand. Your ball cock in your toilet may be getting old, see if it is doing the job with the back off--flush and watch. Hang in there you will and can do it.
  6. bath faucet as with all of them go to out side spigot and one of them should have what seems to be an extra valve on pipe be sure to turn it clockwise till it stops then try to turn water on at spigot if no water that's good leave it in on position then go back to tub should be a label or something covering screw in the center of nob remove and unscrew remove nob then with two wrenches one on body of valve and other on nut that nob screws into turn nut counter clockwise pull the stem out some times there is nasty white calcium deposits soak in lime away and clean if not on stem there are rubber ring and or washers replace these and re assemble same for other faucets after assembled close valve go back outside turn the hose connection off then open other valve and go check your work
  7. Turn off your water. You have a screw in the end of the handles, remove it. Under the handle, you have a nut and that has to be unthreaded. Once it is out, your stem will pull right out. In the bottom of this you have a washer held in place by a slotted screw, remove it and replace the washer. Repeat this for all of your faucets, while you have the water off. If you have a repeat problem within 3 mos., you will need to replace the seat that is down inside, because it is scratching your washer. You can buy a seat wrench and remove it yourself, it turns counterclockwise and simply unthreads. Go to the store, buy a new one, and screw it back in, but be sure you buy new rubber washers, if you replace the seat. If you have a single lever faucet, you have a keeper ring that you remove, slide the "guts" out and replace the entire core. They do make kits for most faucets, but it is much simpler and cost effective to replace teh cartridge.