Usually in the darker part of the night you hear it, sounds like a baby crying or worse yet, like someone stepped on the cat. After stumbling around the house trying to locate the noise, you decide a drink of water sounds good and then you discover the source of the noise....it is your faucet making the unearthly racket!

In all likelihood, it is the washer that needs replacing, either it’s the wrong size or isn’t secured to the stem.

As with any repair plumbing job, the first step is turn OFF the water.

  • Replacing the washer or tightening it should eliminate the noise. You get to use the tools in your tools box (see our Plumbing Tools blog for more information).

    leaky_faucet

    1. Crescent wrench
    2. Flat-head screwdriver
    3. Phillips screwdriver
    4. Adjuctable pliers
    5. Needle-nost pliers
    6. Steel wool

  • Remove the screw located under the cap, then remove the handle. Keep everything together as it will need to be reassembled.
  • Plug the drain so you don't lose any parts down the drain. Then pry the cover off the faucet tap with a flat-head screwdriver, there is usually an indentation and that's where it goes.
  • Using the crescent wrench, loosen the hexagonal packing nut so you can pull out the tap stem.

    • plumber-fixing-leaking-faucet

  • Remove the screw and rubber washer from the bottom of the tap stem, using a screwdriver or adjustable pliers to remove the screw or nut.
  • Then, get the rubber washer with needle-nose pliers.
  • See if you already have a replacement washer, otherwise take the old one to the hardware store for an exact copy.
  • Clean off any limescale with the steel wool.