DIY – Fix A Leaking Tap

Dripping or leaking taps will not only create a mess in your kitchen or bathroom; it will also play a major role in soaring your water bills. Hence, it becomes important to fix water leakage in homes. However, as easy as they may be to repair, fixing leaking taps and faucets is often the most disregarded maintenance task in our homes. The thought of having to call (and pay!) a plumber just for fixing a small pipe or valve leak often seems unreasonable to us, and we decide to live with the annoyance.

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How about playing the plumber for a day, and fixing those bothersome dripping faucets yourself?

Of course it's easy! And we're here to show you how. Just read on and save on your plumber as well as waste water bills:

First things first, shut the mains water supply to your home. Bear in mind that water flows at high pressure within the pipes and hence it is crucial to discontinue water supply to the leaking tap before you examine or try to fix it. The water supply controller to a leaking tap in a basin is usually located right beneath the sink. However, for a tap which is fixed to the wall or a shower faucet, you would need to stop the mains water supply.

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Next, remove the tap from its assembly so that you can examine it for possible reasons of seepage, the most common of which is a faulty or misplaced washer. Taps are usually fastened onto water pipes by means of a corkscrew holder, which can be removed by twisting it anti-clockwise. The best tool for unbolting taps is a wrench, which is easily available at any hardware shop.

Once you have opened the washer, which is tightened onto the tap's body with the help of a screw, you can check if it shows signs of being worn out or is wrongly placed. Depending on the state of the washer, you may either repair or replace it, and then screw it back onto the tap again.

Now, carefully place the faucet back onto its original position and ensure that the tap has been firmly attached to the unit. You can now release the mains water supply, and your tap will be functioning properly, just as it is supposed to.

Easy enough, isn't it?

For more DIY and home improvement tips, visit PropTiger.com