In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains how to repair faucets and drains.
Steps:
1. If there’s no water at faucet, check to ensure that all shut-off valves are open.
2. Loosen bleeder valve to determine if water is reaching the valve.
3. Remove and clean the aerator from the faucet spout.
4. Replace the aerator, then open the hot- and cold-water handles to see if water flows from the faucet.
5. If there’s still no water flowing, close the shut-off valves under the sink.
6. Use pliers to loosen and remove faucet spout.
7. Remove the diverter valve from inside the faucet housing.
8. Open the cold-water shut-off valve, then slowly turn the cold-water faucet handle until water trickles from the faucet housing; shut the faucet.
9. Replace the diverter and faucet spout; tighten with pliers.
10. Open both the hot-water valve under the sink; both valves should now be open.
Pro Tip: According to This Old House Magazine, in any faucet installation or repair, always finish by taking off the aerator and flushing out the pipes. This prevents any debris created during the work from getting caught in the mesh filter, which can lower the faucet’s water pressure.
Understanding the Diverter: Richard Trethewey, This Old House plumbing and heating expert, explains how the diverter works: Inside there’s a small flapper. Hot and cold water mix below and pass through tiny ridges, normally flowing straight out through the spout. But as soon as you open the spray hose, the flapper pops up and stops water from coming out the spout. Over time, this component can become clogged and may need to be replaced entirely.
Expert Insight: Richard Trethewey notes that foreign matter—a broken piece of a washer, a pebble, or even a piece of solder—can lodge between the faucet housing and the aerator. When you turn on just one side, there isn’t enough pressure to force the debris into the aerator’s flow restrictor and shut it off, but when you open up both handles, the combined pressure can push the obstruction into place and block the flow entirely.
Pro Tip: As Richard Trethewey has noted on Ask This Old House, even when a gasket comes from the factory, adding pipe dope to the connection makes “a really nice, tight seal.” He also stresses that the tailpiece must line up exactly perpendicular to the back wall so it connects properly to the trap — if it doesn’t, loosen the nut and adjust before fully tightening.
11. Test faucet to ensure that cold and hot water flows freely.
12. To repair a leaky drain line, remove the tailpiece from the sink strainer.
13. Replace the trap if it’s deteriorated; otherwise just clean it out.
14. Use tubing cutters to cut a new tailpiece to fit between sink strainer and trap.
15. Install the new tailpiece, then tighten the compression nuts with pliers.
16. Open the faucet handles and check for leaks in the drain line.
Pro Tip: Richard Trethewey, This Old House plumbing and heating expert, advises that a leaky trap connection is often caused by an ill-fitting tailpiece: “Chances are pretty good that your problem is due to the vertical pipe, called a tailpiece, or the horizontal pipe, called the waste line, being too short or too long. When they are, the trap and tailpiece can’t fit together properly.” Make sure the tailpiece is long enough to bottom out against the shoulder inside the trap — a too-short tailpiece is a common cause of persistent leaks.
Tools:
Pliers
Tubing cutter
