How to keep kitchen faucet rotating smoothly
Knowledge on keeping your kitchen faucet rotating smoothly will at some point be very handy. They are frequently in use and with time will wear out and require some maintenance work. However unlike other areas in the house which can function when broken, the kitchen faucet requires immediate repair. The good thing is that with the right tools and knowledge it is easy to repair your faucet without outside help.
Some of the issues that affect the kitchen faucet include the following:
- A kitchen faucet handle that just won’t stick – There are times when you turn the handle and it keeps going round and round. This is because the thread that allows the handle to function on the stem has worn out.Thus you’ll not be able to turn off your water.
- A faucet that becomes sluggish – the kitchen faucet when moved drags or moves sluggishly. While the faucet is still functioning, this sluggish movement can become annoying especially when you have to force the movement. This is an indication that the O rings in the faucet which allow it to move easily need to be lubricated.
Repairing a kitchen faucet that has become sluggish
Taking the faucet apart
- First you need to turn off the water supply to the faucet. The shut-off valves will be found underneath the sink. Before moving on, confirm that the water supply has been cut off by turning faucet on.
- The next step is to remove the handle of the faucet. This will be easily done with a suitable wrench such as an Allen wrench. There’ll be a trim piece under the handle which you will unscrew so that you can now see the nut made of brass.
- Then use a larger wrench to hold the brass nut and loosen it. You will then be able to easily remove it.
- The cartridge will now become visible just inside the cartridge sleeve. Carefully remove the cartridge before unscrewing the sleeve. Place these on the side.
- Next you will remove the spout so that you expose the area holding the two O rings. These are the areas lacking grease and causing the faucet’s movements to be dragged.
- Remember to put all these items aside and possibly in the order in which you removed them. This way you will have an easy time when assembling the faucet again.
Greasing the O-rings and putting the faucet back together
- For the lubrication of the O rings, you’ll need to have some grease to put on them. It is normally recommended that silicone lubricants be used when greasing O rings. This is because they are made of rubber.
- Petroleum based greasing products degrade natural rubber. Although most O rings are made from synthetic rubber, it is hard to tell whether it is natural or synthetic. It is thus safer to always use silicone lubricants. A small tube may go for as low as$10.
- Take a little amount of the silicone grease on your finger and rub it around the O ring gently. Do this for both the top and the bottom rings.
- Once this is done, you need to put the faucet back together. As the pieces are lined up in order, begin by placing the spout back in place. Make sure that the washers are in place. Once you do this observe the top of the O ring and you will see that there are holes for the cartridge to fit into.
- Next screw back on the cartridge sleeve and ensure that it is tight. Then align the cartridge so that it sits inside the two holes that secure it in place.
- Return the brass ring and screw it into place. Then use your larger wrench to tighten it. Screw on the trim piece tightly and then replace the handle and secure it using an Allen wrench.
- Test the faucet to see whether it is moving freely. It should now be making easy movements from side to side when you move it.
- Turn on your water supply
When your faucet becomes sluggish, you can fix it quite easily. It is a pretty straight forward task that will not require a hired professional to do. Just remember to always turn off your water supply before taking the faucet apart. Also always line up everything in the order in which you removed it. This will make you job much easier when you are putting the faucet back together.
