Fixing A Leaking Utility Sink Faucet

My utility sink was leaking from the handle. This video shows the steps I took to remedy the problem.
I used graphite packing rope similar to this: www.amazon.com....

[@DonJoyce]

Well done. I've done this once a long while back and wasn't sure what needed to come off. Thanks for the great demo and reminder. I think I would have changed the washer while I was in there...if the screw came off cleanly, that is. Anyways...off to the hardware store for the packing rope.

[@terrymcmann8516]

Thanks so much. I have an identical faucet and it worked. I was able to install the cording with a bit of fiddling. I have never attempted anything like this before and I think I spent less than $5. No dripping. Yeah.

[@hobbyhandyman]

Excellent! So glad it helped.

[@bobl1769]

Good work. I’ve always used cut packing “washers,” trimmed to the right thickness, then also changed the washer and bibb screw. A couple of bucks more will give you an additional twenty years of reliable service.

[@brucedeford6513]

Thanks for the video, fixed mine today!

[@mycaddigo]

Exactly what mine is doing …. Buy in cold side

[@christianfiguroa7147]

I'm watching this again and now the handle spins all the way around I used these mini rubber squares I got from work from the windows they protect them somewhat. That worked for a while. I would put them under the screw and snip to shape. Maybe I should try this, or get an energy drink ahaha

[@alexcarter5974]

just what i needed!! thanks!

[@clarabernal943]

Thank you for your video I need to change my

[@Mr.FixIt1979]

Good repair, but some insight... if the valve is at a water outlet that would be for drinking, do not use graphite packing. Rubber or PVC would be a better way to go. There's also teflon... Danco makes all of them.

[@hobbyhandyman]

Great point. Thanks for the note.

[@linden5576]

Do you know when you shut the water off to the house you’re supposed to lift the arm on your icemaker on your refrigerator/freezer!!

[@hobbyhandyman]

Didn’t know that. I guess so that the motor doesn’t burn out? Thanks for sharing! You learn something new everyday.

[@hmsmedia2005]

I have the same faucet and it’s actually leaking from the faucet, not from the cold/hot handles.. how would I fix this?

[@jefffluharty2116]

Thanks! Headed to the hardware store

[@Charlie9165]

Thanks. Great Video. I have the same problem but thought it might need a washer. Should I replace the washer also when I have it all apart?

[@hobbyhandyman]

Thanks for watching. If you have the washer handy it wouldn’t hurt.

[@captainwho1]

I have a similar designed one with the spout swivel underneath the body like yours in a 65 year old house, that is leaking badly at the spout. Managed to get the darn thing apart. Would you believe the packing nut is a 8 sided (not hex) 1-3/16" nut? What were they thinking? Very little clearance for an open ended wrench to get in there because of the tabs that the mounting feet attach to. What a design from hades! Managed to get it off with a regular pair of pliers but of course the soft brass was badly chewed up by the teeth. What do you use for packing? There was just some old strip of a rag in there lol. The packing nut has an inside taper at the end for packing to jam into.

[@hobbyhandyman]

Thanks for the comment and watching. I used graphic packing as this is a utility sink. If this were a main faucet I would look for a replacement washer or better packing material.

[@captainwho1]

@@hobbyhandyman I ended up using 3/32" dia.teflon packing, 3 wraps with the ends cut to a taper, followed by about 10 wraps of regular white teflon tape on top of that. Washer wouldn't apply to my situation I was dealing with. I couldn't find any one piece packing anywhere, for this 65 year old faucet.

[@parhelionhouse3914]

Thank you soooo much.

[@vbrigham]

I have that exact faucet in my basement. I have a two valve adapter on it, which I an no longer able to remove without shutting the water off at that valve. I beleive it's the cold water side. I was hoping to find a video on replacing a gasket? Or if I can evin get one? But what I would like to do is remove the faucet all together, and hook a couple of shut off valves on the pipes, so I could hook up another sink. I'm a little afraid I might break something.

[@vbrigham]

If you could do a video on that I would like to see it. Scared to work with old stuff.

[@kylelussier1296]

Bent water, love your style

[@grinpick]

I'm in the process of replacing stems in a similar brass fixture. Rather than having a hex nut to remove stems, parallel flats are machined into the stem body. They provide a narrow shelf on which to grip with a wrench. To turn water on, either cold or hot, you lift the handle. To turn off, you press down. I removed the stem on the hot, right side. No problem. The cold, on the left would not budge. I was wondering, have any of you ever encountered such a fixture with the stem on the left reverse threaded? Since the two stems, in effect, operate as mirror images (since you lift to turn on, push down to turn off, on both sides) I thought this might make some sense. If that's not the case I guess I'll resort to a torch and heat up the faucet body.

[@hobbyhandyman]

Thanks for the comment. I’m not sure it would be reverse threaded. The cold has always been harder to remove in my opinion. Try giving it a little heat and see what happens.

[@denisedomonkos6447]

I have the SAME faucet and leaking problem. I just have ONE question before I attempt the repair...... Do you wrap the graphite the entire length ? Or just on the smooth part ? 🤔

[@hobbyhandyman]

Thanks for watching. You can wrap the graphite around the smooth part and if you wanted you could add some Teflon tape to the threads. I didn't do the teflon tape, but others have commented here that it helps as well.

[@denisedomonkos6447]

Thank you 👍

[@NortherIke]

StarSan. Must be a home Brewer!

[@CalitranoN]

What if the faucet handle wont' come out? Mine is leaking like a sieve and i can't get the faucet out. its stuck after the nut is completely lose... Looks like there is an internal screw? You unscrew toward the wall counter clockwise.?

[@shafi10a]

Same exact issue here. Any answers?

[@CalitranoN]

@@shafi10a i used a faucet handle puller

[@shafi10a]

@@CalitranoN thanks. I actually just broke mine off today trying to yank it off haha

[@trankt54155]

Unscrew it counterclockwise all the way and then gently fiddle for it to come out. Sometimes it is stuck in there due to mineral buildup....when you deal with old things and you don't know the item well, do not force anything because if you break it you are in deep trouble.....most of these things would come off easily if you know what you are doing....remember, they are made of brass (not steel) and can be soft....

[@Charlie9165]

@@trankt54155 I am jumping in here. Is there a lubricant that can be used to spray inside after the nut has been loosened but the handle won't pull out?

[@richm9812]

I have the exact same faucet but it leaks from the spout. Will this fix it or does it need or have a washer too?

[@hobbyhandyman]

You may need to replace the washer on the inside of the spindle.

[@richm9812]

@@hobbyhandyman yeah that’s what I did.. new packing and washers.. good as new! Thank you!

[@esmeraldacano2292]

That's where mine is leaking from but I'm scared to mess things up lol I'm a widow husband passed away last July I'm 67 yrs old do you think I can do this ? where do I buy the washers from what size ? Thank you

[@trankt54155]

@@esmeraldacano2292 You can take the whole stem to a hardware store, or Lowe, or Home Depot and they can help you get the right size gasket that usually comes in a little bag of 2 for a dollar or so...sometimes a box of 5 or ten gaskets for only a dollar or two. Don't call a plumber for a small thing like that because the second he sees you as a woman and senior he would take you for a ride (most plumbers are very unscrupulous) and would charge you several hundreds. Good luck.

[@esmeraldacano2292]

@@trankt54155 thank you

[@Mwong7912]

I have this exact faucet. How do I replace it with a new one?? I see the nut on the cold and hot. But which way do I turn to remove?

[@mattborman5780]

Are the valve seats on these types of sinks typically replaceable?

[@hobbyhandyman]

They should be. This is a pretty universal faucet.

[@michaelermolovich4121]

Does anyone know the manufacturer and stem part numbers for this fixture.

[@trankt54155]

That is a standard, old but sturdy brass faucet. Take it to Home Depot or a local hardware store and they should have the right size gasket for you IF your faucet is leaking from the spout, but if you need just the Teflon or graphite string you don't need any serial number to do what he did (sealing the stem from leaking).

[@erajazz2134]

Can sealant tape be used instead of graphite packing? Thanks

[@hobbyhandyman]

Not for a correct fix. It could be used for a temporary fix but would not be a long term solution.

[@erajazz2134]

@@hobbyhandyman Thank you for your reply! My faucet looks very much like yours but it doesn't leak from the handles; the spout just drips nonstop when the faucet is turned off. I thought I would need to undo the nut at the top of the spout, remove the spout and replace the washer. But it turns out, after I unthreaded the nut, the spout won't come out. Is the spout not supposed to detach from the main body? I'm confused! Thanks for your help.

[@captainwho1]

@@erajazz2134 If it is like the one I just took apart today, you must remove the feet that go between the faucet body and the utility tub by removing the two screws. I actually then also separated the faucet body from the supply pipes and then you can unscrew the spout from the body. Mine had screws threads at the end of the spout that provide a swivel. I do not know what is the best packing material to use but I am going to try 3/32" white packing material made out of teflon from homedepot. This one that I took apart had a strip of old rag, it seems. It didn't work lol.

[@captainwho1]

@@erajazz2134 I am assuming that yours is leaking at the swivel joint of the spout like mine. If not, your problem is in the sealing washer in one of the valves. I successfully repacked mine (after unscrewing spout) by using a wire brush to clean it out; the kind plumbers use to clean inside of copper pipes with; removing all traces of the packing that was in there which in my case was strips of a rag (lol) that didn't work, and then I wrapped 3 turns of 3/32" teflon valve packing material (Everbilt) and put about 10 wraps of teflon tape over that. I tapered both ends of the valve packing cord so it looked like a spring with ground flat ends. If your faucet is different you may have to adjust how many turns and what dia. of cord, and how many wraps of teflon tape. Good luck.

[@CraigoryAbbit]

🤙🏾 ...

[@timothysandridge7365]

Could you just turn off the hot water?

[@hobbyhandyman]

If you have a shut-off for that line, then yes.

[@waltermunoz9443]

Hi, I need exactly that piece (the cartridge) because I broke it, do you know where I can get it? Thank you

[@hobbyhandyman]

I am not sure the mode but if you take a picture of it and bring the picture to your local hardware store they might be able to point you in the right direction. Thanks for watching.

[@stevenshook3348]

At 3:00 when you turn the water back on it appears that there is a leak at your spout connection.

[@hobbyhandyman]

I see what you are saying. The sink doesn’t leak so I think when I replaced the handle it wasn’t turned completely off. I appreciate the feedback and comment.

[@toolsandrepairs]

@@hobbyhandyman He's saying it's leaking where the spout turns while the water is on. Unscrew that nut and you'll find a worn out washer that should be replaced.

[@esmeraldacano2292]

HI my faucet leak is coming from the spout part not the handles would I do the same as you did with the handles ? Thank you .

[@trankt54155]

That means the gasket on the globe needs to be replaced because it is worn and not sitting sealed when you tighten the knob and the water is leaking out of the faucet----NOT the stem (like his)...You can remove the stem apparatus like he did and unscrew the central screw, take out the worn gasket and put in a new one (costs about 10 cents or so). Tighten up the central screw and put back everything the way you remove it. BEFORE you reinstall, make sure you clean out the seating inside the faucet so the new gasket can sit snuggly in there. Sometimes a piece of old, deteriorated rubber got stuck in there and even with the new gasket the old piece of rubber can get in the way for a tight seal. A local hardware or Lowes or Home Depot would carry that gasket for you. Good luck.

[@mjj1218]

@@trankt54155 I'm so confused. Unscrew the central screw ad take out the worn gasket from where? From one side or the other even though it is leaking from the spout?

[@captainwho1]

I have the same problem. It seems the answer below was not applicable to the spout swivel at all. If I get mine apart successfully and learn more I will get back to you.

[@Nate9667]

You look like you might brew some beer 🤔

[@hobbyhandyman]

Haha was it the star san or the carboy cleaner?

[@Nate9667]

@@hobbyhandyman Star San

[@christianfiguroa7147]

I thought that was an energy drink ahaja

[@hobbyhandyman]

Haha for sure looks like one. It’s a local craft brewery.