What is a faucet stem and why would I need to replace it? Scott Sherman explains why you might have leaks or why your water temperature just isn't right when you turn those handles on your faucet. He'll show you what the stem is and demonstrate what it does and how it works. Watch Part 1 to get a basic understanding and to know what tools you'll need then watch either Part 2 or Part 3 based on the type of faucet you need to fix. Hi everybody … on today’s segment I am going to show you how to replace the stem in your faucet. I’ve prepared this prop board for display purposes.And we’re going to show you the difference between the single-handle faucets and this two- handled faucet. The difference being between these faucets is the hot and cold comes up into what is called the cartridge or stem. The cartridge or stem is basically all the moving parts inside this faucet. It tells how big the openings are. How much hot water, how much cold water and allows you to change the temperature coming out through the spout.

With this faucet over here, it has two separate stems. The farther you open them, the bigger the holes get, the more water you get through. The difference is you have to temper the hot and cold individually to get the desired temperature coming out of here.When you get into replacing the stem or cartridge, some of the things you’re going to notice is the faucet is going to be dripping. That’s going to tell you that the ‘O’ rings or the cartridge itself is starting to fail. Normally when you wash your hands you open at dead center, nice temperature. Well, now you’re going to get a little colder water … a little hotter water, that cartridge is getting old and it’s allowing the hot and cold to mix unequally.Changing out the cartridge or stem is going to save you a lot of money because the price of a faucet is a lot more than the repair cartridges. You are going to want to look at appearance of the faucet; are there pit holes in the spout, is the base decaying, is it falling apart.

Once you’ve made that decision, you’re going to want to prepare yourself to have the tools on hand.On the single-handle faucet, you are going to notice holes here and one in the back and they are going to require an Allen wrench.Delta makes a handy little tool, where this tool can disassemble the entire faucet and make all your repairs.Over here with the Moen, its handle is put on similar to the way the Delta is. What you are going to use is a 6-sided hex key to remove the set screw out of the back of the handle so you can lift the handle up and gain access to the cartridge. You are also going to want to have on hand a pair of channel locks. Channel locks are basically adjustable pliers. So you can set it at different settings depending on how big you need those channel locks to be. Down here with the two-handle, this handle removal is different than the other two, meaning that your handle screws are going to be underneath these caps. So you are going to want to pull these center caps up and you’re going to run into a screw so you will need regular screwdrivers or Phillips screwdrivers, to remove those screws to get the handles off to gain access to the cartridges.

Enter your project for a chance to win! Find out what's on sale at your local Westlake. Get helpful advice and tips from our panel of pros.Repairing a dripping outdoor spigot is often at the bottom of a homeowner’s to-do list, since the leak is outside the house. But left unchecked, it doesn’t take long for even a small leak from a hose bibb to waste hundreds of gallons of water.Blue Heeler Puppies For Sale In Wv Another common problem on outside spigots is leaking around the valve stem when the water is turned on. Norwegian Elkhound Puppies For Sale MnThe good news is that both of these problems can often be easily fixed simply by tighten the packing nut behind the handle 1/8 to 1/4 turn.Non-Pneumatic Tire For All Terrain Vehicles

If the faucet still leaks after tightening the packing nut, the washer on the end of the valve stem needs to be replaced. Here’s how to go about it: Turn the water off at the water meter using a cut-off key. Unscrew the packing nut beneath the handle of the faucet. Grasp the faucet handle, and pull the valve stem out of the hose bibb. Remove the screw on the valve stem holding the faucet washer. Replace the washer with one of the same size and thickness. Push the valve stem back into the hose bibb housing. Tighten the packing nut on the hose bibb until snug. Use the cut-off key to turn the water back on at the meter. Turn the spigot back on to remove any air from the line. Check for leaks around the packing nut on the valve stem. Turn the faucet off and check the spigot for leaks. Watch this video to find out more. Repairing a Leaky Faucet (video) How to Repair a Leaking Cut-Off Valve (article) How to Find a Plumbing Leak (article)

How to Check a Water Meter for Plumbing Leaks (article) Now, here’s a pretty common problem, I see it a lot. It’s a leaky outdoor spigot or water bibb, and if you’ve got one of these, I can tell you three things without even looking at it. First of all, left unchecked, it’s going to waste hundreds of gallons of water, even with a slow drip like this. Number two, it’s what I consider one of the most doable do-it-yourself projects that you can tackle. And number three, in most cases all it’s going to take is about 30 seconds of your time and a pair of adjustable pliers, cause all you need to do is tighten the packing nut that’s right behind the handle. About a quarter to an eighth turn is all it takes. Now unfortunately, I’ve already tried that with this one, so I’m going to have to look at a couple of other items. But again, it’s pretty simple, and it starts with turning off the water supply. Now looking at this one, I can tell that we have a really worn washer, so we’re going to unscrew the washer from the handle.