delta faucet Archives - BobsPlumbingVideos.com

Delta Faucets and Delta Repairs are some of the most popular videos on You-Tube. I posted three of them, two for their single lever faucets and one for their two handled faucets. In both cases, the removal of the cartridges, ball, seats and springs is necessary for a proper re-build.

As far back as I can remember I’ve used a thin blade screwdriver, dental pick or even a long needle nose pliers to remove those pesky seats and springs which sometimes can be a pain in the butt to remove. Especially the hot water side, those rubber seats get hard as a rock and literally, break into pieces when trying to remove them.

For the most part getting them out is a relatively straight-forward task, but installing the new ones can be tricky at times. You have to drop the springs into a small recess inside the faucet followed by the rubber seat which also has to sit over the spring and into the recess. Often if there’s water sitting in the faucet, the rubber seat ends up floating up and out of the recess.

A good tip is to remove all the sitting water via a sponge or straw so this problem is avoided.I usually, will thread the rubber seat followed by the spring onto a thin blade screwdriver and use it as a guide to lower them into the recess inside the faucet. This has been the way I’ve been doing it ever since I can recall, but recently I found this tool in one of my supplier’s catalogs called a Purge-N-Set tool for seats and springs.

Needless to say, besides being a tool geek and curious I had to order one and check it out. Well, I’m happy to say it works really well and for those of you who are having trouble removing and re-installing seats and springs in your Delta faucets, you might want to check it out. You can purchase a Purge-N-Set tool at few online retailers and if you want to see it in action check out the video below where I demonstrate just how it performs.

As always if you have any questions on Delta faucet repairs, you can e-mail me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com. You’ll also find me on Face-Book, Twitter.

Happy Plumbing,
Bob

P.S. – I bought this tool from Wolverine Brass which only sells to professional plumbers. My cost $14.95, I’ve seen them online selling for as much as $28.00 plus in which case I would say to you the good old fashion thin blade screwdriver trick works just fine!

I’m a big fan of Delta faucets and when that very first generation single lever faucet was introduced many moons ago I absolutely loved it. Well made, easy to repair and just an all around good product. A routine Delta repair would consist of a pair of springs, rubber seats, a new ball and you were good to go. Eventually, I would purchase complete repair kits which included all the previous parts mentioned plus all the “O” ring washers and a spray diverter if the faucet was so equipped.

The original Deltas used a solid brass ball unlike the hollow stainless steel versions of today. In both cases the ball had a slot cut into it which would ride on a small brass guide located on the right side of the faucet interior.I would start to get service calls stating that the customer had to play with the handle and position it in exactly the proper spot in order to get the water to stop dripping. I thought this sounds a little flakey, but after taking a close look I figured out what was causing the problem.

The little brass protrusion or guide inside the faucet body would wear down and in some cases become virtually flush with the faucet body. The result being the ball lost its ability to be guided left to right for a positive shut-off. You would have to literally find a “sweet spot” for the handle in order for the water to stop running. I started to realize this would happen more often with the first generation Delta faucets which used the solid brass ball. Because it was one solid mass of brass, it eventually wore down the guide preventing the ball from making a positive shut-off.

If you find yourself having to get that handle in exactly the right position a.k.a “sweet spot” in order for the water to shut after you’ve replaced all the other parts inside the faucet, it’s time to take another look inside. If you find that the guide inside the faucet is pretty much worn down, you’re going to be faced with replacing the faucet. Check out the video below where I show you exactly what to look for. Don’t forget ! if you got questions, I got answers! Forward them to info@bobsplumbingvideos.com and as always,

Happy Plumbing.

Bob.

Delta Faucets, Delta Repairs, Delta Faucet Tool

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