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Real Life Plumbing Advice for People Who Don't Want To Call A Plumber

Delta Faucets, Delta Repairs, Delta Faucet Tool

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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!

My Delta Faucet Still Leaks!

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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.

delta guide imageThe 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.

When To Use a Plastic Ferrule

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Back in the good old days coming up into the trade, every faucet or toilet I installed was with solid pipe. For faucets we would reduce the 1/2″ water supply lines to 1/4″ using reducing couplings and then we would choose from varying lengths of 1/4″ brass tailpieces to make the connection into the faucet. For toilets there was generally 3/8″ brass riser pipe which fit into the male shank of the toilet fill valve a.k.a. (ballcock). We would use the female nut supplied with the fill valve and make the connection using some ball wick.

Slowly the chrome plated copper basin and toilet supply tubes made their way into the market which frankly made life so much easier. I still use them today depending on job circumstances, but boy have times changed! Walk into any home center or plumbing supply house and ask for the parts to connect your toilet or faucet and you’ll more than likely get a flexible stainless steel supply tube. Hey that’s progress I guess and truth be told I’ll use them again depending on the job circumstances.

What I won’t use is those braided nylon water supply tubes I see all over the home centers. They are just one big accident waiting to happen and I’ve seen my fair share of them blow right out of their crimp points causing some serious water damage. DON’T USE THEM! . Enter the P.E.X. style water supply tube which to me is something a handyman might use (no offense guys) and truth is I would use them before using one of those braided plastic supply tubes.

The key in using the P.E.X. style supply tubes is to use the plastic ferrule that’s generally supplied with the tube. All to often I’ll come onto a job perhaps to install a new faucet and I discover the last guy used the metal brass ferrule designed to be use with the copper supply tubes. News Bulletin Friends! That metal ring will cut into the tube and maybe not cause a leak instantly but down the road someone is going to be the unfortunate victim of a leaking supply tube and it’ll most likely happen when they’re not home!

Take a look at the video and if you have any concerns or questions concerning P.E.X. style water supply tubes. I’d love to hear from you, I can always be reached at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING,

Bob

How To Repair a Delta Single Lever Faucet

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When the Delta single lever faucet was introduced, you would think it was the birth of the i-phone.

To the best of my knowledge, this was the first company that claimed to be “the washer-less faucet.” As you can see in the video, it was nothing like the old two handled faucet I had been using up until that point and fact is they worked really well.

Delta originally introduced this as a kitchen faucet and in short time had the complete line up including bathroom faucets, shower faucets, tub and shower faucets.

The concept was very simple and the parts originally consisted of a brass ball (stainless steel today) two rubber seats, two stainless steel springs which were originally straight and are now cone shaped.

These are available in a basic repair kit but if you get the deluxe version (highly recommended) you’ll also receive the cam washer, cam cover, a spray diverter (if your faucet has a spray head), “O” ring washers and a handy allen key and cam tool.

I was then and still am a big fan of the Delta faucet company, they stand behind their products and customer service is top shelf.The new products from Delta are using ceramic disc design cartridges as are all the other major players, but these are still readily available and still in service today.

The biggest tip I want to pass on to you is that when you decide to jump in and make the repair, get the deluxe kit and replace all the parts at one time. This will ensure a trouble free repair from the start.

I also want to encourage you to check out my video titled “How to replace Delta style stems and seats-cartridge style faucet repair” which is Delta’s version of a two handle faucet.

In it you get a nice shot of how the springs and rubber seats are installed. Listen, if you experience any issues with this one, drop me an e-mail info@bobsplumbingvideos.com and I’ll walk you through it.

HAPPY PLUMBING!