A kitchen lever faucet repair can easily be a DIY project if you know the steps and have the right tools. First of all, you will need:
- Slip-joint pliers to pull out the bonnet from the faucet face,
- Some masking tape to wrap around the teeth of the pliers,
- Needlenose pliers,
- A spanner and
- An allen wrench.
The first step in kitchen faucet repair is to lift the lever all the way up in order to access the screw that is holding it down. Once the screw is out, set aside the lever.
Cover the teeth of the slip-joint pliers with masking tape. You will use these pliers to detach the bonnet from the faucet face and expose the interior of the faucet.
After the bonnet, the next pieces to remove are the cam and ball assembly. After doing that the interior of the faucet will show. Insert your needlenose pliers to take out the springs that may be lodged within.
Once the bonnet is removed the spout of the faucet can be detached by slowly twisting it out. After the spout is detached, the O rings and the diverter valve will be visible. The O rings you should remove with the spanner and the diverter with the needlenose pliers.
With that you are ready to clean the debris from the inside of the faucet.
When you are done cleaning the faucet, place the new diverter valve first and then the new O rings, the top ring going to the bottom of the stack. You need to apply packing grease to the O rings. This substance stabilizes the temperature in the faucet and keeps the other faucet parts from breaking.
Return the old spout or replace it with a newer model that fits into your faucet face.
Return the springs and packing pieces to where you found them.
Return the ball and cam, followed by the bonnet.
Then screw the lever handle back in place.
With that you can turn the water back on and test for any leaks. Assess how effective your kitchen faucet repair was.
As you can see, if you know what tools you will need and the right size for the replacement parts, fixing a leaky lever-type kitchen faucet will not take you long to finish. It would be more sensible to DIY it rather than spend to acquire the services of professional plumbers.
On the other hand, knowing how kitchen faucet repair is done will allow you to identify plumbers who know their business from those who don’t.
