How to Repair A Single-Handle Bathroom Faucet

Before you consider calling in for commercial help to repair, kitchen faucets look at what is involved in repairing the faucets you have.

The first challenging issue you face when working on a home faucet repair is to open the faucet mechanism itself. To do this you have to remove the Allen screw that holds the faucet mechanism all together. If you can't unscrew the Allen screw to remove the faucet handle from the main rotary ball on the faucet. Don't worry, you should not consider giving up and going to buy a completely new faucet? No. Don't let that 15c screw force you into buying a $100 faucet replacement just yet! Normally you will have to remove the faucet handle to get to the worn rubber seats that caused the drip in the first place. First try wetting the screw with penetrating oil every day for a few days. Then try loosening the screw again to see if it'll come loose or not. If this doesn't do the trick, or if you finally strip the head of the Allen screw, next you will need to attempt to drill out the screw. To do this use a bit about the same size as or slightly smaller than the screw and work gently or you'll destroy the faucet handle and have to replace it, but it's well worth the try it if you can save the faucet valve inside. As a last resort attempt, you can actually unscrew the cap with the faucet handle still connected.

If the Allen screw is stuck, or if you damage it so it won't come out, remove the cap with the faucet handle still in place. You can't grab the flattened edges with the faucet handle in place. Instead, cushion the plier jaws and grip the round edge below.

This is difficult, because you can't easily grab the flat edge of the cap, with the part that's shaped for the pliers. Make sure that you protect the jaws well when you grip the smooth, rounded body of the cap. It is best to use rubber tape, because then you can't squeeze the cap too hard. Gently move the cap counter clockwise to unscrew it. The assembly that you remove will now contain the faucet handle, cap, cam, packing and ball.

The next step is to release the ball from its stem. The Allen screw clamps onto the stem. Try holding it with the pliers and twisting it gently. The goal is to separate the parts so that you can salvage and reuse the cap again . You'll still have to buy a new faucet handle and a faucet repair kit that will include a new ball.

If this doesn't work, the only alternative is to replace the entire faucet faucet. Don't get discouraged, this is a challenging fix.