Repairing Older Kitchen Faucet, Leaks Under Handle When Water Is On

Our 10 year old single handle kitchen faucet leaked a little for a few years, right below the handle, but only when running the water.  This year it was a lot worse.  I took the unit apart thinking there was a cartridge to replace, but that was not the case.  So I removed what was there and soaked them in CLR, reassembled, and the leak is gone.  Here is the process, very easy to do.

Tools required....
- pliers
- 3mm allen wrench
- a socket that just fits through the white domed ring (actual size is not of concern)


Remove the handle with the 3mm allen wrench as shown above.

Using your hands alone, unscrew the white metal dome.  If it does not turn by hand, use a socket as large as will fit inside the top and press down hard on the white washer while loosening to relieve the pressure to allow you to loosen it.

Use the pliers, grab the steel stem, and lift out the valve.  A little force is required.

Now you have these items.


Soak the steel ball with stem, black rubber washer, and white plastic washer in CLR for an hour to remove all corrosion.

After they are clean, insert the metal ball making sure the tiny stem on the brass piece goes into the slot in the ball as shown.


Place the black rubber washer over the ball as shown.


Place the white plastic washer aligning the key'd-feature as shown.


Next, slip the socket through the domed white ring and set on top of the assembly as shown.


With the palm of one hand, press down on the assembly inside.  It will feel like a strong spring.  You are compressing the rubber washer and plastic white washer down into the cavity which allows you to hand-tighten the domed white metal ring.  You "MUST" compress with one hand while tightening the white dome with your other hand.

Reassemble the handle with the 3mm allen wrench and it's all done.

We haven't had a problem yet with ours,  but glad to see it's an easy remedy if it does.    Well done,  thanks.
Jim

Thanks for the clear photos and detailed description, Ron. One question: what's CLR?
John

Hi,

CLR is a liquid kitchen household product, sold everywhere, used commonly to clean out the crusties in coffee pots and such.
C is for calcium
L is for lime.
R is for rust.

The product disolves them.

I had to go one step further to stop our leak, as it turned out to be the o-rings that the spout swivels on. I got this kit for the repair - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-Repair-Kit-for-Faucets-RP3614/100147397

When at the cleaning stage shown in your second picture, the spout (#4 in diagram below) came off easily by twisting it back and forth and pulling up. This exposed a bunch of crud in the collar area, and two O-rings that were included in the replacement parts kit. (#10 in the diagram below).



Cleaned everything well, reassembled with a thin coat of dielectric grease. Leak free ever since. 

I have a different problem.  The faucet quits working.  Water flows one time.  Next time it won't come on. 

I am going to try the disassembly process.  Cleaning the accumulated sediment might be the solution my problem.  A good first step rather than going thru the ordeal of replacing the faucet.

Hi Taildragger,

It sounds like you have a physical blockage, something that positions itself like a flapper valve.  If it is only the hot or cold line, then the blockage is in that line.  If hot or cold doesn't matter, then the blockage is right there in your faucet.

I assume you have removed the aerator and observed that you still have the blockage.

Well, today I was disinfecting the fresh water system and noticed the kitchen faucet is once again leaking but this time with the faucet turned off so I took it apart again, this time taking it the next step deeper.  After getting it apart like before, I lifted up the pivoting water spicket with left/right movement to work it off.  I used a CLR product on everything again and I used 0000 steel wool on inside surface of the spicket where it contacts the two large rubber "O"-rings.  Doing so shined up the two inside brass surface contact areas  like new.  After everything was cleaned up again, I reassembled.

The leak this time was related to the pivoting spicket rather than the control handle.  Once again, all is well.  No need to replace the faucet.

Another problem, at least with my Phoenix Cruiser, the water lines contain shavings, sawdust, and other detritus remaining from the factory assembly process.  I have had to repeatedly flush my water lines because of complete blockages.   I do that by removing the block valves bonnets.   When I do, witnessing the accumulated debris being discharged leaves little doubt about the problem source.

My belief, is the sediment was accumulated during the water pipe cutting, fitting, and installation process.  I suspect much of it becomes residual in the fresh water reservoir and migrates through the system from there. 

I think most of it has been flushed during my multiple draining efforts.  But, the kitchen sink spray hose became reclogged.  And, it remains plugged.  The spray nozzle isn't the cause.  If removing the faucet from the sink is the solution, I can understand the prior owner deciding to peddle the rig.  Being being told removing the kitchen cabinets to access the back of the sink is the accepted solution would give anybody dollar bill insomnia.

On our 2007 2350, I managed to play the role of a contortionist and was able to remove the kitchen faucet without other disassembly.  I did that to replace the cold water PEX line attached to it.  I accidentally damaged that line when reconfiguring our base base cabinet from 5 small drawers to 3 large drawers.  When I had the faucet removed, I told Irene that this is your one and only opportunity to change faucets.  She said it still works good, so put it back in.


Taildragger,

It is unfortunate that you are dealing with so much construction debris inside your fresh water system.  I had noticed a little in ours now and then, but nothing like you are dealing with.....not yet anyway.  My most recent encounter was just before leaving on our trip in late August when our two fresh water drain valves corroded enough that the handles finally broke off.  I removed some plastic debris that accumulated there prior to installing new valves.  That debris did not affect draining, but maybe it affected the operation of the valves.  But after 14 years with those horrible multi-turn valves, I was happy to replace them with easy operating 1/4 turn ball valves that are less susceptible to getting jammed from debris.