by Adrian Miller

Created on: October 24, 2008

Groggy from a short night's sleep, you stumble into your kitchen, shove the coffee pot beneath the tap, and quickly learn that your faucet has its own ideas for waking you up in a hurry as it showers you in cold water.

Sound familiar? Minor plumbing issues are some of the most prevalent in the average household. While it is not so bad that you need to call a plumber, it may be a nagging irritation with which you have little experience coping.

Most faucets in the kitchen, no matter how fancy, come with certain parts in common. One of these is the nozzle tip that screws into the down-facing spout stem. To remove it, unscrew it with your fingers or a pair of pliers, remembering to use a paper towel or rag to keep the tool from gouging the metal or plastic.

Next, check to see if the holes or screen are clogged. If they are, you can wipe them with a cloth and clean out small holes with a toothpick.

Deposits are not uncommon in even the cleanest public water systems. Pipes run for countless miles from their source, through a grid as dizzying as any maze, to reach your tap. If there is a buildup (sometimes white, orange, or yellow), soak the nozzle head in a deposit remover (available at any retail outlet) for an hour or so, then clean it.

While you are at the store, go to the bathroom section of the hardware department and pick up two things: a bag or box of universal seals and gaskets (these are relatively cheap) and a roll of white Teflon tape in the half inch size or smaller.

Back at home, check to see if there is a gasket in the nozzle head and, if there is, check what condition it is in.

If the gasket looks fine, skip this part. However, if the gasket is missing, hard, or worn, find a rubber gasket from your universal kit and replace it. You want something that is tough but not rigid, malleable but not soft.

Once the new gasket is in place, set it aside and grab your Teflon tape. Starting at the bottom of the nozzle threads (where the nozzle and the head connect), work the tape up counter to the threads so that the tape and threads appear to cross. At the top, snip the tape and then screw the nozzle back on.

The head should fit snugly between an eighth and a quarter turn beyond finger strength. If you go too light, the water flow will unscrew the head and it will become a projectile. If you go too tight, it may crack the head, warp the gasket, or gall the threads.

Turn the water on slowly. If your kitchen faucet no longer moonlights as a shower head, you have done the

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>