Faucet Repair near you

The quickest way to identify a faucet is by its handles and how they move. Two separate handles that you turn several times before the water stops usually mean a compression faucet; a single lever that swings side to side and up and down points to a cartridge, ball or ceramic disc design.

A drip is easy to ignore because each drop is so small, but it adds up. The City of Calgary estimates that one drop per second can waste 2.5 cubic metres of water per month, and a thin stream wastes far more. On a metered supply that shows up on the bill; on a well it means the pump runs more often; and on the hot side it adds to the water heater's workload.

The aerator is the small screen threaded into the tip of the spout. The City of Calgary describes aerators as screens that reduce flow by adding air to the spray, which is how they save water, but their fine mesh also catches scale, sand and bits of pipe debris. When a single faucet suddenly runs weak or sprays sideways, check the aerator first: unscrew it, rinse the screen, soak off any mineral crust in vinegar and put it back with its washer.

If both hot and cold are weak at one faucet with a clean aerator, the cartridge may be clogged with debris, which often happens after work on the water main or a repair that stirred up sediment. Weak flow at every tap points to the main shut-off, the pressure-reducing valve or the supply pipes, which calls for a plumber.

Water in the cabinet doesn't always come from the faucet itself. Dry the pipes with a cloth, then run the hot and cold water one at a time and watch where the first drop forms. A leak that appears only while water drains is on the drain side; one that is there even with the faucet closed is on the supply side, which is under constant pressure and can get worse quickly.

Every faucet repair starts with the water off, and the City of Calgary advises shutting off the supply and opening the taps to drain them before starting any repair. Most sinks have two small valves in the cabinet, one for hot and one for cold. Find them now and try them while nothing is leaking: a valve that won't turn, or that drips once it has moved, is better replaced during a planned visit than in the middle of a flood.

If a sink has no local valves, or they fail, you need the main shut-off, usually where the water service enters the house, near the meter in the basement or near the pressure tank on a well. Everyone in the household should know where it is. A plumber can add quarter-turn valves under sinks that lack them, which makes every later repair simpler.

A drip on a sound faucet is usually a parts job: a washer and seat on a compression tap, or a cartridge on a single-handle model. Repair makes sense when the body is solid, the finish is in good shape and parts are still available, or when the faucet belongs to a matching set you want to keep.

Replacement is the better call when parts can no longer be found, when the body is cracked or corroded, when leaks come back after each repair, or when the finish is pitted beyond cleaning. It is also a chance to fix what never suited you: a pull-down spout for a deep sink, or a single lever that is easier on stiff or arthritic hands.

Swapping a cartridge or cleaning an aerator is ordinary upkeep. Moving a sink, adding a fixture, running new supply or drain lines or replacing corroded valves is plumbing work governed by provincial rules, and some municipalities require a permit for it.

In Quebec, plumbing work must be carried out by the holder of the appropriate licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, which plumbing contractors obtain through the CMMTQ; the CMMTQ explains the limited exception for an owner working on the single-family home they live in. Elsewhere, check with the provincial licensing body or your municipality. Whoever does the job, ask for the licence number, and keep the new faucet's installation instructions and warranty papers.