Appliance Repair Caroll Gardens

Imagine this. You walk into the kitchen or bathroom and, as you have done thousands of times before, you reach for the handle of the faucet and turn on the water. Have you noticed anything? Most likely not. You turn off the faucet and continue on your way. Because you use the faucet everyday, what you don't notice is that gradually the internal parts of the faucet gain a buildup of minerals from the water, and the parts wear. The internal parts become stiffer and the handle becomes more difficult to move. Think of it as arthritis in the faucet joints.

You can save a lot by repairing your faucet yourself. Don't be afraid of plumbing. With a few common tools and some guidance, even the novice can accomplish the task and become a hero to your spouse or friend. Here are a few easy steps to repair a single-lever faucet. This article only covers the repair of a one-lever faucet because the steps to repair this faucet are unique, and I do not have the space to explain how to fix a multi-lever faucet.

Please read the entire article before beginning the repair process. Once you begin the actual repair, you can then refer back to the individual steps to refresh your memory.

Single lever faucet repairing steps:

1) First of all, determine the brand and type of faucet you are repairing; if you can actually locate a brand imprint on the faucet that helps immensely. There are more than 100 different brands of faucets. Most of them use different parts. If you can't find a name on the faucet, a great help is a digital camera. Take a photo of the faucet, and then show it to the clerk at the plumbing supply store. Odds are, when an experienced clerk sees the picture, he or she will know immediately what brand it is.

2) Once you know the faucet brand, or have a photo, you can purchase the necessary repair parts. You can go to a big box store or a local hardware store. Each has their own strengths. Describe the symptoms of the sick faucet to the clerk. Is it difficult to move the handle? Does the faucet leak water around the base of the spout? (Kitchen faucets are notorious for this.) The clerk should know which parts to give you and may save you from having to make multiple trips to the store because you have the wrong parts. If you are repairing a Moen brand faucet, it is a good idea to purchase a "puller" tool to remove the old cartridge. There are differing types of cartridge removal tools; an inexpensive plastic design is available or more expensive heavy duty metal ones. The homeowner can use the plastic tool that is less expensive. The faucet can be repaired without the tool, but it is much easier to use the removal tool. (When making repairs, the lowest priority for me is saving a few cents on parts. I would much rather frequent a store or supplier that stocks a wide variety of quality parts and employs knowledgeable and helpful staff.)

3) TURN OFF THE WATER TO THE FAUCET. Did I emphasis this enough? Before you disassemble the faucet, turn off the water supply. Usually, there are small chrome or brown valves inside the sink cabinet toward the back. If you're like all the Americans I have worked for in my career, your sink cabinet is stuffed full of bottles and cleaning products. The valves are buried beneath every type of shampoo and cleaning product. Toss in a hair dryer, makeup, spare soap and toothpaste and...well, you get the idea. Find the valves by digging through the debris. If the valves won't turn easily, you may have to find the main water shut-off valve for the house and turn off the water there. Check out my website for a guide on how to find the main water valve.

Once the water has been turned off, close the drain stopper in the sink. This little trick was taught me by another plumber over 30 years ago. What is the reason? The reason for this is that you will most likely drop a small gasket or screw while disassembling the tap. The closed stopper will prevent the small part from going down the drain. Brilliant. You can find detailed illustrations of the parts and the disassembly of the faucet on the manufacturer's website.

5) Remove the handle. There is often a removable plastic lid which covers the handle screw. Pry off the lid and remove the screw. Some handles are attached by a set screw on the side of the handle instead of the top. Look the handle over, with a little investigating, it should be obvious.

6) Once the handle is removed you will see some type of device which secures the replaceable parts in place. Sometimes this is a horseshoe shaped metal clip that slides out. Other times it is a type of round threaded cap that unscrews. Remove the retaining clip or cap.

Some brands of faucets come with a sheath around the horseshoe clip. This tube needs to be removed first, and then the horseshoe shaped ring can be slid out. To remove the sheath either it is designed to unscrew or to be pulled off by grasping with pliers and pulling toward you. After the sheath has been removed, grasp the tab on the horseshoe clip using pliers. Carefully slide it out by pulling to the side. These parts should remove easily.)

You should now see a cartridge made of plastic or brass that you can remove by pulling it. This is the time to use the removal tool if this is a Moen tap. Follow the instructions on the tool packaging. Be careful not to damage the faucet body itself during this process. Some faucet brands contain a plastic or brass ball here instead of a cartridge. Lift or pull this part out. Under the round ball you should see two small rubber seats and springs. Remove them. (In this step, all parts removed should match the new parts which you picked up at the store.)

8) Once the old parts or cartridge are removed, it is a good idea to use a flashlight and peer inside the faucet where the old part used to live. See any pieces of debris or broken pieces of the old cartridge in there? If so, remove it with needle nose pliers.

Install the new parts, and then reassemble the faucet. Replace all retaining clips and rings. If you have any parts left over, take the faucet back apart and figure out where they go before turning the water on. Take your time and you should be just fine

10) This is the most important step. After the faucet is reassembled, the water is back on and you have tested it to make sure it works well, show off your work to your spouse or friends. Watch their reactions Good Old Appliance Service as they marvel at how well the faucet works. Now YOU are the hero and not the plumber that you would have paid to make the repair.

The author maintains no liability for work performed by readers of his articles. The plumbing repair articles are meant to be a helpful general guide for the homeowner.

Sunbeam electric mattresses pads are the best choice for comfort in cold winter months. This mattress pad distributes heat evenly over your mattress, so you feel comfortable and warm even without blankets.

These pads are fitted and placed on top of the primary mattress. The heat is distributed by electric circuits. It comes with a hand-held controller that will allow the consumers easy access to its temperature settings. Its electric functions make it susceptible to faults and failures.

How to fix your Sunbeam electric mattress pad

Step 1: Check first to see if the heating performance of the pad has been compromised. Folding it three times is the best way to achieve this. You can then feel the circuit in the pad. Use your hands to check if the cord is properly connected to the module of the mattress topper. Check that it is not loose. After checking the connection, try plugging it into the outlet. Turn it up to the highest setting. If it doesn't produce heat after a few minutes, it means something is wrong with your mattress topper. You may also want to check if the outlet is working properly. Test the outlet by plugging in another appliance.

Step 2: The pad usually fails to produce heat when there is a power outage. You may need to restart it to test its ability to produce heat. Unplug and turn it off. Follow Step 1 again.

Step 3: Check the plug if one of the blades are damaged or twisted. Usually, this is the cause of the problem. The blades have to be straight. Make sure the blades fit the outlet perfectly. Some people tend to jam the plug to the outlet even though it does not fit right. Call an electrician to set up a new outlet close to your bed. Be sure to get the right fit so that you don't damage the pad by forcing the plug.

When you are not using your mattress topper, turn it off and unplug it. This will prevent the cords from deteriorating quickly. If the mattress does not heat up after seven minutes, turn it off right away. It means the cord came off from the module or the plug is not working properly.