What this covers
- Kitchen, bathroom, laundry and utility faucets
- Shower and tub valves, cartridges and diverters
- Shower heads, hand showers and body sprays
- Sink and vanity installs, including new drains and traps
- Angle stops and shutoff valves that seized or weep
- Supply lines, which fail more often than the fixtures they feed
- Pot fillers, bar sinks and laundry boxes
Drips, and why the washer is not the whole story
A dripping faucet is a seal that stopped sealing. On an older compression faucet that is a washer. On a cartridge, ball or ceramic disc faucet it is the cartridge or its o-rings, and the fix is a matching part rather than a generic one.
A drip at one per second adds up to more than 3,000 gallons a year by the EPA's count, which is the argument for booking it rather than living with it. If the fixture is old and parts are hard to find, the plumber will say so and price a replacement next to the repair.
Weak pressure at one fixture
Low flow at a single tap is local in most cases: a clogged aerator, a part closed angle stop, a kinked supply line or a cartridge full of debris. An aerator unscrews and rinses out in a minute, so start there.
Low pressure across the whole house is a different problem, and it points at the pressure regulator, the service line or old galvanized pipe closing up with scale. Describe which fixtures are affected when you call, because that one detail changes the visit.
Common questions
Can the plumber fit a faucet I already bought?
Yes. Have the box on site with the instructions and any parts that shipped with it. If the new faucet has a different number of holes than the sink, say so when you call.
Why does my shower run cold after a minute?
On a pressure balance or thermostatic valve that points at the cartridge. It can also be a water heater problem, so the plumber checks both rather than guessing.
My shutoff valve under the sink will not turn. Is that normal?
It is common on valves that have not moved in years, and it matters, because that valve is what stops water during a repair. Ask to have angle stops replaced while the plumber is already under the sink.
Do you handle outdoor showers?
Yes, and they have their own page. See outdoor showers and hose bibbs.
