Compression faucet leakage is one of the most common plumbing repairs in most households. This section will cover this particular faucet style which is one of the first type of faucets invented and, they can typically be found in older homes.

Compression faucet work with washers and when compressed, it shuts off the water flow. Due water hardness, contaminants and all sorts of water impurities, the washers eventually wear out and, consequently, deteriorate the rubber elasticity causing breakage around the seal which causes the actual leak.

How easy is it to fix a compression faucet? It all depends how inclined you’re for this type of work. It can be easy but, it can really be a pain to get it done right at the first time.

With that in mind, I have written this article with the purpose of assisting you to accomplish such a task in a timely and effective manner. If you follow the instructions accordingly, you will definitely accomplish the task with success and, you will save around $300.00 in exchange.

The level of difficulty is considered to be easy, meaning that anyone can do it.

The tools and materials needed are as follow: pipe wrench or channel-lock pliers, Phillips head screwdriver and new washers.

Remember to keep all the parts in a orderly manner, this will facilitate your job to put them back together.

Turn Off The Water Supply:

The water shutoff can be found directly under the sink, turn the handle clockwise to tighten and shut it off.

If there are no shutoff valves under the sink, shut the water off at main meter, which is located outside, located on the front yard. A special key will be needed to perform this task, check it at your local plumbing store.

Once the water is turned off, open the compression faucet to release any pressure and to let the water drain out completely.

Remove The Handle:

So, in order to remove the screws, hold the handle (s), and while doing that, take a plier and grip the cap and unscrew it, this will expose the screw.

In some compression faucet you may have metal caps that pop on and off and to make sure that this is the case, check the cap for serrations around the perimeter, and if you confirm that is the case, all you have to do is to unscrews off the cap but, If the cap is a thin one, then, it probably pries off.

Once the handle cap has been removed, the screw (s) will be exposed. The same screw is what holds the handle onto the valve stem. Use the proper tool to remove the screw from it and firmly pull off the handle.

Remove Stem Assembly Cover:

Now that the handle is removed, you should have a cover over the valve stem assembly, if the faucet is single handle one, remove the valve stem assembly cover and unscrew the knob that holds it on and remove the cover.

Remove Valve Stem And Assembly:

At the base of the exposed stem, you'll see that the top of the valve stem assembly has a hex shape nut so it can be removed with a wrench. Unscrew the valve stem assembly from the housing. You can use an adjustable wrench, pipe wrench or channel-lock pliers.

Remove Old Washer And Replace It:

Remove the old washer from the compression faucet by removing the brass screw, this is done by using a screwdriver into the screw hole in the washer, this should allow the old washer to pup right out.

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