The mixer is leaking - fixing the problem

Cartridge or ball single-lever faucets are quite popular today. They are easy to use and are considered the most modern design of shut-off valves. Over time, however, they can also leak. What is the reason for this failure and how to fix it?
This phenomenon, unfortunately, is not uncommon. Since taps are the final devices in the wiring diagram, changes in water pressure have a detrimental effect on their moving parts. In ball valves and mixers, the cartridges most often affected are those responsible for preparing water at the desired temperature. We will now tell you how to replace them correctly without damaging the mixer.
The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

Ball mixer cartridge structure


The cartridge is a small plastic cylinder with a square rod protruding upward. The rotating mechanism of the cartridge changes the position of two adjacent ceramic plates or disks. They are polished and lubricated with silicone grease. Each of them has three holes - for cold, hot water and a tap outlet. Combining them gives a certain proportion and pressure of water.At the outlet of the disk holes, seals are attached, which are responsible for sealing the cartridge in relation to the valve body.
Faucet cartridge

What you need for work


  • New cartridge;
  • Adjustable wrench;
  • Knife or screwdriver;
  • 2.5 mm hexagon (for the presser foot bolt).

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

Changing the cartridge in the mixer


Before starting any work related to repairing or replacing shut-off valves, it is necessary to shut off the water supply to the mains so as not to cause a flood. For most, in the intra-house and apartment wiring, the first ball valve in the assembly with a water meter, located on the riser or main pipe, is responsible for this.
To get to the cartridge, you need to disassemble the inside of the mixer. We begin to do this by dismantling the rotary switch or tap foot. On its body there is a small plug indicating the type of water: blue - cold, red - hot. We pry it up with a sharp tool - a knife or a screwdriver - and unscrew the clamping bolt located on the rod bushing with a hexagon.
The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

Loosen the clamp on the square bushing on the back of the presser foot and remove it manually. The next element will be a decorative hemispherical ring, repeating the internal shape of the foot. It can be inserted through a plastic spacer or held on by a thread. It is most often removed manually.
The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

Using an adjustable wrench, unscrew the clamping nut that secures the cartridge in the tap. Over time, this faucet part becomes soured in limescale and scale, and it is not so easy to remove. To make it easier to remove the nut, you can use WD-40 spray or vinegar, pour it into the thread and leave it for a while. If such measures do not help, it is permissible to break the nut by tightening it with a gas wrench. These nuts can be easily found in specialized construction stores.When breaking the clamping nut, do not damage the mixer body!
Advice!
Sometimes the residual water pressure in the pipeline does not make it possible to unscrew the cartridge clamp nut made of plastic or brass. To reduce it, you need to fully open another tap or mixer in the system.
The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The cartridge inside the mixer is not secured. It can be easily removed by hand and replaced with a new one of the same size. Please note that there are landing grooves at the bottom of the valve cavity. The cartridge must be positioned so that the semicircular protrusions on its bottom coincide with these notches and fix its correct position.
When choosing a cartridge for your faucet, you shouldn’t guess about its size. The most practical thing is to take it with you to the store and buy an identical one.
The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

We reassemble the mixer in reverse order and enjoy a working cartridge. After all, any plumber will say that it is happiness when nothing leaks in your house!
The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

The faucet is leaking, fixing the problem

Practical advice


The wear of cartridges is affected by the quality of water, its hardness and the presence of hard impurities - debris, sand, rust, etc. Due to friction, they wear out the plates and seals, which can lead to leakage or “squeezing” in the system, when hot water with excess pressure displaces cold water through the formed cracks in the mixer.
Experienced professionals advise including a cleaning filter in the wiring diagram, having first determined the composition of the water and the impurities in it.
It is also worth paying attention to the quality of the purchased taps and mixers. The savings in this case may be worth repairing not only the cartridge, but also the premises, and not only your own.

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Comments (8)
  1. passerby
    #1 passerby Guests 10 April 2018 21:24
    4
    useful knowledge - just change the cartridge soon. Now I'll know how.
  2. Guest Andrey
    #2 Guest Andrey Guests April 23, 2018 12:19
    3
    better buy a new faucet
  3. Bakyt
    #3 Bakyt Guests 10 May 2018 06:38
    0
    My bathroom faucet is leaking water, I’m wondering how to fix the cause?
  4. Leonid Vasilenko
    #4 Leonid Vasilenko Guests 2 July 2018 18:26
    0
    There are 7 unusable cartridges lying around in the pantry, each of them worked for no more than a month. Maybe there is something wrong with the cartridges or my hands are made of... . If only someone could tell me how to repair cartridges!!!!!!
    1. Guest Igor
      #5 Guest Igor Guests 8 September 2018 10:21
      0
      Or maybe you shouldn’t save on taps? The first one I bought was quite cheap, after a couple of years it began to leak, not from the cartridge, but from the rotary nipple.
      I bought the second one closer to the expensive ones and have had no problems for 10 years now.
  5. Guest Alexander
    #6 Guest Alexander Guests 10 December 2018 17:47
    1
    I think that the name “ball” in this case is not correct. You yourself write that the cartridge is a CYLINDER, and the control mechanism consists of “two ceramic PLATES or DISCS adjacent to each other.” That is, it would be more correct to call it ceramic.Look at the design of the taps, there really is a hollow brass ball with complex holes for regulating the pressure and temperature of the water. Unfortunately, due to poor water quality, deposits form in these taps and water begins to “drip.” In this case, the tap must be disassembled and all parts with plaque placed in a jar with an aqueous solution of citric acid. Disassembling a ball valve is similar to that described, only instead of a plastic cylindrical cartridge there will be a ball. The work requires accuracy, because... thin-walled ball.
  6. Guest Alexander
    #7 Guest Alexander Guests 17 December 2018 18:59
    1
    In the previous comment under No. 6, I typed the name of the faucet in Latin, and it successfully disappeared somewhere. I repeat to the Russians in plain English - Damix. Manufacturer: Denmark, I think. We have one faucet in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, they have been standing for nine years. During this time, the kitchen faucet was washed twice in a solution of citric acid, and the bathroom faucet was washed once. They still look great, but they haven’t been seen in stores (at least here in Balakovo) for a long time...
  7. Sergei Chichenin
    #8 Sergei Chichenin Visitors 31 December 2023 13:55
    1
    What “secrets” are being revealed to us here!