How To Fix A Leaky Delta Bathroom Sink Faucet

Are we living in some parallel universe or something? Our bathtub faucet was leaking this weekend, I went ahead and replaced the stems and all. But, I also have a sink faucet that dribbles when on full force. I'm pretty sure it is clogged in the faucet and the aerator just crumbled in my hands. So, I'm off to get a new faucet…and it will be a Delta for sure!

Parallel universe indeed, haha.

You can't go wrong with Delta, Moen, or American Standard. There are so many awesome styles to choose from. Please let us all know which faucet you choose over on prettyhandygirl.com 🙂

jsid says:

Thank you for this valuable info.

My bathtub shower has a single knob and the drip is from the spout. Delta model #1600, cartridge # RP1991, purchased & installed in December 24,2007.

Delta company wants me to send them the UPC number on the box or a receipt from the store. In 2005, we had hurricane Katrina,then later years ,Gustavo and recently Issac.It is very difficult to keep all the receipts of the last 4 years and to find the box.So the company refused to give any replacement part, even under 5 year warranty.They quoted my the price for the cartridge at $23.55. I found the same cartridge on http://www.ebay.com for $13.00(free shipping). I am hoping to replace the cartridge to stop the leak…..thank you jeff….:)

You've been through a lot!!!

I can't blame you for being frustrated. Usually the big companies like Delta are pretty good about warranties.

The cartridges are pricey and buying name brand is sometimes worth it just for the peace of mind. Let me know how you make out and if your drip gets fixed.

I am super happy I was able to help 🙂

Wow, what nice tips you have here…the good thing about this Delta Bathroom Faucet is that it has a repair kit, so it is easy to fix it.

You brought up a great point Ira, buy faucets that you know have repair kits.

Here in the states Moen, Delta, American Standard, and Kohler are the brands that have easily accessible repair parts. Sometimes the faucets are a bit pricier but it's worth it because they have warranties and last longer than cheaper varieties.

I've bought cost effective (aka low quality) faucets in the past and have always had problems with them within a few years. Lesson learned 🙂

Leida says:

I have one of those faucets, and this tutorial sure helps. Thanks so much for this well prepared video.

Glad it was helpful Leida. Always feel free to ask any question, I'd be more than happy to assist 🙂
1. Jamie says:
  
  Jeff,
  I replaced the spring and seat in my Delta 2-handled bathroom faucet. Pushed on it to make sure they were secure and had some "give." The seat popped off and the spring is stuck inside. I've tried everything I have to pry it out but it will not budge. Any ideas? Thanks!

Stephanie says:

This was an easy fix until i tried to put the cartridge back in. I cannot do this to save my life. The seal and spring are as pictured, but the cartridge wont fit back down – I tried aligning the white tabs with the slots on the cartridge holder; tried pushing the cartridge down with a 12 pound weight, but it won't go far enough in to allow the bonnet nut to engage. Any tips before I have to call a plumber to clean up this "easy fix"?

Hmmm, was your cartridge exactly the same as the one in the post Stephanie?

Do you mind send me some pictures at [email protected] and that way I can see what the problem might me?

Karen Mortensen says:

I saw your wonderful video but my handle just is not willing to come off after I removed the set screw.

I have wd40ed and pryed and pryed it just won't come off. Is there a trick?

On the video you just pulled it right up and off. Mine will not do that so I can't get to the innerds to pull out the stuff to be replaced. Please help.

Karen, would you mind sending me a picture of your handle? Send it to [email protected].

Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with this fix. We'll figure it out together 🙂

have a delta bath sink faucet with a swivel neck. The leak is comin from the base of the swivel neck. Can this be fixed or is it the nature of this design?

Good question Armando!

It's hard to say. How old is your faucet? Can you send me a few pics to [email protected].

I'd love to help you more.

Carl says:

Thanks Jeff. Your video truly made this a 5 minute repair!!

Awesome Carl. You just encouraged me to make more videos 🙂

Marty Rhoden says:

Hi Jeff,
I replaced a stem, seat and springs on my dripping Peerless bathroom faucet after watching a tutorial. I was patting myself on the back for a job well done. It didn't drip for a few weeks and then oh my gosh a stream was coming out… for several hours while I was out in the yard. I just set the spring and seat on the little hole and placed the stem back on. The video said nothing about pressing down on the seat and spring. So how exactly do you press it down (how firmly)….with the needle nose pliers? Would that have been why all of a sudden it started streaming out? Also I used a universal stem …for several different faucets….should I stick with a Peerless stem? The universal one doesn't have metal on the bottom like the original Peerless one. Okay one more question….In setting the stem I couldn't push it all the way down to slide in the notches….how do you do that at the same time your screwing the nut back on? Thanks

Marty, thanks for your questions. Always use the manufacturer's step instead of a universal variety. I've made the same mistake and it just stinks when something wrong happens like in your case. You mentioned that the stem couldn't be pushed completely down to engage the notches. So this is one clue that the stem wasn't fitting correctly. If you have the old stem take it to the hardware store or a plumbing store and get the name brand replacement part. The replacement stem should completely sit down into the faucet in the notches then you can tighten the nut.

You can push the seat and spring down into the faucet until they don't go any further. Sorry I didn't explain this in the video. Use your index finger to accomplish this job instead of something like the pliers so that the rubber seat doesn't get ruined or torn. Hope this helps 🙂
1. Jamie says:
  
  Hi Jeff,
  You say, " You can push the seat and spring down into the Delta faucet until they don't go any further." Well, I did that, making sure I could feel the spring and seal spring up and down slightly with my finger. Now the seat popped off and the spring is stuck. I've tried everything to pry it out and it won't budge. Any suggestions?

Jey says:

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the great info. It was a big help!! I may have the answer to one of your readers question. Hard water (calcium) hardens the assembly and it becomes almost impossible to unscrew a part. I sprayed Lime Away on the part (make the part more accessible to Lime Away by opening anything that you possibly can) then cover with a towel, spray some more Lime Away, and finally cover with an air tight plastic bag. Leave overnight or even more and it should come off. Hope this helps!!

Hi Jey,

Lime Away-cool!!! For some reason my thick head never thought of using it. Thanks so much for the great DIY Insider Tip!!

🙂

Jeff

Chloe Benson says:

Thank you for the great article! I have a Peerless bathroom faucet currently installed…I tried fixing it but I was unable to do so! Instead I just had to buy a new one, thank goodness for PlumbersStock, the online retailer I purchased it from, because I could actually afford it! XO

Hi Chloe,

Sorry to hear that you needed to replace your faucet. Bummer 🙁

Thanks for bringing Plumbers Stock to our attention. I'll have to check it out the next time we need some supplies-which seems like all the time!!

🙂

Jeff

Tom says:

Thanks for the article. I have a delta bathroom faucet that was leaking. I followed your directions. I have everything in place, but two issues: 1.) it appears that when I put the handle on to the stem, it doesn't go all the way down to the base. It is really loose. Not sure if I don't have the spring and washer all the way down? 2.) the set screw does not seem to want to "catch" onto the stem. Any tips for making this easier? Thanks, Tom

Hi Tom, thanks for your questions. Make sure the cartridge is in the correct way and the whole way down. There is likely a slot on the faucet base that the cartridge should fit into. One way to see if the cartridge is in the right way is to remove the other handle and compare the setup. I'd do it if you lived close to the Burgh, Tom 🙂

This could also explain why the set screw isn't catching properly. Let me know if this helps Tom.

Jeff
1. Jennifer says:
  
  I have the same problem. I am sure that the pieces are all correctly placed, but the handle will not go all the way on. When I look inside the hollow handle, there seems to be some residue – not enough for me to think it would stop the handle going on, though. Hard water residue? I live in OR, in a fairly new subdivision. Anything you can recommend for me to try?
  1. It could be that your cartridge isn't installed correctly Jennifer, hard to say without seeing it. The stem has to be lined up correctly as well for some handles to fit back onto the cartridge.

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Helen says:

I replaced the spring and seat, since I had an infrequent drip from the faucet. I've replaced these several times over the years and all has been well.

This time, my drippy faucet is fixed, but I have a pretty steady leak underneath the sink where the hot water line connects to the sink basin. Help! I'm afraid to tighten anything under the sink. This is foreign territory for me.

Hi Helen,

Don't be afraid, you can fix this drip. It sounds like the connection between the supply line and the faucet needs to be tightened by 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

Chances are you'll need a basin wrench to tighten the nut on the supply line. This tool costs $15 to $20 and helps you reach the nut without removing the sink.

You can buy basin wrenched at any hardware store.

If you are looking up at the connection from under the sink, turn the nut clockwise to tighten it.

If you cannot fit under the sink (like me) you can still tighten the nut with the basin wrench. But turn it counterclockwise from this perspective in order to tighten the nut.

I hope this helps and let me know if you've got more questions.
1. Helen says:
  
  Jeff,
  
  There's a thin white plastic fitting between the brass supply pipe and the sink base. It's kind of hard to describe. I'm worried I'll break that with a wrench.
  1. That nut holds the faucet tight to the sink. The nut you'd need to tighten is on the supply.
2. Helen says:
  
  I wonder if I've put something back in wrong or perhaps I need a new stem. Would that cause a leak under the sink? I also see some water appearing under the faucet handle base when I turn on the water. That was not happening before.
  1. Hi Helen,
    
    If you didn't tighten the nut enough that holds the stem in place then water will leak from under the handle.
    
    Here's my prescription:
    
    1. Tighten the nut by 1/4 to 1/2 turn clockwise that holds the stem in place
    
    2. If you still see water dripping from under the handle then take the stem to the store and get a replacement.
    
    I hope this makes sense 🙂
    1. Helen says:
      
      Jeff,
      
      Yes it does. I'll try tightening the nut first. I don't think I've ever replaced this stem–only the seat and spring. Perhaps it's time for a replacement.
      
      I emailed you a picture of the hard-to-describe new leak from underneath.
      
      I love this page, by the way. Makes me feel "almost" handy.
      
      Helen
    2. Helen,
      
      Let me know if tightening the nut helps or if the cartridge needed to be replaced. Either way, I hope this helps you 🙂

PeggySue says:

Hi, I watched your video but my handle will not come off. The handle is off and I removed the set screw but the handle body will not budge! I have 2 sinks with leaky handles, neither one will come off!

I have used WD 40 and tried prying with a screwdriver but they won't come off. Do you have any other suggestions?

I have cold water on one sink and hot on the other, not very convenient.

Hi PeggySue,

Do you mind sending me a few pictures of your handles? That will help me figure out this conundrum 🙂

Send them to [email protected]
1. mike says:
  
  Hi-
  
  Did you ever figure this out? I am having the same issues… cannot get the handle off…
  
  thanks
  Mike
  1. Anna says:
    
    Hey Mike- I had the same problem. Here is what I did:
    Put a hot hair dryer on the handle and held the hot air on it for about 1-2 minutes. Put on my rubber dish gloves and the handle unscrewed very easily–whew.
    
    Also, if you can't pull the faucet up and off of the stem, then use a block of wood, and lightly keep tapping the wood against the handle and it will eventually loosen up. I did this and also applied (very lightly) a flat head screw driver to the base to try and wiggle it too. The wood and hammer helped the most. Be careful because you don't want to use the hammer directly on the faucet because it will dent the metal of the faucet. I am a first time fixer and I got it done.

Todd says:

Hi Jeff–I'm REALLY frustrated with my Delta single handle tub faucet (Monitot 13 Series). A few days ago, water started dripping steadily from the bathtub spout even with the faucet handle all the way in the off position. I took the faucet apart and replaced the old cartridge with a new one (Part# RP19804). I reassembled the faucet, but the steady drip from the end of the spout still persists even with the hanbdle in the off position. The spout is a generic model in which the shower diverter is activated by pulling down on the round collar at the end of the spout where the water comes out. What could cause this drip? Did I just waste $45 for a new cartridge?

Thanks Todd for your question.

So you still have a drip coming from the spout. Okay, does your cartridge slot have seats and springs? That's one thing that you might need to replace if you have them. You'll have to pull the cartridge out to reach them but if they're bad you'll still have a drip coming from the shower head or tub spout.

Please let me know if you have seats and springs because I'd like to help you figure out this problem.

Duncan P says:

Thanks for the video, and the parts list. I wanted to mention that the replacement cartridge comes with an extra plastic 'tooth'. I did not understand it's use until I realized that in order to get the two faucets to rotate in the correct opposite directions, one had to add a plastic tooth to one of the cartridges (look carefully at the leaking one to see where you need to add that tooth in). In my case it was to the cold water side.

Yah, that's right. I forgot about the extra insert Duncan. Thanks for pointing that out. This is super important since often times it's easy to forget to replace the insert in the right position. Or it might just get lost during the repair process.

I lose stuff all the time. Oh, and another tip I just thought about. Make sure to put the pop-up stopper in the down position so that nothing gets lost down the drain!!!

Yep, this has happened to me a few times.

Abbey says:

Jeff-I replaced the seat and the spring and it seemed that all went well till I put everything back together and turned the water on now the water runs if the faucet is turned on or off. What did I do wrong?

Hi Abbey, thanks for your question. The good news is that this is easy to fix. You likely inserted the cartridge the wrong way.

When this is done the water will run continually. Simply turn the cartridge 180 degrees and your faucet should work the right way.

Hope this helps. It's a bit alarming when you see the faucet behave the way you did. But you can fix it 🙂

Susan says:

When we moved into our house, we discovered that the master shower handle temperature control is weird. Off is at four oclock position. As you turn the handle counter clockwise, the water temp goes from cold to warm at one oclock, hottest at twelve oclock and cools off at eleven. Turning the handle all the way counter clockwise to the stop gives cold water! What do you suggest?

I had the exact same situation Susan. It's most likely a cartridge being inserted incorrectly.

What kind of shower handle do you have (e.g. Moen, Delta, Kohler)?

Chris Schelling says:

I have the exact same faucet, and none of my allen wrenches work – none are even close. The size is somewhere in between a 2.5mm and 2mm allen wrench and between a 3/32 and 5/64. The bigger ones don't go in and the smaller ones just slip. What gives? And what am I supposed to do?

Chris, I've run into the same issue. And the ultimate problem was a stripped set screw, bummer! So I decided to call Delta and ask them for a new handle. They sent two replacements in the mail for free, which was awesome since the handles were expensive.

I had to drill out the set screw with a small bit. This ruined the existing screw but it was already toast. The drill put a small hole in the cartridge stem but that wasn't a big deal and the new handles slipped on with no problem.

Sorry I don't have a better solution but figured I'd share my experience 🙂

John says:

I just fixed my bathroom faucet with your advice. It was quick and simple. thank you.

Sweet!!! Thanks John for letting me know.

If you have any questions on other stuff just let me know.

Joe says:

Thanks for the video. I learn better by seeing than reading.

This would have been a 5 minute fix but… How did you get the spring to stay in the seat ? Mine just kept falling out. Finally just put the spring in and attempted to get the seat on top of it. I guess time will tell if I did it right.

Sounds like you did it right Joe. You'll know right away if you did it wrong. The cartridge won't sit properly.

One thing I like to do is put the spring down in the hole then add the seat. It's not easy if you've got chubby fingers like me but works.

You could also put the spring & seat together on an Allen wrench and fish the wrench end down into the hole. This is a good option as well.

Le says:

The handles on my Roman Tub faucet do not line up. I was attempting to fix a constant drip. I changed the cartridges and began tightening the bonnet nut and the entire valve twisted. Now the handles do not line up when I align the cartridge with the notches. What do I need to do to fix this? Water is now leaking from under the base around the tub where the handle is attached.

Hmmm, send me a picture Le of your setup. It sounds like there's another nut that needs to be tightened. Hence the valve movement.

Mack says:

I replaced the seats, springs, and cartridges in my bathroom delta sink which had a leak. Now no water will flow out of the faucet. I have made sure that the water is on under the sink, and have tried multiple aerator configurations with no success. What am I missing?

Hey Mack, this sounds like you reversed the cartridge in the faucet. If you did you won't see the water run at all. Take the cartridge up out of the faucet and spin it 180 degrees. I bet you'll see the faucet work properly after that 🙂

Jeff-I had the exact same issue as Abbey did on 2/14/14-reassembled everything and when I turned the water supply on the cold side was running without turning the handle. I tried flipping the cartridge 180 degrees, but when I put the 1/4 turn stop in that way, the handle does not fit back down over the cylinder. There are only 2 different ways that cylinder can go in, right? When I did get the handle on the second time, the water was still running and the handle had to be turned backwards, instead of forward to turn on. Help!

Jeff — I had the same issue as Abbey did (2/18/14 comment) where I installed everything and turned the main water source back on and the water began coming out of the cold side of the faucet without even turning the handle–continuous flow. I tried flipping the cylinder/stem the 180 degrees, but then my handle will not fit back down onto the cylinder. It seems there are only 2 ways the stem can fit back down into the fixture, either way I can't get it to work–one way the handle won't fit back down over it or the other way the turning of the handle is backwards. It does have a 1/4 turn stop that I've tried putting in both ways and still no luck. I tried to replicate the identical faucet assembly on the other side and everything looks right, but obviously I'm doing something wrong. Help!

Hey Missy, it sounds like your stem got turned around. You'll have to compare the stem position on the other cartridge and see it's orientation. Then turn the stem on the cartridge you removed to match that orientation.

If you'd like you can take a picture of both stems and I'd be happy to look at them.

nalani says:

You rock! Thank you so much for the detailed instructions. I am so excited I fixed this myself.

That's awesome Nalani!!!!

So glad to hear your fix went smoothly 😀

Alan says:

I'm trying to service a one-lever Delta kitchen faucet (the old generic style) and the spout just won't come off. I'm pulling hard enough to break something and it just won't come off. Do you have any ideas that I could try? (No I am not just grabbing the spout and pulling at an angle.)
Thank you kindly.

Thanks Alan for your question. Does the faucet have a set screw?

Tom says:

I have a 2-handle tub faucet (Delta H64). The handles move 180 degrees from closed to full open. The faucet was dripping unless the cold handle was SLIGHTLY moved off the fully-closed position. Then it stops dripping. I replaced the valve body (Delta RP25513) and the rubber seat and spring. However, the problem persists. The orientation of the valve body is set by the 2 locating tabs so I wonder if the locating tabs and the ports in the bottom of the valve could somehow be misaligned? If so, what's the fix. Or is it something else? Thanks!

Stan sleva says:

jeff: I have a delta bathroom faucet that has been leaking. I replaced the stems and the seals and sprigs bt te

Stan Sleva says:

Jeff: After replacing my delta stems and seats and springs my hot water starts leaking after one or two days. I replaced the hot water seals and springs three times but it once again leaks after a day or two. I have replaced the seals and springs before but this has never happened before. Any advice before I replaced the Delta faucet. It is only about three years old. Thanks so much.
Stan

Dane says:

I'm facing the same issue. Delta says you have to flush the lines to ensure there isn't sediment or debris in the faucet somewhere that's causing issues with the stems. Haven't tried yet but I'm really hoping it works. May not be buying Delta again if it doesn't.

DavidKeller says:

Jeff, I have a delta shower faucet, Monitor 1400 series installed in 1998. It started dripping recently. Delta sent a free replacement cartridge and I installed it. The original cartridge was difficult to remove, probably due to calcium buildup. I have hard water where I live. The replacement cartridge was also difficult to install. I was finally able to get the plastic tabs on the cartridge to align with the notches on the brass body. The faucet still drips. I contacted DELTA and they sent a 2nd cartridge, not knowing if the first was defective. After installing and using DANCO waterproof grease on the O-rings to make it easier to install, the shower faucet is still dripping. Any ideas.

Ed says:

You have a very informative site. Thank you!
I tried to fix a leak in my delta faucet and after removing screw with Allen wrench the handle body would not separate from the stem unit with adequate pull. Any tips?
Thanks,
Ed

Sandi says:

I have an older Delta T2710 brass roman style faucet with matching sink and shower faucets. One of the sink faucets was leaking and when my husband took it apart a piece broke. It is a discontinued line so we thought we would replace all the fixtures. Decided on the Delta Lahara series in champagne bronze. I have ordered the sink faucets first and am waiting for them now. I wasn't sure if I needed new rough in cartridges or not so contacted Delta. After several back and forth emails, I have found out that I am unable to replace the T2710 for the tub because the drilled holes in the fiberglass tub are too large for any other trim kit. Is there not something I can do to make these holes smaller so I can replace the tub faucets? I have not been able to find the replacement brass faucet for the sink anywhere. I don't want the same faucets anyway, they are really out of date and I never did like them. I don't want to get a whole new tub either. Any suggestions?

SG says:

Most reputable companies's faucets (Delta, Moen, etc) come with a lifetime warranty on the parts. If you know the model of your faucet, its pretty straightforward and they will send you replacement parts for free. If you don't know the model, you can use the "faucet finder" links on their websites to find your model, or send them a picture and they will help. The only downside is you will have to wait for the parts to arrive, but then you get expensive parts like cartridges, for free!

Dane says:

Free for the original owner WITH proof of purchase. Keep you boxes and receipts!

Mimi says:

Thank you for all the information here–this is not a 5 minute job! Delta faucet will not stop running after all parts (including cartridge/spark plug thing) replaced. We have turned it every way–180, 90, 360–but upside down. Nothing will stop the steady stream of water when we turn the water back on. I think we have the wrong size–is that possible? We even put the old parts back in thinking it would stop the water and we would have the leak–it didn't. Now I have a leak and steady stream of hot water unless I turn the water off behind the sink. So somewhere we have something backward, but I can not figure out what!! Help!! Thanks!

Sorry to hear about you problem Mimi, that stinks. It sounds like you have seats and springs. Is your spring oriented the correct way? By that I mean the tapered end faces upward. If the tapered end of the spring faces downward into the faucet and you place the rubber seat over it your faucet will leak regardless of how the cartridge is positioned. But of course, you want cartridge installed the right way, too.

Iqbal says:

Hi
Thank you for all the information here, Really appreciate it !

I have this unique issue , When I turn on my COLD water , the faucet is leaking from under the handle of HOT water handle.

And When I turn my HOT water handle , there is no leak under the HOT or COLD water handle .

What do you suspect ? Is this a cartridge issue but with which handle., HOT or COLD ?

Regards,

Iqbal

Dane says:

It's probably the O ring on the hot side. When you do these repairs Delta recommends doing both handles/sides at once because if one goes bad the other is surely not far behind.

David Bernick says:

Thank you so much for the photos and descriptions ! I was in a hurry and didn't pay attention as I was dissembling mine and was miffed as to which way the spring went into the seat. After viewing your page, it took me 2 min to put it all back together!!!

angie says:

Hi Jeff

I did this in three of my bathrooms. On the fourth, after I was done, even though the handle is in off position the water stays on after putting all together
Any ideas?

Hey Angie, it sounds like the cartridge may have been installed backwards. Check if that's the case and simple reverse it, 180 degrees 😀

Will says:

Thanks for the great instructions and pictures…made this home repair on my seats and springs a breeze!

Larry Lancaster says:

Just finished fixing our Delta bathroom faucet. Took me about thirty-minutes to do the job, thanks to your great instructions! I too was a little puzzled about the spring/washer (how to set it correctly), but read the comments and saw the answer. Anyway, great job. I would be messing with this for a full afternoon if not for your help.

Dane says:

I've followed this procedure on both handles and the faucet started leaking from the aerator again in about a week. Delta suggested I had to flush the lines with the stems and seats/springs removed. Funny, because they don't mention that anywhere in the article on fixing a leak. I have a sneaking suspicion they'll start leaking again in another week after I flush the faucet/lines/etc. Is my only recourse to buy a new faucet? I can't imagine the life expectancy of a $300 delta faucet is 8 years.

Kal Lauter says:

I had a leak from the aerator of the faucet. Took the whole faucet out of the sink and took it to Lowes to see what parts I needed. They recommended seat and springs. Took me awhile to figure out where these were located and I managed to get one side (hot side) fixed. Then when I tried to do the other side and put it back in the sink and turned everything on, I got a leak from the base where the water turn off valve is. So I took it apart again and it looked like the seat wasn't seated in the hole. Took me another hour to coerce, coax, cajole the spring/seat into the hole. Then when I turned it on, no leak from the faucet, but still leaking from the turn off value. So what is causing this? Does this mean the seat thing is still not in the hole well enough or do I have a leaky water value?

Marcia says:

I have been dealing with a leaky kitchen faucet. It's a Peerless, and I've been in the house 15 years now, never changed anything on it. I got the cartridges out and took them to the hardware store. The clerk told me I needed the Delta replacement part made by Danco, #10474, 3S-16H/C which compares to Delta RP25513. I don't know anything else about my faucet except it's a Peerless. The faucet still leaks when I put the cartridges in. The left one works with a small leak. The right one gushes, lol. When I stand the old cartridge next to the new one, the new one is just a mm taller it seems. Is that why it's not working right?

Sara says:

Thanks for the tutorial, I have fixed my leak using a cartridge from the same faucet that I had in another bathroom that I replaced though still good. I fixed the leak but my handl turns backwards instead of forwards. I tried turning the cartridge 180 degrees but the it turns in from forward position to towards the faucet. Still wron way. Is this because I used the cartridge from the cold handle to fix the leak in the hot handle? Or is it something else? Thanks!

Sara

If I had to guess Sara your cartridge configuration is simply off. You'll have to take a look at the half moon shape on the bottom and make sure it's lined up over the faucet hole when the handle is in the 'off' position. Starting there will help get the handle back to normal…but let me know if you have any questions

Tom says:

Replaced the spring and washer on the hot water side of a horizontal Delta shower setup. No more leaks, but the knob now works in reverse. Water runs when it's turned clockwise and turns off counterclockwise. Help!

Hey Tom, thanks for your question. It sounds like the cartridge orientation is off a bit. You'll need to shut the water off and spin the cartridge 180 degrees.

I also answered your question in my podcast (episode 219)

You can listen to it here

http://hrtllc.wpengine.com/podcast/

But let me know if you have questions 😀

Mike says:

Just wanted to get some input on your thoughts Jeff.
I have a older delta bathroom faucet system but it uses the same cartridge and stem and rubber gasket and spring in your original video.

Over the years and specially here recently the hot side has started to eat the rubber gaskets up like crazy im talking I have to replace it every three months and have become quite a pro at it, I can do one in less than three minutes now. lol

I have replaced the entire unit / cartridge several times and im sure not to over tighten the unit, just snug and I also have found that using silicone grease helps everything move smoother and gives me a extra few weeks of use verses when I dont use grease.
But my question is why does my hot rubber gaskets wear out so dang fast?
The inside is clean as can be, no deposits what so ever and I make sure that during installation every thing is perfectly clean and percise.
I have a friend who was a plumber for over 20 years and even he was bum founded, he watched me install it once one time and even he said I was doing a percise job and he couldnt figure out why the gaskets were going bad so fast either.
He double checked my pressure on the tightening to make good and sure I was just going snug and one time we even broke out a digital torque wrench to make sure neither of us was going to tight.
He said its one of those things were he would rip the unit out and replace it because something wasnt fitting right but I noticed one thing that might point us in the right direction.
If I turn the temp of my hot water heater down to its lowest setting the gaskets will last six months.
Any Advice?

Great questions Mike and I can possibly help with this detective work.

First, it could be the water pressure.

If your pressure is over 80 psi then the seats will wear out faster than if the water pressure was less than 80 psi.

Buy a $10 water pressure gauge and test it over night. Attach the gauge to a hose bib outside or inside…laundry tub would be a good place.

Do it over night since water pressure spikes around 2-3 am.

If the pressure is over 80 psi you can either adjust or replace your water pressure regulator or add one.

Second, it could be chemicals that the water treatment facility is adding.

This year my plumber has replaced more pipes due to pinhole leaks and they blame the new chemicals at the water treatment plant…kinda scary.

In that case you could add a water filtration system. I'm seriously considering this at my house!!!

Let me know if this helps 🙂
1. Mike Bisch says:
  
  Well several weeks later and here were are again. lol
  Time to replace the little fart again.
  I did test the water pressure several times over the course of four weeks to see if we could get a spike and its at a perfect 66psi low with a normal median of 69psi and 72 was the highest spike at my main into my house so im satisfied to say that's pretty darn good and reliable pressure if you ask me.
  I did some research and I do know that The Louisville Kentucky Water company is supposed to have one of the top ten cleanest water supplies in the U.S. so that leads me to think about chemicals in the water now, after all how else do you have that clean of water.
  My only reasoning for ruling out chemical is that the rest of the faucets in the hose used to be the same as the one in the bath tube the trouble maker and no of them ever had any issues like this one.
  The hot water heater is a fairly new 3 year old 50 gallon gas heated smart water heater.
  While im leaning towards ripping the tub unit out and giving up, it would be nice to solve the mystery.
  I just wonder if anyone has ever had this issue before.
  I do know when I rip this guy out im gonna do some measurements with a caliper and mic and see if I can compare to some others but as for now im all out guesses.

Heather says:

Thx for the easy to use instructions! I was so nervous, but your directions were spot on and the pictures and video made it sooooo easy! What was I waiting for. Thank You!

Jodi says:

Jeff,
Thank you so much for the video.
I like the flow chart the best.
Jodi

Dani says:

Hi, I can't seem to get the spring out– the seat came out easily but the spring seems really stuck. Tried needle nose pliers etc. Could it be that the wrong spring was put in?

Steve says:

Really poor design by Delta. That spot where the set screw is located gets full of all kinds of crud. I cleaned it out, but even after that I can't move that set screw with the allen wrench. Tried WD40 and Liquid Wrench but no luck. Do I have to replace the faucet just to fix a leak?? Really, Delta needs to punish that designer buy sending him/her to every house with a leaky faucet to do the repair.

Any ideas on loosening that screw?

Steve

dani says:

Sometimes a vinegar soaked rag can get rid of mineral deposits. I would try that

OK:

We had a leaking bathtub faucet. I decided to replace the "bonnets" springs, and seat on both sides.

It seems we did everything correctly. The leak has stopped! However, when we put the lever handles back on and turn on the water, we cannot completely shut off the water using the levers. Perhaps we can half shut off the water, but not completely. When we take off the levers and just adjust the plastic top of bonnets, we can shut off the water. All this seems to imply we are not seating the levers correctly, but at the moment we are stumped as to how to do this.

Eric and Julie from Atlanta

Anna says:

Hi..I replaced the stem and rubber piece as well as the spring, on the hot water faucet of my kitchen sink. But, now, the handle feels very rubbery and it is not quite seated on the base. I took it apart twice now and I can't figure out what is wrong. The stem fits very nicely into the opening but the handle feels like it is too tight when I turn it on and it just feels like it is on rubber. What could be wrong??

Cory Reininger says:

Okay Jeff video was great but even better are all the comments combined with the video. I am a carpenter and never claimed or wanted to be a plumber but often find myself with plumbing tasks related to a job I took on and this story is one of those. So the handles were missing the set screws on a American Standard whirltub bathroom tub I was fixing the cabinets below the tub due to water damage. The new universal handles the homeowner bought just didn't look quite right but I should have just left them alone as the design allowed this to be as close as I was to get it looking right. Here's where it gets interesting for you and a nightmare for me. There were no shut offs for the tub and at this point I knew better but I thought to myself is that but all that holds the cartridge in or can I remove it and the handles will fit and problem solved. I said again to myself "turn off the water or possibly bad things will happen " did I, nope. I just unscrewed it real softly set it to the side and like a rookie sat there and still was thinking I should turn the water off and at the same time looking at it thinking that is all that's holding it down when catastrophe happened. The stem blew out with everything else, which under pressure (pardon the pun) I couldn't remember what was inside below cartridge. So here I am trying to hold the water geyser down as it had hit the ceiling and my almost still wet actually now wet paint I had applied recently, trying to figure out what I now should do to minimize damage due to my mental lapse problem I just created. I'm the only one at the house and I don't have anything in reach or sight to put over this high pressure leak and in hindsight wouldn't have helped anyway. As I'm trying to think out of the corner of my eye I see something black in the tub but it wasn't so registering to me at that moment what it was when all of the sudden everything went from bad to worse when I felt the water temperature increasing and realized this was fixing to go south in a hurry no matter what. Again earlier in the job I turned the temp up full blast on the heater to help with pressure washing the driveway, but like a true champion, a idiot champion, I held that water as long as I could trying in vain to come up with a plan. So at least another couple of seconds went by, lol, when my hand was forced, again no pun intended. As I bolted from the bathroom trying to locate pliers then finally making my way outside hoping the meter might be easier to findand it was I must have looked as ridiculous as I felt. I did not even want to enter that bathroom but knew I needed to and the quicker the better.so it was bad. At least two inches of water standing and everything within site was soaked and I thought about turning off the electric but didn't and I thank god I didn't have to regret that decision because it to was a bad one.
So here I am mopping up my mess and I find the spring but no seat which suddenly I realize what I saw in the tub. This is the part when I realized I didn't and should have put the stopper in. So off to the lumberyard to get a new repair kit. Found it cheaply enough but it was universal but still seemed like it would work. So I'm trying to get it to work and it won't seat so I decide to disassemble the other side and see if this can be used or if my problem is something else. When I'm trying this again I drop the seat and as my luck goes down the drain it goes. I'm really getting frustrated now as the repair kit only contained one. But still the seat would seat on the other side. The seats appear identical and I've been back to the store and bought two more repair kits and still same issue. It has to be a obstruction and while trying to check with a finishing nail, guess what, I dropped it down the water line and there's only one way to retrieve it without calling a plumber due to the fittings having no adjustable attachments. So yes I got the nail out even put the stopper in this time but I'm still not able to get seat to seat and even forced it once but only accomplished tearing the rubber. So now what. I'm sure your gonna only have one solution and that's replace tub faucet but I. Sure know that's unnecessary as I created the leak asit was fine before I started this mess. Any suggestions. Thanks and keep up the good work as if I had seen your videos prior to this I most likely wouldn't be writing g you this book. Cory from Oklahoma

Laura says:

What size Allen wrench. Can't get any of the ones I've tried so far to work.

It's hard for me to remember, I'd recommend getting a set of allen wrenches and trying them. It's only $8 and you'll use them over and over.

Bill says:

Jeff,
Fine Video ,
I had this problem for about 6 months, the washer keeps getting chewed up and cut! I've tighten and loosened the nut but no luck, I replaced the stem with a after market part no luck, it just the hot water side.!!
What am I doing wrong?

Marilou Wilson says:

Ok so we replaced the Delta 1300-1400 cartridge yesterday in my shower. When we turned the water back on the part worked great. When we turned it off then it acted like it fixed the issue but now I have a small spiratic drip and then a long drip. I'm thinking that the shut off is not completely closed but yet i'm not sure how to fix the issue completely. I could use some guidance on this one.

David Thaxton says:

When I turn my delta cold faucet about 1/2 way, it starts leaking out of the hot side handle. I replaced the right side unit – stem/ball spring and rubber seat. My problem still exists, The whole unit is about 20 years old. Can this be fixed or does it need to be replaced?

Savannah says:

Hi Jeff,
So I replaced the spring seat and cartridge on both handles on my delta bathroom faucet. Everything seemed to go well. Once I put everything back together, my cold water side has super low water pressure and my hot water side is clearly lower than my other sink in the same bathroom. Any suggestions? Water pressure was not an issue until I "repaired" the leaky faucet.

Chris says:

After taking off the faucet handle I cannot loosen the stem nut or even see how I can as it appears to be smooth and round. There are some small ridges on top of the it but not enough to get a grip with anything. Any suggestions?

Have you tried a strap wrench?

Jessica says:

I replaced the seat and springs on both handles of my widespread delta faucet. Now when I turned the water back on the water just streams out the faucet and the handles won't turn it off. I have to turned the water off under the sink. Can you help me figure out what I did wrong?

Sounds like you reversed the cartridge such that it doesn't cover up the inlet inside the faucet. This is very common, and I did it myself several times!!! Turn the cartridge 180 degrees and see what happens.

G Thomas Seeley says:

I've done all this several times and I'm adept at all of it except one part. I can NEVER NEVER NEVER just press down with my finger to insert the new spring and seat. NOTHING I try makes this easy at all, the spring is in correctly but the rubber seat simply will not just slide easily over it into its correct position. One part of it remains above the edge of the hole no matter what I try. My finger, a screw driver blade, the round end of a toothbrush, anything. Today I think I just forced it so,hard I damaged the entire housing and I may have to put in a whole new faucet! An,y suggestions?

Feel your frustration. Anyone with large hands will have trouble with the seat and spring installation. I place put the seat and spring together then slide them onto an Allen wrench. I place the Allen wrench in the sink housing and slide the seat/spring into the hole. Hope that helps.

Ana says:

Hi,
I have a delta single-handle pull out kitchen faucet. I replaced the cartridge to ´fix the leak´ I had, but now I´m noticing that there is leak (at random times, sometimes when the faucet is running, and other times when it´t not) coming from the base. What do you think the problem is?

Ferman C. DeHart says:

Hi Jeff.
My problem is this On a Delta Bathroom faucet I did everything by the book
Replaced both seats and installed a new cartridge on hot and cold . when I
Turned on the water no drips So I turned on each faucet then back off and
The drip's continued. What is wrong I replaced many different set ups and many
Delta faucets but never had this problem very frustrating. Redid 3 times and still
Continues to DRIP

Ferman C. DeHart says:

Please help

Richard says:

I'm having problems removing Alen set screw. Please help!

Cathryn Smart says:

Help! I followed your instructions exactly. Now the handle on the side with the new valve no longer goes back on and the faucet is leaking out the bottom of the entire unit! I double-checked the seats to see if they were not in enough, but they seem fine.

Debra Bailey says:

Jeff,
I removed handles and the nut holding the cartridge in place (finally/took some extreme work) on my older hot water faucet but I cannot for the life of me get the cartridge to come out. I sprayed with WD40, I tried various wrenches and other techniques shown on You Tube to no avail. I see a tool called a cartridge remover or puller but it specifies that it is for Moen cartridges. Will that tool work for Delta cartridges as well? So frustrated.

Brandi says:

We have a Delta Bathtub faucet 2 knobs , the cold water was dripping from the spicket, We changed out the cold water cartridge, didn't help. The drip is from the cold water Side . Turned hot water on shut it off , and water dripping is cold . Replaced with a 7S-4D stem.

Cindy Taylor says:

It was so easy to fix our drippy Delta faucet with this video! Got all of the parts at Lowe's and fixed it myself in 2 minutes! Thanks for the help. 🙂

Paul says:

Dripping hot water faucet. We have tried 4 different seat styles with new springs. We even switched hot and cold cartridges with the same result on the hot water side. Next a new cartridge and seat was installed with the same dripping result. What gives? All the seat surfaces look like they are scarred from bottom of the cartridge.

Julie says:

How do I replace the white plastic nut/retainer around the stem unit?

Pam says:

I have a model 2543 delta bathroom faucet, I have replaced both sides hot and cold stem ,seats and 3 months later the hot side is a constant drip.
What would cause that so soon ?

Carla says:

I'm trying to replace the stems in my delta kitchen faucet, the springs are stuck! How's can I get them out? I've tried everything…

Gary Wermuth says:

My delta bathroom faucet hot water does not have a set screw visablel. I removed the handle by unscrewing it from the base, is it back behind where the handle attaches?

Samuel says:

Jeff,
My two handle sink leaks from the cold handle. I changed the cartridge but when I really tighten the large nut the water does not run through the faucet. However, when I loosen the nut it runs properly, but then it leaks from the handle. Any suggestions?

Mario says:

Folks, very seldom do I laugh when having to do a repair. I did today as I followed your troubleshooting chart when I got to the bottom of the aerator problem side. "If it's still leaking, you're screwed". 😂😂😂. Nice touch to release stress. Your instructions are written at the user level. Easy to follow and interpret. I will be going to get a replacement cartridge for my Delta faucet. Thanks.

Kirk Dietrick says:

Hi GUys,
I changed the seat/spring in my hot water side faucet handle, stopping my annoying drip. I thought "change both sides since they're the same age." The cold side was hard to get seated, and aligned for faucet placement, so I monkeyed with it for a while. I finally just put the old one back in, and the faucet doesn't drip, but now I have a leak where the faucet handle meets the counter top, and it is dripping under the counter. All suggestions are welcome.
Kirk

Jill says:

Hi Guys,
I've fixed a leaky faucet in my bathroom and it worked wonderfully so I then tried to fix a leaky drip in my Delta Roman tub. The handles look exactly the same as the sink handles so how hard could it be. I got the parts but when I went to turn the water back on, it just kept running when the handles were turned off. I switched the cartridges around every which way imaginable but the water still flows even in the off position. Any idea what could be the problem before I have to call a plumber?

JJ says:

DearJeff,
Thanks so very much for all of the significantly valuable help that you provide people. In addition, your kind, soothing voice gives us confidence that we just might be able to accomplish the task!
I watched the video and read all. There is much talk about repairing leaks. Do you think your methods may work if my "leak" is not a leak but a full blown flow of hot water?

G. L. Dryfoos says:

This morning our bathroom sink hot water would not shut off, even with the handle spun all the way. I shut off the water underneath, took the works apart on that side, got a package of Delta replacement stems, including springs and seals. The apartment plumbing is so old and rotten that turning the under-sink valves all the way off still leaves a trickle flow into the seat where the seal/spring/stem goes. I slooshed it out as best I could, fitted the seal&spring, then put in a new stem.

The hot water handle doesn't turn that water on, and even with the under-sink cold water valve open, that side now doesn't work either.

I'm stumped.

F A Foster says:

2 handle Delta faucet bathtub with extenders, replaced extenders, seats, springs, and stems with Delta replacements. Run a bath or shower and the hot water will just turn itself on slightly. Replaced spring/seat again turns on by itself. Don't know what to do about this. Help

Susan Redman says:

Thank you so much for these clear step by step instructions and video for replacing the cartridge. I have replaced the cartridge before but this made it really clear and simple.

Pat Nellesen says:

Hey, thanks for the video!
Question: I bought a new Delta RP1991 assembly along with the seat and springs (my house is over 30 years old, thought I would replace everything) and as far as I could tell it was identical to the old one. It fit just fine, but when I turned it I could feel it sticking on the new seats about halfway through. I wasn't sure if this was something that might work itself out or not, so I kept the old assembly (which was in good shape and turns smoothly).
Just wondering what might have caused the new assembly to stick (I'm fairly sure it was the curved holes catching on the seats at some point) and if it would have been a problem in the long run.

Thanks for any reply!

Janet Brinkman says:

The hex screw size is 3/32!

Christopher Archer says:

I have seats that keep blowing out whem i turm on water

Lela says:

Hi Jeff
IT was very hard to get the first part done, husband used brute strength to pull handle off after removing screw on top. No Allen wrench screw
Now the bonnet won't budge.
I started this project thinking at the most 15 mins. 2 hrs later waiting for Blaster to release it. Faucet is 25 yrs old.
If I hold the bottom under bolt handle continues to turn with the and twist hose

Am I doing something wrong? Usually I'm pretty handy

JOHN STRONG says:

i have a DELTA LINDEN Faucet in my bathroom. And the leak is happening underneath the sink. More so on the threaded area where the plastic not is that holds the faucet onto the sink. I have reached out with DELTA and they have not provided me any feedback. I am not sure if the faucet is defective. I have picture and image where it is coming from. Hope you can help.

Jim Harless says:

Great details I have a clear round delta handle several years old, how to expose screw holding handle in place?

Jo-Ann A. says:

Thanks so much for this awesome tutorial! I was able to fix my leaking aerator in 15 minutes and literally saved at least $150 by not phoning a plumber. You rock!

Dan Anderson says:

I have a delta single handle bath faucet that is 6 years old. The water pipes on faucet come out of the faucet under sink and these connect to the house supply lines. Yesterday the faucet started dripping( maybe even a spray) a fair amount of water from inside the underside of the faucet. I shut off the water and cleaned it up. I loosened up the faucet and pulled it up from the sink( I didn't disconnect the water). I couldn't make it leak no matter what it did. Not sure what to do. Thnks

Kena says:

Love it. Great sense of humor

Jordan Futch says:

I've replaced the seat, spring, and cartridge on my hot and cold delta faucets and water still steadily leaks out of faucet. What else can I do to fix?

Selena says:

You can make do with a pair of slip-joint pliers. Jam the handles into the mouth of the spout until they are secure, and then turn the spout counterclockwise.

Charlie Bowles says:

i have a 2.5 year old new home and our master shower is already dripping from the shower head. It is a Delta Lahara T14238SS I have the new replacement cartridge. Question what is the best way to extract the old cartridge?