We have a kitchen faucet that’s not too old-- maybe a year, maybe two. It’s the kind that has one handle mounted on the side that you pull out to turn the water on, then forward or backward for cold / hot.
About a week ago it pretty suddenly, like seemingly overnight, became difficult to operate-- it now takes more force than it should to turn. It’s still operable, but it seems on its way to breaking completely. I’m guessing some gasket that keeps the faucet off has maybe torn and bent back on itself or something…? Like torn knee cartilage, maybe? It still shuts the water off completely without dripping.
I’m fairly handy, but I’m not very experienced with faucet innards and such. There doesn’t seem to be an obvious way to take the faucet apart to get to the inside and replace the washer or gasket or whatever is broken. Is it possibly fixable, or is it just a “faucets these days are made to be disposable” thing? Seems too soon for it to wear out since, as mentioned, it’s not that old, but the kitchen faucet does get a lot of use.
If I haven’t given enough info I can look up the exact model if need be, when I have a chance.
I’d do a search for the make/model. It may be a common problem that happens with that specific fixture. IME faucets that cost $40 are faucets you just replace, while faucets that cost $200 are faucets you fix.
Is it a Moen? if it is, you need a Moen 1522 cartridge. It even comes with the needed allen wrench. Takes about 10 minutes to change. Lots of videos on You Tube on how to do it. I changed mine a few weeks ago, works like new now.
I’ll do that, thanks. My wife ordered it, since she knows what she likes style-wise. She is also somewhat thrifty, so I suspect the price was much closer to $40 than $200. No, I don’t see any recessed allen screws or any other obvious visible way to get to the inside.
Since it probably cost closer to $40 than $200, I doubt it! I’m betting Moens are pretty pricey.
If there’s a little rubber-looking button that indicates the direction of hot/cold, there’s might be a recessed screw behind it. See if the button can be gently pried out with a small screwdriver.
We have a Kohler kitchen faucet that has a lifetime guarantee. We’ve ordered parts twice, which they’ve sent at no charge. So, it’s worth checking who made it, and if there’s any warranty.