Delta Faucet Leak

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Todzilla

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Location
27278
I have a small leak underneath my sink. When I shut off the hot water atthe supply line, leak goes away. So, I tightened the coupling nuts and locknuts (I think?, very hard to get to) with a basin wrench, And because I had spares on hand I replaced the spring, the washer and the stem unit assembly. The leak persists when I turn the hot water back on. I can’t tell if it leaks only when the faucet is turned on or whether it persistsm but maybe I should check that?

Any advice on what I should check/replace next?

Thanks,

Todzilla
 
Try to find exactly where the leak is coming from. Is it at a connection on the supply line? Is there a leak in the copper, or supply hose tubing? You replaced the cartridge, and as long as it was clean inside there, it's probably fine, but, depending on the faucet, they can leak down, and it runs down the supply line.

Get all over that thing with a flashlight and some dry hands and narrow it down.
 
Thanks!
It’s very hard to see. It’s basin sink mounted On a cabinet. The cabinet has a hole cut in it just big enough for a basin wrench. It appears the leaking is above the shutoff valve.
 
is there water leaking at the base of the faucet.....there are 2 o rings that the spout swivels onturn on the water and get under there like mentioned before with a flash lite..........
 
You need to crawl under there and take some good pictures.
Otherwise you will get zero useful advice.
And post pics of the faucet on the sink.
There are plenty of places for a leak to sneak through and appear down below.
 
Last edited:
Thanks!
water drips down supply line from underneath faucet. I’ll try to get some pics!
 
Pull it out, dry it off with a blow drier, and hook up the feed lines.

Get some tissue, and turn on the feeds one at a time, and start dabbing around with the tissue. You will know almost immediately if there is a leak, because the tissue will immediately discolor If it touches water.
 
How old is the faucet? I have encountered a couple of faucets in the past few decades that actually leaked from the body of the faucet. If the faucet is very old and shows lots of corrosion underneath, then just replace the faucet.
 
Carefully dry everything up top, *and* below the countertop.
Turn on faucet, and watch from up top, let it run for 2-3 minutes, turn the spout back & forth.
See any water leaking?
If YES, from exactly where?
If NO, look in sink cabinet
Water now on shutoff valves?, above shutoff valves?
 
We had one last year, where the occupant had stored things under the sink and pushed against the feed lines enough times that they had actually stressed, and broken the solder joint at the faucet assembly. The maintenance tech installed a new faucet and brought the old one back to the shop to rebuild.
 
Attached is a photo from below the leaking faucet. you can see some water beading. I hope this is helpful.

Faucet is 19 years old. Builder and several others on his crew were certified Master Plumbers, although I’ve had tons of plumbing issues since moving in in 2001. LOL.ECE8C890-91C4-4571-BB93-D463C9AC1F17.jpeg
 
Last edited:
No pic from above?

Faucets can leak from zillions of places above the sink deck, and then water finds its way through the putty or plastic gasket around the sink penetrations, and drips down below.

Drippy spout, clogged aerator, leaking cartridge, worn O rings, loose sprayer head, sloppy people, can all create stray water that runs down there.

But I agree, replace, do not fix, it is probably a goner anyway.
 
Thanks guys. Replacement will be a pain, since it’s got a tiny access hole. I do have a basin wrench, but should I outsource it?
 
It looks easier than many I have worked on.

Maybe that wood shelf can be lifted out of the way?

It looks like you will also need a nut driver, or a socket wrench with a long extension.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top