bathroom sink faucet drip wasting water-spare parts or ideas
One of the faucets in the "children's" bathroom (with double matching sinks) has a persistent drip/leak.
We have home warranty insurance and on a couple of occasions we have had a plumber out for another issue and we've had them look at the drippy faucet. We have been told that they can't simply replace the washer (I think that the answer was that it isn't available anymore) and they all want to replace the faucet instead.
We don't want to replace the faucet because a) its a real cool 1960's shaped facet and b) the home warranty company will replace it with something ugly and cheap and c) whatever they replace it with - it won't match the other sink.
However the leak has gotten worse over the years and am feeling really guilty about how much water we are wasting (and money) each month.
Any ideas or does anyone have any spare parts for the faucets?
I know it is easy to become attached to Eichler-original fixtures (if in fact your faucet is original). I would suggest that you at least take a look at what is out there today in faucets. You'd be amazed at how many there are that are similar to the original ones (is your's the kind that has separate handles for hot and cold?) In my experience, the '50's style modern/simple faucets are amongst the easiest things to replace. I wish the same could be said for sliding glass doors, windows and other items.
When we remodeled the hall bath, we bough a Kohler faucet with the single handle that controls both hot and cold. It was inexpensive and looks more modern than the originals, IMHO.
Home Depot, Home Expo, or a good plumbing supply house would likely have something that looks very close to yours and for very little $$.
As for installation - that's always the hard part. I have installed a few basic faucets in my time and it's a pretty simple process in some cases. But as with any plumbing fixture, you can easily run into trouble with items that are old, filled w mineral deposits or where the metal has begun to corrode. Removing it can sometimes end up with it breaking and then you have to try and get out all the pieces before putting the new one on. Though it all depends on whether or not yours is "frozen" in any way.
The other install option is to find a good local Handyman. Buy the parts first then pay him to install. I know, everything re home repair is a major hassle.
If you don't want to go that route, you could try turning off the water supply, taking apart the fixture that's leaking and seeing what the components are. Figure out what appears to be broken, take them to Orchard Supply or ACE Hardware (HD is a nightmare for trying to find small replacement items, but the guys at the local OS have been really good at helping me match odd parts and telling me how to install them), and installing these yourself. All this assumes that they are still making these exact parts and they fit properly.
I am not an expert on plumbing (far from it!), but this has worked for me in the past.
Perhaps some of our plumbing experts could jump in. Or you could post on the plumbing forum at http://www.thathomesite.com
Good luck,
Cathye
