Valve Stem Seals

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The primary cause of faucet leaks or drips is a bad rubber washer. Sometimes the bad washer is accompanied by a bad faucet seat as well. In single handle faucets the cause is the same, the solution is different.

The small rubber parts that seal the water in your faucet wear out. They get crushed between the faucet stem and the seat over and over again, and as they age, they get crushed harder and harder as you tighten the knob tighter and tighter to make it stop dripping. Name brand newer faucets have attempted to solve this problem by making ever more complex stem systems, but they are nonetheless dependent on rubber seals to stop the water.

This article will address the older style, two handle faucets, and touch on the newer two handle styles as well. Single handled or lever type faucets will be looked at in a future article. 

Older two handled faucets use pretty much the same style of stems, all based on the Price Pfister design. There are variations, but the principle is the same. The knob is attached to the stem. When you turn the handle, the threaded stem moves up or down inside the faucet body.  

At the end of the stem is a rubber washer. When turned all the way in, the rubber washer seals against a brass seat which has a nice edge on it to ensure a good seal. Over time the rubber gets brittle and breaks, gets crushed so hard against the seat that it cuts, or just gets so pitted that it won't seal any more. 

To solve the leak you will need the following tools:

1.       A screw driver to remove the handle after gently prying out the button which covers the screw.

2.       An adjustable wrench to remove the stem.

3.       A faucet seat tool, available at most hardware stores for around $12.00. Pick it up when you go to get the parts.

 

Turn off the water by closing the angle stops under the sink. By turning off one side at a time, you will be able to determine which one leaks, but I always just replace them both.

Once the water is off, open both hot and cold sides to bleed off any water still in the lines, then remove the knobs. I always put the screws in the knobs and set them away from the sink.

Next you will remove the stems using the adjustable wrench and turning counter clockwise. Be sure to save the nylon washers which seal the nut to the faucet body.

 

Once you have the stem out, you can look at the rubber washer on the end. Notice how it's all messed up? Next stick your pinky finger down into the hole the stem came out of. You will notice a rimmed seat the rubber closes against. The top edge of the seat should be smooth. If it is rough or has chips in it, you'll need to replace the seat too. 

 

Inspect the end of the stem. If the brass is damaged, you will need to buy a new stem. If this is a newer model faucet, the rubber will be facing up and caged inside the stem assembly, and the stem closes against the rubber. In that case there is no seat. 

 

In plastic faucets, there are a number of different stem designs, but once they start to drip, you basically need to replace the stem cartridge.

 

In all three cases, I recommend you take the old parts with you to the hardware store, in order to ensure you get the right parts.

 

When you get back, reassemble the faucet in the reverse order. If you need to replace the seats, they come out by inserting the tool through the hole in the middle and turning counter clockwise. For some reason they always seem to have been installed by Hercules. When you put the new ones in, make sure they are set tight.

 

After reassembly, remove the aerator from the end of the faucet arm. Then turn on the water and check to see that the drip is cured. Let the water run for a minute while you clean the aerator. Reinstall the aerator after it is clean.

 

Now you know how to fix a drippy faucet! You don't have to pay a plumber or handyman to do it for you. You have saved $80 or $100 or so, so you should be proud of yourself. Now you can splurge on a new pair of shoes or a new fishing pole.

Noah Moise is a thirty year veteran of the home building and repair trades, having served as both a technician and supervisor. He has brought his wide experience and training to the public through his website:
http://www.thefixitteacher.com.

Aerosol Valve Testing Methods and Testers

Aerosol valve testing is of great importance to aerosol valve quality. Aerosol valve has wide applications with our daily life, and even wider applications in medicine, foodstuff, chemistry and pesticide packages. The quality of aerosol valve would influence the seal and leak performance of the finished products, and has become the focus of aerosol valve manufacturers and users.

Labthink, as the excellent provider of testing instruments and services, integrates the testing methods and testers as follows:

A. Requirements on Aerosol Valve Performance

1. All the channel inside aerosol valve are unobstructed.

2. No leakage after leak test under 0.85MPa, 1min.

3. Valve can keep 1 minute under 1.8MPa pressure. The stem height H should change within 0.3mm.

4. The pull-off force should be no less than 19N of the inside; and 40N of the outside.

B. Aerosol Valve Performance Testing

1. Fluency Testing of Valves

Labthink PARAM LLSD-01 Leak and Seal Strength Detector is better than the standards (which requires a pressure range of 0-1.6MPa and 1.5 grade precision). When testing, put the aerosol valve into the leak and seal strength detector and fasten the sample valve. A pressure of 0.5MPa is needed; press the actuator manually and open the valve. The constant bubbles from the actuator channel will prove the fluency.

2. Leak Testing of Aerosol Valve

Put the specimen into Labthink PARAM LSSD-01 Leak and Seal Strength Detector, fasten the specimen and pressurize to 0.85MPa. Press the actuator; and when there are bubbles coming out of the channel of actuator, release the actuator for 1 minute, no bubble would be qualified. Besides this bubble judgment, Labthink PARAM LSSD-01 can execute quantitative testing so as to obtain detailed testing data.

3. Aerosol Valve Stem Pulling-off Strength Testing

Aerosol valve has inner stem and outer stem. Labthink PARAM XLW(PC)Auto Tensile Tester can test the aerosol valve stem pulling-off force. Put the stem in between the upper and lower clamps, and pre-set the tensile speed at 50mm/min. Then, choose tensile resistance testing and start. The strength for aerosol valve to leave the valve body is the pulling-off strength. According to requirements, the final testing results should be statistical values of the maximum value of more than 3 specimens. The inner stem should be no less than 49N, and the outer stem should be no less than 40N.

The above is a brief introduction of testing items and testers for aerosol valves from Labthink. Labthink, is willing to have more communications with professionals of the industry.

Labthink Instruments Co., Ltd.

No. 144 Wuyingshan Road, Jinan 250031, China

Tracy Bao  info@labthink.cn

Tel: 0086 531 85061153  fax:0086 531 85812140

About the Author

Labthink, the excellent provider of testing instruments and testing services, is devoted to provide most excellent and complete quality control solutions for pharmaceutical, foodstuff, cosmetics, packaging, printing, adhesive, automotive, petrochemistry, environment, biology, new energy, construction, aviation and electronic industries worldwide.

im replacing gaskets on the top end of my engine,and the valve stem oil seals are a different colour?

i have a 1990 toyota celica gti with a 3sge engine in it and my head gasket needed replacing so its all been stripped down cleaned out valves cut back in etc,but in the gasket set i bought which is payen if that helps? but there was 8 green oil seals and 8 brown but in the original they were all the same colour,the seals seem to be the same size and diameter etc but they just have me puzzled as to if theres a reason there different colours? and if they need to go in a certain way round?
thanks for the advice but you can only put 1 seal with one valve its more a case of which side they need to go on,and the gasket set didnt come with any instructions,i know how to fit the set i just wasnt sure why the seals are different.thanks anyway for the advice

Original equipment valve seals were probably made by a different company, so won't be the same color. The different colors in your replacement set will probably be for different applications, or for sure, different sequence of installation (green first, then brown, or viceversa.) Carefully check the instructions that came with the gasket set to be certain. Good luck with it.

1961 Triumph Herald Convertible review from Australia and New Zealand
What things have gone wrong with the car? Bought this as a non-runner from a guy I met casually. He was fed up with it, and I think I paid $20.00 or something ridiculous.

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