Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 21, 1994, edition 2 / Page 4
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Steps to Fixing That Pesky Leaky Faucet! llig Associated Press, > The toughest part of fixing a leaking faucet is getting to the job, hut you shouldn't put it off. Only one drop a second will waste a shameful amount of water? 2,300 gallons a year! And the repairs after a year of leaking will be no easier than when the leak was first noticed. The tools needed for faucet work are a large adjustable wrench, flat-blade screw .ririvfr,. Phillips - ; screwdriver and pliers. ' If the -faucet you are . working on is a tub-shower faucet, you may need a set of spe cial socket wrenches that cost about $10. These reach behind the wall to remove the. Only one drop a sec ond will waste a shameful amount of water ? 2,300 gallons a year! packing nuts so you can remove the valve stems. With the stem out, tub-shower washer service pro ceeds as with smaller faucets. The first step is to turn off the water supply. If you're fixing just one side, hot or cold, of a dual handle faucet and the fixture has handy shut-off valves beneath it, you need to turn off only the side to be worked on. Lacking under-fix ture shut-offs, you'll have to turn off the branch water supplies or the main house supply. To remove the faucet handle, loosen the Phillips-head screw that holds it to the stem. Sometimes this screw is located beneath a dec orative trim cap in the center of the handle. The cap either unscrews or can be snapped off by prying it with a putty knife. Handles lift or are pried off of the upper end of the stem. If you have old faucets that are badly corroded, you may want consider replacing them. Also, it may be advisable to replace the entire faucet assembly; As you identify parts in the following description. Keep this alternative in mind. Directly below the handle is the packing nut. Remove this nut to reveal the stem and any old packing around the stem. On* the other end of the stem, you may find a rubber Q-ring, and just beyond, the seat washer secured to the end of the stem with a washer screw. Then you will see the packing-nut washer and the faucet seat. - Remove any old packing from around the stem and examine the stem. If it shows areas that are badly rusted or cor roded, replace it if possible. The seat washer is probably the source of the leak or drip. Check it for a flattened appearance or a groove. It may also be ragged or cracked because it has become brittle with old age. Replace this washer whether it appears to be in good shape or not. 1( is secured with a screw. If the screw is rusty, replace it with a brass screw. It is not easy to tell much about a faucet seat by looking at it. For best results and to avoid having to repeat this whole procedure soon, replace it, too. Be sure to get one of the same size and shape as the old one. Some are flat and some are beveled and there are about three or four common sizes. Always take small parts to be replaced with you when you go to the plumbing sup ply or hardware store. While you are at the store, buy a small pack of flexible pack ing if you had to remove old pack ing from around the stem. This is simply wound around the stem for about four or five turns just above . the threads. There are several kinds of packing, the most common kind is rubber based and has a single graphite coating. In most cases, this does the job Much More Hot Water For Less You may never run out of hot water because a gas water heater works twice as fast an an electric water heater, and it does it at about half the cost of elec tricity! A gas water heater also "qualifies the home for the lowest gas rate. Since a water heater is the second largest energy user in your home, the savings will add up quickly. With a gas water heater, the hot water is always available ? no peak hour .usage restrictions. ~~ c WHafs more, a gas water heater requires very little mainte nance ? much less than an elec tric water heater ? and because it has no coils to wear out, it will last much longer. Best of all, hot water IT always available with a gas water heater ? even when the power is out ? because it requires no power to operate. Dependable and available means you won't be stuck with a cold shower after a storm. There's no reason to put off getting a new gas water heater. Even if you replace a working electric water heater, you'll come out ahead. With equipment available today, it's simple to get a gas water heater installed almost anywhere in your home at a very reasonable cost. Piedmont Natural Gas will finance your purchase and installation of a gas water heater at a surprisingly low rate. The low monthly payment can be added to your gas bill and your total monthly cost, including gas used for water heating, will probably be less than you're now paying just to heat the water with electricity. So why wait? Get a gas water heater and cut the cost of hot water. For information on gas water heaters, or any gas appliance, call Piedmont Natural Gas at 760-05(X). cotouieu BAN Kef? LI Expetl tlie best COLDWELL BANKER LAMBE-YOUNG REALTORS 1011 S. MAIN STREET KERNERSVILLE N.C. 27284 Office:996-8512 ? Home: 788-7244 Looking For An Agent Who Puts The Customer First? Give Me A Call! Katie L. Carter
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 21, 1994, edition 2
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