Do-it-yourself repair of kitchen taps and mixers. How to disassemble and repair a single lever mixer. If it leaks from under the lever

Modern plumbing is constantly changing its appearance, using more advanced technologies and materials, so it is not just functional and convenient, but also durable. Thousands of companies around the world are developing durable products that are easy to use and maintain.

For example, double-valve faucets, in which it is difficult to set a comfortable temperature, have been replaced by single-lever models that can be easily opened even with one hand. In this article we will tell you what the device is, as well as how to repair a ball bathroom faucet with your own hands.

Design

A single-lever bath mixer is structurally different from a double-valve one. It has only one lever handle, with which you can regulate the temperature and water pressure in the tap. This type of faucet is also known as one-armed bandit, ball, joint, joystick. It performs three main functions: mixing water at the optimal temperature, forming a jet and changing its power. The mechanism of its action is quite simple:

Please note that a single-lever faucet consists of the following structural elements: a rotary handle, a faucet cover, a spout with a faucet body, an internal chamber or cartridge, as well as several gaskets and seals.

Kinds

Inside the mixer, as can be seen even from the name of this plumbing fixture, cold and hot water are mixed in order to obtain a stream of optimal temperature. This process is carried out using a ceramic cartridge or ball mechanism. Based on the design of the internal chamber of the mixer, there are 2 types of devices:

Important! Despite the differences in the internal structure, models with a ball mechanism and a ceramic cartridge look and function approximately the same. However, there are also differences: the cartridge is better protected from the accumulation of limescale, and the “ball” is resistant to impurities contained in tap water.

Advantages and disadvantages

Many homeowners pay attention to the single-lever mixer, because its design, repair, and installation are simple, but at the same time very effective and functional. These more modern devices differ from two-valve ones not only in their more aesthetic appearance. They are also very convenient to use; they allow you to more accurately and quickly adjust the water temperature and reduce its consumption. But they also have disadvantages:

Remember! To increase the service life of a single-lever mixer, you can improve the quality of tap water by installing a special filter, as well as perform timely preventive maintenance of the device.

Problems during operation

Even high-quality plumbing fixtures fail over time. The service life of the faucet depends on the material from which it is made, the quality of the tap water and the intensity of use. The most common problems that arise when using single-lever models are:

Important! No matter how high the quality of the mixer, it needs preventive maintenance. Even if no problems arise during operation, you need to disassemble the device once every 2 years, clean it, and replace the gaskets. After all, even a small speck that gets under the seal can cause a leak.

Repair

Many home craftsmen are interested in how to repair a single-lever ball mixer if it begins to work poorly. Experienced plumbers say: if the device becomes unusable, you can only completely replace the cartridge or clean it, as well as replace the gaskets. To do this you need to proceed as follows:

Please note that each plumbing fixture has its own service life, which depends on its quality and intensity of use. However, this period can be extended if you improve the quality of tap water using a purifying filter, as well as regularly carry out preventive maintenance of the device. For a single-lever mixer, maintenance consists of periodic disassembly and cleaning, as well as timely replacement of rubber seals.

Video instruction

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine a kitchen sink without a convenient, modern faucet. This device allows you to adjust the temperature of the water in the tap to the desired value.
Although lever-type faucets are becoming popular, many people use wing-type faucets or handwheels, which have threaded faucet axle boxes and rubber round gaskets.

Such mixers are simpler in design than the first ones, which makes their repair and maintenance possible for an untrained person.
It is this kind of mixer that will be discussed in this article, namely, how to repair it.
There is probably no person who is not irritated by the constant dripping of water from the tap, and no matter how much he turns the valve, nothing changes.

In this state of affairs, replacing the crane axle box or rubber gasket cannot be avoided. And it’s absolutely possible to do it yourself, although you might think that you can’t do it without a specialist.

DIY kitchen faucet repair

So, you should start by removing the decorative plug. A small straight-tip screwdriver will help with this.
We insert the tip of the screwdriver between the flywheel housing and the plug.
We pry it up and remove it.

Under the decorative trim there is a screw for fastening the “wing” to the rotating rod of the crane axle box.
We unscrew this screw, first with a screwdriver, and when it loosens, you can use your hand.

Next, remove the plastic part of the flywheel housing and set it aside.

In addition to the screw, the flywheel is held in place by longitudinal slots or splines on it and on the head of the valve axlebox, mounted on top of each other. This prevents the flywheel from slipping or turning during rotation.

Over time, this connection can oxidize, and the two parts seem to “stick” to each other. Therefore, it is not always possible to separate them by hand.
In such cases, one or two screwdrivers will help, which can be used as a puller.

To do this, insert a screwdriver between the flywheel and the mixer body.

Next, we are slowly trying to separate them. If we see that one screwdriver does not give the desired result and the edges of the flywheel begin to break, we use two screwdrivers at the same time, only from different sides.
This will prevent the flywheel from skewing to one side, which will be more effective when removing old connections.
In our case, we got by with one screwdriver. The flywheel has “broken off” and further dismantling can be done with one hand.

Now, the handle has been safely removed, now all that remains is to unscrew the valve axle.

The 17 key will help with this.

It is possible that the size of the key may differ depending on the design of the mixer, but this is the key that is usually used.
We place the key on the body of the valve axle box and slowly unscrew it counterclockwise.

Usually, there should be no problems with removing this part.
Here is the photo of the removed part.

It can be seen that it has a slightly rusty coating. But it’s not scary, the part itself is made of brass, so you can simply wipe off the rust with a dry cloth.
In the next photo, the seat of the crane axle box. The plane in depth should be as flat as possible. The tightness of the gasket and, as a result, water constipation depends on this.

After removing the faucet box, it is advisable to clean this surface with at least your little finger, because pieces of the old gasket or flakes of rust may remain on it.
After cleaning, you need to turn on the water for a second so that its pressure washes this dirt out.
Now let's return to the crane box. If it is really bad, you can buy a new one, already with a gasket. But it will be cheaper to replace only the gasket.
Moreover, crane axle boxes made in the USSR may not be found. They are distinguished from more modern ones by different splines for the flywheel.

You will have to buy a set, a flywheel along with a crane axle box, but this will be a little more expensive and both valves will have to be replaced.
Therefore, replacing the gasket will be easier and cheaper.
To remove the gasket, you need to unscrew the screw that secures it. Regular pliers will help with this.

Separately, finding the gasket turned out to be problematic. In return, the sellers offered a set for different occasions. This set included five spacers in the correct size.

Moreover, the price of the entire set was less than 0.5 US dollars.
The remaining gaskets may also come in handy over time.
So, we remove one of the gaskets and try to insert it into the seat of the faucet axle box. This may seem tricky since the gasket initially looks larger than this area. But as soon as she comes in, everything will be as it should.

It is also very important to clean the screw hole in it. The fact is that this hole in the gasket is not quite ready. That is, there is a hole, but it is not through. It is slightly filled with rubber, which will not allow the fastening nut to be threaded through it.
Therefore, before installing the gasket, its internal hole must be milled using small scissors, for example.
Take one of their cutting parts and insert it into the gasket hole. Next, remove excess rubber using circular movements. But you have to be very careful not to make a cut inside the hole. This will destroy the gasket when it is clamped with the screw.
So, the hole is prepared, the gasket is inserted, now you can tighten it with a screw. This also needs to be done with feeling.

We tighten the valve axle box, first by hand, and then press it with a key, clockwise.

Most often, a ball valve is installed in the kitchen. It is convenient and simple, works flawlessly. Turning one knob is much more pleasant than turning two valves. In addition, the design of the ball valve also determines its reliability - it is simple and devoid of unnecessary parts that can fail at the wrong time.

The ball type mixer is very simple and easy to use.

Before repairing the faucet with your own hands, it is important to know its structure

The faucet must be disassembled with extreme care to avoid damaging anything.

However, the ball valve breaks sooner or later and begins to leak. And here you have to deal with an unpleasant thing - a design feature of the ball valve that determines its reliability at the same time and makes it difficult to repair it yourself. The fact is that the mixer mechanism is non-separable and the most important mechanisms are included in a cartridge that cannot be disassembled. If one part fails, the entire cartridge will have to be replaced.

Let us now take a closer look at other ball valve failures:

Hull cracks;
Failure of gaskets;
Cartridge clogged.

Case cracks can be repaired with your own hands only if the crack is small. In this case, you can use a sealant. This will stop the leak for a while.

If the gaskets are worn out, they must be replaced:

Shut off the water supply;
Remove the mixer by unscrewing the inlets and the nut securing it;
Replace the gasket;
Reassemble the mixer.

If the cartridge is clogged, there is nothing you can do about it yourself - you will have to replace the entire cartridge. To do this, after shutting off the water and draining the water, remove the mixer. Next, the decorative plug is removed, the lever is removed and the cartridge is removed. The old cartridge is thrown away and a new one is installed in its place. Next, the crane is put back together.

If the mixer body bursts, its replacement is inevitable.

Sometimes the cause of malfunction and difficult water supply is a clogged aerator. Repairing such a malfunction with your own hands is not at all difficult. You need to unscrew the aerator and open the tap - if the water starts flowing with the same force, then the problem is definitely in the aerator. In this case, the aerator is washed, freed from debris and put back on. Sometimes the aerator is already completely destroyed. Then it is replaced with a new one.

Before removing any tap, the water supply must be interrupted.

Repairing faucets in the kitchen and bathroom yourself is not difficult. And it doesn’t even require experience in plumbing work or special knowledge of mechanisms. All work can be done quickly using the most accessible tool available in any home - a knife and a screwdriver.

What a mixer is in general, no one needs to be told; everyone knows for sure that this is a device with which cold water is mixed with hot water and supplied for various needs in the kitchen or bathroom. Over its history, humanity has experienced many types and types, as well as models of faucets. Today, the most popular and in demand are faucets with a single control lever, which can be used to set the desired pressure and required water temperature.

When asking for similar devices in a store, or planning to repair a single-lever kitchen faucet with your own hands, you may find that they also have other names. Such plumbing equipment can also be called mono-command, and in everyday life many people generally call it a joystick. Such joysticks owe their popularity to their reliability and long service life, since their internal parts practically do not rub against each other, they are made of metal and ceramics, and the rubber gaskets that are there are easily replaceable.

A single-lever device consists of several parts fastened together. In order to figure out how to repair a mixer tap with one handle, you will have to become a little more familiar with its design.

Regulator (knob, lever) for water pressure and temperature.
Nut or washer for fixing the main rod.
A cartridge or a special ball-shaped valve with holes and grooves that provides mixing of water flows.
Rubber gaskets (seats) to prevent leaks.
The tap tube is threaded on one side and with a screwed-on aerator filter (mesh) on the other.
Various cuffs and washers for screwing to the sink or sink and an adjustment ring to hold the structure together.

The principle of operation of such mixers is quite simple and understandable, if you look at it. There is already an article on our website about how it works, as well as exactly how to disassemble a single-lever mixer. In a nutshell, water enters the cartridge through two holes, after which it pours out, already mixed together. By moving the internal element (ball or cartridge) using the lever, you can select different positions of the holes and grooves that are responsible for supplying colder or hotter water.

It happens that faucets fail, then there is no way to do without repairs. The easiest way is to turn to a real professional plumber, who, just by looking at the problem, most often can make a “diagnosis”, name the cause of the breakdown and methods for resolving it. But such services are not available to everyone and not always.

The cartridge system is considered more reliable because this element is made of ceramics or a special polymer, which very rarely fails, and even then due to manufacturing defects. However, it is more expensive and tends to become clogged with solid particles, for example, sand, clay or rust from the water supply.
The ball mechanism will be cheaper, but is made of metal, so it is susceptible to some corrosive phenomena, oxidizes, and due to its shape, it can accumulate limescale on the surface, which will have to be cleaned regularly.
Ball or cartridge seats, which are rubber gaskets, can also fail due to solid impurities in the water or substances dissolved in it. Then the gaskets can become deformed and even harden, which will certainly lead to failure of the entire mixer.
Overtightened nuts and washers can also lead to damage, and the mixer may jam or even jam. But loose twists also do not bring anything good, since they also have a detrimental effect on the performance and durability of the system.
Cracks, chips or manufacturing defects on the mixer body usually lead to leaks; this is a fairly common breakdown that should never be forgotten about, otherwise it’s no wonder you’ll flood your neighbors.

But the most important, main cause of breakdowns of all types of faucets, both single-lever and other, is hard water, which is present in our water supply. Over time, various substances settle on gaskets and internal surfaces, “sticking” to nuts, screws and washers, preventing them from functioning properly.

We have already figured out the basic structure, as well as the cause of possible breakdowns of the faucet; all that remains is to find out exactly what “symptoms” of breakdowns can cause a quick response, after which it is already possible and necessary to repair a single-lever kitchen faucet. There may be many signs that it’s time to pick up a screwdriver and wrench, but it doesn’t hurt to study the main ones and keep them in mind.

When the faucet leaks or drips or flows from under the lever.
If the lever is in the closed position and water is still dripping or flowing from the spout.
When the stream of water is excessively thin, but there are no visible reasons for this, and the pressure in the water supply system remains good.
If the control lever does not move smoothly, jerks, sticks, or does not reach its extreme points, then you should think about repairs as soon as possible.
If when you open the tap you hear a strange, somewhat whistling hum, then it definitely smells like kerosene and you need to think about prevention and repair.

Before you start repairing a single-lever kitchen faucet, you need to take care to completely cut off the possibility of leakage and flooding of neighbors. To do this, you need to turn off the common taps in the apartment or house, if any. If there are none, then you will have to connect the housing office, asking to turn off the entire riser, otherwise trouble cannot be avoided.

In order to repair a single-lever faucet, you will most likely have to purchase the necessary spare parts. Ball systems most often require replacement of gaskets and seats (rubber or silicone), on which the ball mechanism sits. In cartridge designs, gaskets, couplings and cuffs can also fail, but more often the entire internal ceramic element needs to be replaced, or at least washed and cleaned. But in addition to storerooms and consumables, you will also need tools, otherwise you won’t be able to do anything.

Wrenches, adjustable wrenches, sockets and hexagons.
The screwdriver is shaped and flat, powerful, with a fairly long handle.
Pliers or pliers.
An ordinary knife with a sharp edge.
Hammer.

Remove the mixer handle. It's not much different from a cartridge faucet.
After removing it, we take out the cam with the washer. You can immediately clean it of all rubbish. It won't be redundant.
Next we take out the ball itself and inspect it carefully. First, let's look at the top washer; you just need to clean it. If the ball itself looks worn out, then only replacement will help. If the springs do not press the seats against the valves well, then it is worth replacing both. It's not very difficult. You hook them with a screwdriver and take them out.
Well, that’s basically it. The problem may also be due to limescale deposits or wear of mechanical components.
Weak pressure? The gaskets on the supply lines may be pinched, or there may be poor passage of pipes or hoses. It’s also worth mentioning the aerator, this is a mesh at the end of the tap. If something is not very good with the flow of water, then you should remove this mesh and clean it, this is done very simply, you can use a needle, or you can use strong pressure of water. If anything, then it can be changed, their price is low, so you can afford to replace them sometimes. However, if a similar situation occurs often, then this makes you think that it makes sense to install at least mechanical filters. This will greatly extend the operation of the device and the life of the sink.

How to understand that a faucet needs repair

As a rule, each of us opens and closes the water in the kitchen several dozen times during the day, but almost no one counts these times. Such movements place a very heavy load on the mixer, which on average is designed for a million such movements, but with frequent opening and closing it is also prone to breakage.

A single-lever, or as it is also called a joystick, mixer confidently takes the place of obsolete valve devices. It is simple, easy to use and quite reliable. You can repair it yourself, without turning to a plumber for help.

After reading the article we presented, you will be able to repair a single-lever mixer with your own hands. We have listed all types of breakdowns typical for this type of plumbing fixtures. We describe in detail how to fix breakdowns. Taking into account our recommendations, you can easily repair a device with one lever.

Like any mechanism, the mixer sometimes breaks down. The failure of a plumbing fixture in the bathroom or kitchen is the most common breakdown, which is impossible not to notice - puddles on the floor and the irritating sounds of falling drops that do not stop day or night will not leave anyone indifferent.

The above troubles can be eliminated quite simply and quickly on your own. Of course, for this you need to at least theoretically become familiar with the internal structure of the mixer, know the reason for its failure and how to eliminate it.

A single-lever mixer is a plumbing fixture that is distinguished by its simplicity of design, excellent functionality, durability and, most importantly, ease of operation.

All these issues will be discussed in detail below.

However, first let’s look at the advantages of this plumbing fixture, to which it owes its popularity:

Simplicity and maintainability. This has already been mentioned above - due to its simplicity, a single-lever mixer lasts a long time, and this period can be extended by timely repairing the product.
Ease of use. There is no need to turn the valves; just lift the mixer joystick up in one motion to let the water flow. To adjust the temperature, the lever is turned left and right, and the pressure is adjusted by vertical movement of the lever.
Durability. The simpler the design, the less often it breaks - a single-lever mixer consists of a small number of parts, and if you treat it with care and install a filter on the water, the product is guaranteed to last more than 10 years. Of course, this only applies to high-quality faucets.

On sale you can often find products made from fragile, short-lived, but very cheap silumin. In the best case, such a mixer will work for two years.

It is worth mentioning simple repairs. Simply put, any smart housewife can do a simple repair of a single-lever mixer with her own hands. Basically, it all comes down to a banal replacement of the disk cartridge or ball, depending on the design of the device. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and consider the internal structure of the mixer.

Image gallery

If your kitchen faucet is leaking, you shouldn’t immediately rush to the store for a new one. You can often fix it yourself quickly and easily. Let's try to figure out how to repair different types of faucets.

However, the ball valve breaks sooner or later and begins to leak. And here you have to deal with an unpleasant thing - a design feature of the ball valve that determines its reliability at the same time and makes it difficult to repair it yourself. The fact is that the mixer mechanism is non-separable and the most important mechanisms are included in a cartridge that cannot be disassembled. If one part fails, the entire cartridge will have to be replaced.

Let's consider Now in more detail other breakdowns of the ball valve:

Hull cracks;
Failure of gaskets;
Cartridge clogged.

Case cracks can be repaired with your own hands only if the crack is small. In this case, you can use a sealant. This will stop the leak for a while.

If the gaskets are worn out, they must be replaced:

Shut off the water supply;
Remove the mixer by unscrewing the inlets and the nut securing it;
Replace the gasket;
Reassemble the mixer.

Important: when replacing the gasket in any taps, you must select a gasket of the appropriate diameter. A correctly selected gasket fits into place with force.

Sometimes the cause of malfunction and difficult water supply is a clogged aerator. Repairing such a malfunction with your own hands is not at all difficult. You need to unscrew the aerator and open the tap - if the water starts flowing with the same force, then the problem is definitely in the aerator. In this case, the aerator is washed, freed from debris and put back on. Sometimes the aerator is already completely destroyed. Then it is replaced with a new one.

Important: If the faucet is in order, so is the aerator, and water flows with difficulty, then there is a blockage in the pipes or hoses. Only cleaning the pipes or replacing them with modern plastic ones will help here. But this has nothing to do with fixing the mixer.

Repair of ball-type flag mixer (video)

Bathroom faucet repair

If water stops flowing from the shower, but flows fine from the tap, then the spool gaskets are most likely worn out. If the top gasket fails, you don’t even need to remove the mixer. Simply remove the shower hose and change the gasket. If the problem persists, then the problem is in the bottom gasket and you will have to remove the mixer yourself. Again, you will first need to turn off the water, then remove the spout and adapter, remove the eccentric and get to the spool. Then all that remains is to replace the gasket and reassemble the faucet in the reverse order.

Important: spool valve gaskets are rarely on sale, so you will have to cut them out of thick rubber yourself. The rubber should be 3 mm thick.

Bathroom faucet repair (video)

Repair of a two-valve mixer

Repairing two-valve kitchen faucets involves repairing worm gears or axle box taps. Worm mechanisms are most often found in inexpensive faucets.

Worm gear leaking: most likely it’s all due to wear of the gasket. All that remains is to simply replace the gasket by purchasing it in a store or cutting it out of thick rubber.

Procedure:

Unscrew the valve body;
Remove the old gasket;
Install a new gasket;
Reel fum;
Assemble the mixer.

Repair of axlebox tap: the axlebox tap is a very reliable mechanism - such mixers work for years without letting their owners down. And all because the design is very simple. Such taps begin to leak if they become loose during operation. In this case, repairing the mixer is not difficult - you just need to tighten the housing nut and the leak will be stopped.