Did you know that you can make your faucets last longer? And they can help conserve huge amounts of water? It’s true!
A faucet is something you turn on and off. Turn it on, you get water. Turn it off, the flow of water stops.
If only it were that simple. But faucets all have moving parts, and anything with moving parts is prone to need a repair…
So what can you do to extend the life of your faucets? Quite a bit:
- Treat them gently…when turning water on and off, use normal hand pressure only;
- New houses often have dirt or metal in the water lines, which can damage faucet washers. So as soon as you notice even a slight drop in pressure on either the hot or cold side of the faucet, take it apart and flush it out. You may check the aerator first before disassembling your kitchen or bathroom sink faucet. It’s the little screen on the end of the faucet that unscrews. Remember… “Righty tighty, Lefty loosy”
- Clean your chrome, brushed nickel, or oil-rubbed bronze faucets with a soft cloth moistened with mild detergent;
- Also for lacquered brass faucets, use a mild detergent…for un-lacquered brass faucets, brass creamwill do the job nicely;
- If the brass lacquer coating on your faucets gets scratched, you can prevent tarnishing by coating the scratch with clear nail polish
Eventually, preventive maintenance won’t do the trick. In fact, a faucet that drips, on average, one drop of water per second can waste up to 100 gallons of water in just a week.
Before you think of buying a replacement bathroom or kitchen faucet, the professionals at Andrews Plumbing and Repair suggest you first have us evaluate it and see what your options are. Your bathroom or kitchen faucet may be able to be repaired or it may be covered under a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty. If it is we can rebuild it.
Of course, faucets do eventually call the quits, great repair parts or not. Or, you might simply want a different look in your kitchen or bath. We also suggest you buy faucets with aerated flow restrictors which incorporate air into the water stream. The result is a bubbling flow that provides excellent rinsing action while reducing water usage.
If you have any questions please call Kenny Bunch Plumbing CALL 972-429-5213
