Faucet Repair, Replacement and Installation in Greater Seattle
Done Right Plumbing repairs dripping faucets and installs new ones across the greater Seattle area, including faucets you have already bought. We replace worn cartridges in kitchen, bathroom and shower valves, swap tired supply lines and shutoffs, and set new fixtures so they do not drip, rock or leak under the sink.
Should I Repair a Dripping Faucet or Replace It?
Repair it when the faucet is otherwise sound and parts are still made for it, because a new cartridge or set of seals usually ends the drip. Replace it when the body is corroded, the parts are discontinued, the finish is wearing through, or you were already planning a new faucet and the drip set the date.
Most faucets made in the last few decades control the flow and the mix of hot and cold with a cartridge, a single replaceable part, so a drip usually means that part has worn rather than the whole faucet failing. Makers like Delta, Moen and Kohler still sell cartridges for many of their older models, which is why a repair is so often the less expensive answer. The exceptions are faucets whose maker no longer supports them and bodies that have cracked or corroded, where a new faucet is the only fix that lasts.
Real Work: Three New Fixtures in a Madison Valley Home
In April, Nick and Jeremy installed three fixtures that a Madison Valley homeowner had bought: a pull-down kitchen faucet, a widespread bathroom faucet, and new trim for the three-handle valve in the tub and shower. They took out the old fixtures, set the new ones, connected the supplies and checked each one for leaks under pressure, and they were finished in under an hour. Each installation carries our one-year warranty against leaks, and the fixtures themselves carry their maker's warranty.
In Kirkland in May, the same pair replaced the Delta cartridges in a bathroom faucet and installed a kitchen faucet the homeowner had bought, while they were already under the house for a drain repipe. In Mill Creek, Jeremy set up a touch kitchen faucet and a glass rinser that a homeowner had bought.
What We Do
Stop a drip with a new cartridge or seals
We identify the faucet, fit a new cartridge, or new seats and springs, from its maker, and check that the handle shuts off cleanly and the hot and cold are where they should be.
Install the faucet you bought
Many of our faucet visits are for a fixture the homeowner already has. We check the sink or counter first, because the number of holes and the room underneath decide what fits, then remove the old faucet, set the new one with new supply lines and test it. Our warranty covers the installation, and the maker's warranty covers the faucet.
Kitchen pull-downs, touch faucets and filtered-water taps
A pull-down needs room under the sink for its hose and weight to travel, a touch faucet adds a battery pack and a valve that have to stay dry, and a filtered-water tap or glass rinser needs its own supply connection. We set them up so the hose does not snag and every part can be reached later.
Bathroom faucets and pop-up drains
Single-hole, centerset and widespread faucets each fit a different hole spacing, and a new bathroom faucet usually comes with its own pop-up drain. We match the faucet to the sink, replace the drain assembly when one is included and seal both so nothing weeps into the vanity.
Tub and shower valves
A shower that drips, or that swings between hot and cold, usually needs a new cartridge rather than a new valve. Many older homes still have two- or three-handle valves, and new trim like the set in Madison Valley can refresh them without opening the tile. When a valve is too far gone to repair, we replace it.
Shutoffs and supply lines
Shutoff valves under a sink can seize after years of sitting open, and old supply lines stiffen and crack. When we change a faucet we check both, and we replace them while the water is already off.
What Wears Out Faucets Around Seattle
Seattle's water is soft, about one to two grains of hardness per gallon, so the heavy mineral scale that ruins faucets in hard-water cities is rare in homes on Seattle Public Utilities water. What wears faucets out here is use and pressure. Every cartridge and seal holds back whatever pressure the street delivers, and where that runs above 80 psi, the point at which the plumbing code calls for a regulator, cartridges and supply lines wear out early. Our water pressure page explains how to check yours.
Age matters too. Every faucet sold for drinking water since January 2014 has had to meet the federal lead-free limit of 0.25 percent lead, by weighted average, on the surfaces the water touches, so replacing a kitchen faucet older than that brings the tap you drink from up to the current standard. And many older Seattle houses still have their original multi-handle tub valves, where new trim and cartridges can keep a sound valve working for years.
Our Process
1. Find the leak, or plan the fit
For a drip, we find which part has failed. For a new faucet, we count the holes, check the space under the sink and test the shutoffs before anything comes out.
2. Shut off and protect
We close the shutoffs, or the main if they will not hold, and protect the cabinet and the counter.
3. Remove the old part or faucet
Seized nuts and corroded connections come off without damaging the sink or the deck.
4. Set, connect and test
The new cartridge or faucet goes in, the supplies are connected, and everything runs at full pressure while we check every joint.
5. Check it again
We run the hot and the cold, check the drain, and look under the sink once more before we leave.
FAQs About Faucet Repair and Installation
Can you install a faucet I bought online or at a store?
Yes, and many of our faucet visits are exactly that. We check the hole count and the space under the sink before we start, set the faucet with new supply lines and test it under pressure. Our warranty covers the installation, and the faucet's maker warrants the faucet itself, so keep the box and the receipt.
Why does my faucet keep dripping after I tightened the handle?
Because tightening the handle only presses harder on a part that has already worn. In most faucets that part is a cartridge, or a pair of rubber seats and springs, and replacing it ends the drip. Forcing the handle can crack the cartridge, and high water pressure can push past worn seals that would otherwise hold.
How long does it take to replace a faucet?
Most faucet swaps take about an hour, and often less. In Madison Valley, Nick and Jeremy installed a kitchen faucet, a widespread bathroom faucet and new shower trim in under an hour. A visit runs longer when old nuts are seized, the shutoff valves need replacing, or the new faucet does not match the holes the old one used.
Why does my shower suddenly run too hot or too cold?
Usually because the cartridge in a single-handle valve is wearing out or sticking. That cartridge balances the hot and cold pressure, and when it fails the temperature swings or drifts. Replacing it with the right cartridge for your valve usually fixes the problem without opening the wall, and the major brands still sell cartridges for many older valves.
Should I replace the shutoff valves under the sink when I get a new faucet?
If they are the old multi-turn kind and have not been closed in years, yes. Valves like that often seize or weep once they are finally turned, and replacing them while the water is already off costs far less than an emergency later. Quarter-turn valves and braided supply lines go in with the new faucet.
Faucet Service Across Snohomish and King Counties
From our Lynnwood shop we repair and install faucets in Seattle, Shoreline, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Bothell, Mill Creek, Kirkland, Bellevue and the towns between them. If your faucets spit when they open or wear out early, start with what your water pressure should be.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
WA Contractor License #DONERRP852N5
Done Right Plumbing is licensed, bonded and insured in Washington State and family-owned since 2011, and our faucet installations typically carry a warranty against leaks on the work.
Call About a Faucet
A drip that will not stop, a shower that swings between hot and cold, or a new faucet waiting in its box? Call for a free estimate, or request a callback and we will reach you at a time that works.