DIY Plumbing Repairs: When to Try and When to Call the Pros
A limited lifetime warranty sounds great! You almost don’t notice the “limited”. It almost doesn’t matter as you gaze at your sexy new kitchen or bathroom faucet. Now flash forward 8 years when your faucet is dripping, or water is coming out where it shouldn’t, or the handle or other pieces are breaking off. Maybe the hose sprayer won’t retract?
If you’re handy and willing and have a key piece of information, this is a great opportunity to try you hand at DIY plumbing repairs! If your faucet is dripping it might be the cartridge and if it is, here’s what you can do.
Usually at the base of the handle is a tiny set screw of some kind. Use an equally tiny tool to loosen that off – do not completely remove it, you’ll never see it again. Then lift the showy handle to see the interior workings. The next thing to come out is usually the cartridge. This often lifts out and that’s the piece you’ll need to source. (not always an easy task – see blog on R&B Parts Wizards)
The next part can go well or be very challenging. You, like hundreds of our customers every year, are about to find out what they mean by “limited” warranty. What it means, is that the manufacturer limits the warranty to those who can prove they’ve made the purchase. In short, they need to see your receipt.
If you can produce your original bill of sale, they can’t do enough for you. Brands like Riobel (Canadian!) Kohler and Grohe will ship you the replacement parts, or if the faucet has been discontinued, a new faucet, completely free. If you can’t…Well we’re working with one customer right now who can’t find their receipt and they need to know if the faucet was manufactured before or after 2009. Their renovation was in 2009, so it could really have gone either way! They run the risk of getting the wrong part and as there are no returns allowed, paying twice.
Would you like to know the solution?
Prevention. For the cost of a Ziploc and a few moments of your time, you can prevent this from ever happening to you. This simple, elegant method requires just three steps.
- Make a copy of the receipt make sure to write the manufacturer and model number on it.
- Put it in a Ziploc.
- Twist tie it to the faucet, underneath the sink.
It won’t matter if you forget that you put it there, because when you call R&B about your dripping faucet, or you get under your own counter to try and see the make and model, we’ll see the exact documentation you need to activate your warranty.
What’s it worth?
Well on average, hot/ cold cartridges are normally in the $60 range, per side, plus shipping – but some specialty brands can be in the $200 range and up. If you can’t identify the make/ model of the faucet, sometimes taking the cartridge on a car ride to various supply companies to try to match it up is a tedious option that may allow you to avoid a new faucet, which will be several hundred to several thousand dollars.
When you get your new plumbing part, you can pop it right back in and re-tighten the set screw.
Did you purchase your faucet from R&B? With our computer records, we can pull invoices as far back as our computerized records go which is a long way!
DIY plumbing not your thing? That’s OK! Call R&B, to call the manufacturer, to order the parts, and professionally install them for you.
