American Standard Cartridge Faucet

American Standard Cartridge Faucet repair

Cartridge faucets have become one of the main types of faucets on the market and most American standard faucets are of the cartridge type. The cartridge type faucet is a very easy fix if you know what to look for. So before you decide to call the professionals you may want to read the rest of this report and see if this type of fix is something you can do.

 On most American standard cartridge faucets the cartridge can be accessed by removing a retaining cap and then unscrewing the cartridge or simply pulling it out. There may or may not be a nut that holds the retaining plate in place. A simple study of your faucet she reveal to you how the retaining cap should be removed. To complete this repair job you will need just three tools.

Tools required:

• Pliers
• Screwdriver
• Clean shop rag
• Plumbers Lube

Remember that this is only as difficult as you make it. It is recommended that you first study the faucet, pay special attention to the moving parts and also how the faucet is held together. Follow these steps to repair your American standard faucet>

Step 1

Shut off water supply to your faucet. You may get lucky and follow the line coming from your faucet to the kitchen or bathroom wall and find the shut off valve there. If the valve is old and in a frozen state you will either need to free it up or go to your main water supply valve and cut the water there.

Step 2

Now that the water is off, turn the faucet on to release any water pressure that may be built up.

Step 3

Locate the housing that contains the cartridge, this may be held on with a retaining nut or you may need to rotate this housing to unscrew it. Sometimes the housing is just pushed on and a simple rocking motion back and forth will release it. Make sure to use your shop rag to grasp the housing so that you do not damage it. Do not use any type of pliers or pipe wrench as these housing are usually made of a thin type of metal or even plastic. Take your time and you will figure it out.

Step 4

With the cartridge revealed simply grasp the cartridge with your hands and remove it by pulling or unscrewing it. On some cartridges there may be a nut that can be removed with your pliers.

Step 5

Since the cartridges are a self contained unit, you most likely will just replace the cartridge, but in some cases you will find that there is an o-ring on the base of the American standard cartridges. If this o-ring becomes worn or cut it can be the cause of your leak. If your problem was low water pressure then most likely the faucets cartridge has worn out and become clog. In this situation you will definitely have to replace the unit.

Step 6

If the cartridge has to be replaced, take a small amount of plumbers lubricant and place it on the bottom housing around the o-ring for a good seal. If its just the o-ring that needs to be replaced then just place a new o-ring the lubricate it.

Step 7

Put your faucet back together in reverse order from how you took it apart and pay attention to the cartridge housing so that you do not scuff the service or even crack it by applying to much force, remember to use the shop rag to do this.

Step 8

This is your final step, simply turn the water back on and operate your faucet to make sure it works correctly.

If you followed these steps you most like fixed your faucet yourself and probably saved yourself anywhere from forty to eighty dollars for the service call to a plumber. Congrats on a job well done.