Repairing a leaky faucet is one of the most common repairs in the home.
The first step in the faucet repair is to locate the water shutoff to your faucet and turn off the water to the leaking faucet. The water shutoff is usually found directly under the sink and consists of a small valve and a small handle. If the valve is similar to the style shown here, turn the handle clockwise to tighten and shut it off. More modern valves may have a toggle style lever that needs to be turned so it is opposite how you find it when the valve is open and the water is running. Once the water is shut off, then open the faucet fully releasing any pressure and letting the water drain out.
Once you have removed the faucet handle, you can gain access to the screw holding the faucet body to the cartridge. Remove the screw and lift the faucet body off the faucet cartridge stem.
Once the faucet body is removed, you can then access the locking nut that is probably holding the cartridge down.
Once the lock ring is removed, simply lift the old cartridge out. You may need to use some pliers since these can get stuck a little.
Now that you have your new cartridge in hand, replace the little brass screw in the top of the shaft if necessary and then place the cartridge back into its housing. Be careful to align the cartridge according to the slots in the housing and the faucet cartridge itself. It's not hard, there is really only one way this will work anyway.
Now all you have to do is reassemble the faucet by replacing the lock ring, tighten the faucet body down and and replace the handle or cover plate. Restore the water supply and check for leaks. But don't worry. If you followed the directions in this tutorial you won't have any.
Now you can get that good night's sleep you've been trying for with out the faucet taunting you any longer!
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