"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in message
...
Dan Musicant wrote:
I bought this replacement faucet for my kitchen sink last August:

Pasco #33310, 10" spout.

It's a cheap faucet but I think it's decent, and it uses washers, not
ceramic valves. I use the cold water much much more than the hot and
today I noticed that the cold water stem is a fair amount harder to turn
than the hot. I just took it apart and wiped out the inside but it's
still a lot tougher to turn. What might cause this and what can I do to
loosen it up? I thought about applying some water-proof bicycle bearing
grease to the threads but am concerned that this might contaminate the
water, which is my drinking water. Suggestions appreciated.


Try some food grade silicon grease. You can find it at any scuba shop.
We used it on scuba regulators as it was nontoxic and would not break down
rubber like petroleum products will.

Silicon spray is NOT the same. You want the silicon grease.

Will Silicon spray break down rubber ?
I always thought NO, but my buddy who is a forman at a plastic's factory
says it will.
Tony