Disclaimer: IANAP. I hereby offer my humble sacrifice to the Gods of
Plumbing and prostrate myself before the temple of great white porcelain
fixtures.

So I replaced both the seats and washers in my friend's kitchen faucets,
but the damn thing still drips. Not much, but enough to be really annoying.

The washers in the faucets were unlike any I'd seen befo really tall,
and orange/yellow rubber. Seemed to be more pliable than the black
washers, too.

Old house (ca. 1920), old fixtu two pipes going into wall, faucets on
each side, crosspipe running to swinging arm in center. I originally got
a kit from Ace with all parts (seats, washers, seals). The washers
looked wrong, but I put them in.

Yesterday I took one of the stems to a Real Plumbing Store. The guy
there said that I had the right washers, but I ended up getting a set of
green ones (resistant to chloramine, he said) instead of the generic
black ones. Installed them; no detectable change.

When I asked about the orange/yellow washers, the guy said that made no
difference--"just a different manufacturer".

Anyone here (preferably a real plumber) know about different washers? Is
there a special magic washer that can solve my problem? Or does my
friend need to just replace the whole old shebang?


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Disclaimer: IANAP. I hereby offer my humble sacrifice to the Gods of
Plumbing and prostrate myself before the temple of great white porcelain
fixtures.

So I replaced both the seats and washers in my friend's kitchen faucets,
but the damn thing still drips. Not much, but enough to be really annoying.

The washers in the faucets were unlike any I'd seen befo really tall,
and orange/yellow rubber. Seemed to be more pliable than the black
washers, too.

Old house (ca. 1920), old fixtu two pipes going into wall, faucets on
each side, crosspipe running to swinging arm in center. I originally got
a kit from Ace with all parts (seats, washers, seals). The washers
looked wrong, but I put them in.

Yesterday I took one of the stems to a Real Plumbing Store. The guy
there said that I had the right washers, but I ended up getting a set of
green ones (resistant to chloramine, he said) instead of the generic
black ones. Installed them; no detectable change.

When I asked about the orange/yellow washers, the guy said that made no
difference--"just a different manufacturer".

Anyone here (preferably a real plumber) know about different washers? Is
there a special magic washer that can solve my problem? Or does my
friend need to just replace the whole old shebang?

--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

Usually you need to use one of the valve seat cutters to clean up the
corroded valve seat that is letting water leak by.

On 8/14/2009 11:14 AM Pete C. spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Old house (ca. 1920), old fixtu two pipes going into wall, faucets on
each side, crosspipe running to swinging arm in center. I originally got
a kit from Ace with all parts (seats, washers, seals). The washers
looked wrong, but I put them in.

Usually you need to use one of the valve seat cutters to clean up the
corroded valve seat that is letting water leak by.

I thought it would have been clear that I not only bought a repair kit
that included seats, I installed them. No need to recut a seat when
they're so cheap.


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 8/14/2009 11:14 AM Pete C. spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

Old house (ca. 1920), old fixtu two pipes going into wall, faucets on
each side, crosspipe running to swinging arm in center. I originally got
a kit from Ace with all parts (seats, washers, seals). The washers
looked wrong, but I put them in.

Usually you need to use one of the valve seat cutters to clean up the
corroded valve seat that is letting water leak by.

I thought it would have been clear that I not only bought a repair kit
that included seats, I installed them. No need to recut a seat when
they're so cheap.

If that is the case, the fixture probably is beyond economical repair.

On 8/14/2009 10:30 AM David Nebenzahl spake thus:

Disclaimer: IANAP. I hereby offer my humble sacrifice to the Gods of
Plumbing and prostrate myself before the temple of great white porcelain
fixtures.

So I replaced both the seats and washers in my friend's kitchen faucets,
but the damn thing still drips. Not much, but enough to be really annoying.

Update: after putting in the new green washers, the damn things still
drip. I give up. (Client/friend is not too bothered by it.)

Nobody has said anything about those big giant yellow/orange washers I
took out. Anyone know about these things?


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism