Hardly know anything about plumbing fixtures, so I’m probably not going to explain this well, but my bathroom faucet is a three piece and the hot valve is opening really hard/very tight, while the cold is fine. I’ve taken off the handle and cover and don’t see how to remove the stem, but have no idea what’s causing the tightness–any ideas??
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Any possibillity you could post a picture of the faucet with the handle off?
Type and age of the faucet would be a good place to start.
If the handle and cover are off, you should be seeing the large nut that the stem is going into. Back that out of the body and the stem should come with it. If it is full of sediment and lime buildup you may need to wiggle it some to get it to lift out. You may also need to move the stem to the full open position to get it to come out. Some faucet may have a reverse thread on one of the handles (hot side ussually).
BTW make sure the water is off when you are trying to remove it.
Like Dave says, the valve cartridge may be full of stuff. They're ususally easy to disasemble. Once apart, you could try cleaning it with something like CLR, or simply replace the cartridge with a new one.
Scott.
Being a 3 handle setup there is a good chance that this is an older compression valve.In that case the the threads on the stem might be worn. Or the packing might be old and sticking.Also they are often buried deep in the wall and require long reach sockets.And I am trying to remember one that I did on a friends house. Seems to me that it has a double nut assemble. Looses the outer one to remove the stem and bonnet. And then the inner one for the packing and to be able to pull out the stem..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
when you do get it out unthread the stem from the body and apply faucet lube to the threads of the stem that may be your only problem
Since 75% of all contractor faucets seem to be Moen, it's just a matter of replacing the cartridge, available most anywhere. The advantage of Moen is that it fails often but is easy to repair. If this is a three piece system with two valves, now's the to upgrade to a single system with a ceramic valve.
Edited 6/28/2009 9:26 pm ET by BARMIL
Around here I would say that it was 75% Delta..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Delta, Moen. Same difference. I recall that Delta once suggested it was the easiest faucet to repair, and I surmised it was because one got so used to doing it. As to Moen, I still have a cartridge puller in my garage, even though I haven't had a Moen fixture for a decade or more. Never know when I'll need to rescue a relative or neighbor.
I just took my kitchen faucet apart and there was a chunk of steel just inside the ceramic valve.
Works great now. Except the supply line drips now. Gave it a 1/4 turn today and still it leaks.
Will Rogers
Edited 7/1/2009 12:21 am by popawheelie