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Lebanon Plumbers, home

Bathroom & Kitchen

Faucet, Sink and Shower Repair

Small fixture jobs, done properly. Including the seized shutoff valve nobody mentions until it will not turn.

(717) 000-0000Request this service

What is included

What this service covers

What we actually do on this job, and what you can expect us to deal with while we are there.

  • Dripping and leaking faucets, kitchen and bathroom
  • Cartridge, washer and ceramic disc replacement
  • Shower valve and mixer repair, including thermostatic units
  • Leaking sink traps, waste connections and pop-up assemblies
  • Replacing seized or leaking isolation shutoff valves
  • New faucet, sink and shower fixture installation
  • Low flow caused by scaled aerators and shower cartridges

Signs to look for

You may need this if you are seeing any of these

  • A faucet dripping after it is fully closed
  • Weak flow from one fixture while the rest of the house is fine
  • Water under the sink or inside the vanity cabinet
  • A shower that runs hot then cold, or will not hold temperature
  • Handles that are stiff, loose or spin without effect
  • Green or white crusting around the base of a faucet

Why it happens

What usually causes it

01

Worn cartridge or seals

The most common cause of a drip. Rubber seals and ceramic discs wear, and once they no longer seat the faucet passes water regardless of how hard the handle is turned.

02

Scale from hard water

Limestone groundwater deposits mineral in aerators, shower cartridges and valve bodies. It is the usual explanation for one fixture running weak while the rest of the house is normal.

03

Failed trap or waste connections

Slip joints under a sink loosen, washers perish and plastic traps crack. The leak is often slow enough to rot the cabinet base before anybody notices it.

04

Thermostatic or pressure balance valve failure

A shower that swings between hot and cold, or will not reach temperature, usually has a failing mixing cartridge rather than a water heater problem.

Our approach

How we handle this job

Specific to this work rather than a generic checklist bolted onto every page.

  1. 01

    Check the simple things first

    A blocked aerator or a scaled cartridge explains most weak-flow complaints and costs very little to resolve. There is no point discussing pipework before ruling those out.

  2. 02

    Repair where parts exist

    Most quality faucets are worth repairing with the correct cartridge rather than replacing. We identify the fixture and use matching parts.

  3. 03

    Deal with the shutoffs

    Old isolation valves under sinks frequently seize or start weeping once disturbed. We check them as part of the job and replace them where needed rather than leaving you with a fixture you cannot isolate.

  4. 04

    Test properly before leaving

    Fixtures get run under load and connections checked once they have been under pressure for a while, because slip joints often only show a leak after they have sat.

Small jobs, done so they stay done

Fixture work is where a lot of plumbing goes quietly wrong. The repair itself is straightforward, but the surrounding details get skipped, and the customer ends up calling again.

The usual example is the isolation valve. Old multi-turn stops under sinks seize with age and hard water. A plumber who forces one to change a faucet, gets it moving, and leaves it weeping has created a new problem. We check them as part of the job and replace them with quarter-turn valves where needed, so you can actually isolate that fixture next time.

A touchless sensor faucet being fitted to a bathroom vanity

Weak flow at one fixture is nearly always scale

If one faucet or shower runs weak while everything else in the house is fine, your pipework is not the problem.

The county’s limestone water leaves mineral deposits in aerators, shower cartridges and valve bodies. Unscrewing and cleaning an aerator is something most people can do themselves in five minutes, and it resolves a surprising share of “low pressure” complaints.

Genuine whole-house pressure problems look different: weak everywhere, worse upstairs, worse when two things run at once. That points at the supply, and it is covered under pipe repair.

A pre-rinse spray faucet being fitted over a stainless steel sink in a commercial kitchen

Group them up

If you have a dripping faucet, a slow bathroom sink and a shower that has been annoying you for a year, get them all looked at in one visit. Three small things in one appointment is considerably better value than three call-outs, and it is worth writing the list before you ring.

Questions

Faucet and sink repair questions

Specific to this job. Every service page here has its own, none repeated.

General FAQ

Common questions

Is it cheaper to repair a faucet or replace it?
Repair, usually, if it is a decent fixture. Most quality faucets are designed around a replaceable cartridge, and fitting the correct one restores it completely for a fraction of replacement. Replacement makes more sense on a very cheap fixture where parts cost nearly as much as a new unit, on something where parts are no longer available, or where the finish has failed and you wanted it changed anyway.
Why is the water pressure bad at just one faucet?
Almost always the aerator or the cartridge rather than your plumbing. Hard water leaves mineral deposits that gradually block the small screen at the tip of the spout, and the fix is often just unscrewing and cleaning it, which you can do yourself. If cleaning the aerator does not help, the cartridge or the supply stop is the next suspect. Whole-house pressure problems are a completely different issue.
My shower goes hot and cold on its own. Is that the water heater?
Usually not. If the rest of the house has steady hot water, the problem is the shower's mixing valve, either a pressure balance or thermostatic cartridge that is no longer regulating. Scale build-up in these is common here. If every hot outlet in the house is inconsistent, then it becomes a water heater question and the [water heater repair page](/services/water-heater-repair/) is the right place.
There is water in the cabinet under my sink. Where is it from?
The usual candidates are the trap slip joints, the waste connection at the basket or pop-up, the supply connections at the shutoff valves, or the faucet body leaking down through the deck rather than out of the spout. They look identical once water has spread across the cabinet base. Dry it thoroughly, put paper down, and run each thing separately, or we will trace it for you.
The shutoff valve under my sink will not turn. Can you fix it?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Old multi-turn stops seize with age and hard water, and a valve that will not turn is useless in the moment you need it. They also frequently start weeping once forced. We replace them with quarter-turn valves, which are far more reliable and mean any future work on that fixture does not require shutting the whole house off.
Can you fit a faucet or sink I bought myself?
Yes, that is fine and common. Two things worth knowing: check it comes with the parts it needs, since some are supplied without supply lines or drain assemblies, and be aware that we cannot warrant a fixture we did not supply. If it turns out to be faulty out of the box, that is between you and the retailer, though we will tell you clearly if that is what we are looking at.
Do you do small jobs, or is there a minimum?
We do small jobs. A dripping faucet and a leaking trap are entirely normal calls. It is worth grouping them if you have several, because a visit that deals with three small things at once is better value than three separate visits. Make a list before you call.

Related services

Where we cover for this

All service areas

Ready when you are

Need faucet and sink repair in Lebanon County?

Tell us what is going wrong. We come out, look at it properly, and give you the price before anything starts.

  • Licensed and insured
  • Residential and commercial
  • Price agreed before work starts

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(717) 000-0000

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