My newly installed faucet in my master bathroom developed a leak from under the handle. The leak was so slow that for almost a week, I thought it wasn’t a leak. I thought it was because I tend to splash a lot of water all over this sink since this is my main bathroom where I use my waterpik, electric toothbrush, razor and shavers.
But, after being very careful, cleaning up all splashes and staring at the handle for a while, I confirmed there was a slow leak.
I followed the recommended troubleshooting step of tightening the bonnet nut. It slowed the leak somewhat, but did not resolve the issue.
After consulting with Google and YouTube, I determined that it was one of three things:
- The bonnet nut needed to be tightened more.
- The faucet cartridge was not seated properly and/or its O-rings were not sealing properly.
- The faucet cartridge was defective.
I studied the parts diagram and the faucet carefully. It had to be one of these three because there were no other potential sources that could cause a leak at this location under the handle.
So, I fixed it. It wasn’t the bonnet nut. It was a defective faucet cartridge. I was able to swap it with a new one in about 15 minutes and voila, no leak.
This is an example of how I solve 90% of the problems in my life (especially home repairs and troubleshooting). I stare at the item for a bit to try to locate the problem, its symptoms and potential sources. I research online for DIY repair instructions and videos. I determine the most likely solution, order parts/tools I might need and attempt to the fix the problem.
90% this works.
The other 10% of the time, I either have replace the item entirely or call in a professional.
If I get too frustrated or flustered during the repair process, I’ll walk away from it for a while or overnight. After stepping away and getting a good night’s rest, I often see an obvious way to remedy the problem the next day.
This method works for home repairs. It also worked in the business world when I was problem solving, managing or learning something new (eg. creating effective presentations, public speaking).
Give my method a shot the next time something breaks. You might be surprised by what you can accomplish.