Silencing the Screaming Faucet

I decided to play hooky from work today after a busy weekend with the family (and because I just didn't really feel like going). After relaxing for most of the morning and doing a little laundry, I decided to make myself useful.

I've had a problem (well, two or three) with my kitchen faucet since the day I moved in almost 3 years ago. When you lift the lever to turn on the water, occasionally it will scream like a banshee. I found techniques to deal with this, like turning the water off and then back on or repositioning the neck until the sound stopped. Also, when you moved the lever all the way down in the middle to shut off the water, the water would still run. To stop the water, you would have to move the lever to one side or the other until the water stayed off. Another problem that I tried to fix before was that the hand-held sprayer didn't work. For this one, I tried replacing the sprayer, and that didn't fix anything.

I got inspired to do something about my faucet after watching an episode of Ask This Old House where Rich Trethewey fixed a leaky kitchen faucet, and it looked easy enough. After shutting off the water, I took the faucet apart to see what parts I needed. I had picked up a set of O-rings a year or two ago for miscellaneous repairs, and I had hoped that this would be enough to fix the job. Unfortunately, I needed some more specialized parts. A quick trip to Home Depot and $8.23 later, I had what I needed. The faucet was simple enough to put back together, so in no time I had a fully functional faucet. It doesn't scream (at least not yet), the water actually stops when you put the lever all the way down (so I won't have to explain the eccentricities of my faucet to unknowing guests), and the hand-held sprayer works for the first time in who-knows-how-many years.

So here I am enjoying a movie on TV while listening to the rain outside with a great sense of accomplishment of a job well done. Maybe if I'm feeling really adventurous later, I'll try doing some cleaning or fixing something else around here.