It's just about time you learn how to fix a leaky faucet if you constantly experience having to wake up in the middle of the night to the irritating noise of drip, drip, drip from a leaky faucet. By doing so, you will eliminate the need for a plumber, and consequently, high plumbing costs. And of course, the best part is, no more sleepless nights.

Why call a plumber when you can do it by yourself? This article will show you how to fix a leaky faucet in simple and easy to understand steps.

Here are just some of the basic materials and tools you will need:

- Screwdriver - Washers

Before You Start

1. Switch off the water supply. Look underneath your sink, maybe along the pipes, for a shutoff valve. Turn the handles counter-clockwise to turn off the water.

2. Keep an assortment of replacement parts at hand. This includes washers, O-rings, and etc.

3. Make sure you plug the drain (you can use rags). The worst thing that can happen is when small parts like a screw or washer goes down the drain.

4. As you work, keep in mind the exact order of the parts from the moment it was taken apart and line them up. This will serve as a guide when it's time to reassemble it, so you wouldn't have a hard time tracing what goes in first.

Begin Working!

1. First, take the faucet handles off. You can do this by using your screwdriver to remove the screw that is holding them on. Once you've removed the screws, lever the handles open using a flathead screwdriver.

2. Once the faucet handles are removed, detach the old washer located behind the handle. Don't worry if there isn't one. Instead, go buy one.

3. Using the washer that you've purchased, place it where the old washer used to be. The hole in the washer should just be a little bit bigger than the post that the handle turns.

4. Start putting things together. Put everything in place, according to the opposite order of how you took it apart. After, you can put the handle back to its post and screw it on. When you screw it on, make sure that you don't screw it in too tight so that you wouldn't damage the brass fittings. Just keep it hand-tight.

5. After, you can start testing if you did the right thing. Turn water supply back on by moving shut off valve handles to the left or clockwise.

6. There shouldn't be any leaky faucet if everything went well. If not, though, try tightening the screws a wee bit more, or repeat the whole process again. If that still doesn't work, and if all else fails, admit defeat and call a plumber.

Miscellaneous Tips

Upon going to the hardware to purchase a washer, make sure that you ask assistance from the employee. He or she might just know what specific type of washer is needed for sinks, or for the type and brand of sink that you have at home.

Lime build up can be a cause for leaky faucets. If you observe lime build up on your faucet handle post, you can clean it off using lime away products.

So don't endure the annoying drip, drip, drip noise any further. Fix a leaky faucet yourself and reap the benefits of doing so - no hassle of calling a plumber, no high plumbing costs, and no more sleepless nights!

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