Kitchen or bathroom faucets with a single handle to control the flow and mix of water generally serve for years without requiring attention. When they do develop drips or leaks, the entire control unit may have to be replaced.
As with stem faucets, the first problem is disassembly. Faucet makers conceal screws in mysterious places--under handles or decorative buttons--or eliminate them entirely. This tutorial should help you figure out how to get inside of four types of single-lever faucets. once inside, you can see what kind of control unit the faucet uses.
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It is important to get identical replacement parts, as each company makes its own. Consult the Internet for the maker's nearest sales office; it will direct you to a local parts distributor.
Disassemble these faucets with care, noting how parts fit together--and in what order--as an aid to reassembling them. Sketches can be very helpful as an aid for reassembly.
1. The Ball Faucet
As the round shape of the faucet handle suggests, the control inside this faucet is a ball made of brass, with three ports through which water flows when the ports are centered over seats in the faucet body. Under the shank of the handle is a setscrew that must be loosened with a hex wrench to get the handle off. Do not take the screw all the way out; it is easily lost.
2. The Ceramic-Disk Cartridge Faucet
The screw that releases this handle is not beneath the decorative knob where you might expect to find it. Raise the lever as high as it can go; recessed under it is a small setscrew that releases the handle. But the control unit is now only partially uncovered; you must also remove the chrome body cover. To do this, disconnect the thumbscrew holding the pop-up drain rod beneath the sink (first mark the rod with a felt-tipped pen so you can connect it in the same place). Then unscrew the two Phillips-head screws on the underside of the faucet and lift off the body cover. Newer versions have a slot screw in the handle and a chrome ring that unscrews for easier access to the cartridge.
3. The Tripping-Valve Faucet
So-called because the hot- and cold-water inlets each have a valve that tips when lever is moved forward, allowing water to pass through the spout, this faucet is widely used in kitchens, although it is no longer made. To get into the faucet, turn the spout ring counterclockwise with a wrench (if you use a pipe wrench, be sure the wrench's jaws are covered with electrical tape) until the spout can be lifted off. Then pry up the chrome body cover with a screwdriver and lift it off.
4. The Sleeve-Type Cartridge Faucet
The screw in the cover of the faucet handle illustrated is in plain sight, but in newer models it is hidden by a decorative button the must be pried off. The faucet lever raises to turn the water on and lowers to turn it off. Inside the cover the motion of the lever moves a cartridge up and down to turn the water on and off. An old model of this faucet has a retainer clip in the outside of the handle that must be pulled out for disassembly.