How to Install Two Plastic Washers in a Faucet: A Step-by-Step Guide

The plastic washers in a faucet can wear out and cause leaks. We need to replace the two plastic washers in the faucet, and the replacement steps can be divided into the following parts. Here’s a brief introduction.

1. Drain the Faucet

Before disassembling the faucet, we turn the faucet valve clockwise to shut off the water supply. At this point, there may still be residual water in the faucet’s pipes. We gently turn the faucet handle to release any remaining water and then turn off the faucet. To avoid splashing water everywhere when disconnecting the faucet, we can lay a towel around the faucet beforehand.

2. Disassemble the Faucet

On the faucet handle, we can see a plastic cover. This plastic cover is usually either embedded or glued on. We can gently pry it off with our fingernail. Once the plastic cover is removed, we can see the fixed screw of the handle. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screw and take off the handle. Next, we remove the brass nut beneath the handle and use a wrench to loosen the fixed nut on the faucet spindle to take it out. We follow the same method to disassemble the spindle of the other faucet handle.

3. Replace the Plastic Washers

First, prepare two new plastic washers. Then, remove the old washer from beneath the faucet spindle and replace it with a new plastic washer. Next, we place the faucet spindle back and tighten the nut to secure it. Then, we place the brass sleeve in the appropriate position and put the faucet handle back, using a screwdriver to tighten the fixed screw. Finally, we reattach the plastic cover of the handle. We repeat the same process to replace the other plastic washer.

4. Check for Leaks

After replacing the plastic washers, we turn on the faucet valve and turn both handles to check if the faucet leaks when opened. If the faucet continues to leak, it means the washers weren't installed correctly, and we will need to disassemble and reinstall them.

In summary, I’ve briefly introduced how to install the two plastic washers in a faucet. You can refer to the above methods to replace the faucet's plastic washers. Different types and brands of plastic washers may have different replacement methods, so it's advisable to check the product manual before replacing the plastic washers.