Do-it-yourself oras faucet repair

Single-lever faucets attract with their laconic design and easy control of the water flow. Turning on the water, changing its temperature and pressure - all this with one turn of the handle. These devices are reliable, have a solid service life - some branded ones give a 5-year warranty. Nevertheless, repair of a single-lever mixer is periodically necessary.

Despite the external similarity, rotary or single-lever mixers are of two types - with a cartridge (cartridge) and ball - with a ball inside. You can repair any of them, but for this you need to disassemble them first. And so that you can not only disassemble, but also assemble, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the internal structure of each.

The design may be different, the structure remains the same

Cartridge faucets are so named because their locking and regulating mechanism is hidden in a special cartridge flask. In more expensive models of faucets, the cartridge body is made of ceramics, in cheaper models it is made of plastic. What these models are good for is ease of repair, but it is not always easy to achieve the required pressure with them - you need tighter control of the handle. But changing the temperature of the water is very easy - with a slight movement of the hand.

The structure of a single-lever faucet with a cartridge is simple. If you go from top to bottom:

• Switch with fixing screw.
• Locking (clamping) nut.
• Cartridge. It mixes water flows, the same device shuts off the water.
• The body of the mixer, in which there is a "seat" place for the cartridge.
• Fasteners, studs and gaskets to ensure tightness.
• Outflow (gander). It can be a separate part - in rotary models for the kitchen or part of the body - for sinks in the bathroom.
• If the spout is separate, gaskets are still installed from below and there is another part of the body.

What is a single lever cartridge faucet made of?

The cartridge itself contains several (usually 4) specially shaped ceramic or metal discs. A rod is welded to the upper disk. By changing the position of the rod, we change the position of the plates relative to each other, changing the amount of water passing through the holes in the plates.

In order for the faucet / mixer to work normally, the plates are lapped very tightly. For this reason, cartridge single-lever mixers are very demanding on water quality. The ingress of foreign fragments between the plates leads to the fact that the valve flows or stops working altogether. To avoid this, some manufacturers put filters on the inlet pipes. But, it is better to put filters on the water supply and get clean water that can be safely supplied to household appliances.

It got its name because of the element in which water is mixed - a ball with cavities. The ball is usually metal, hollow inside. Its outer part is polished to a shine. There are three holes in the ball - two for the entry of cold and hot water, one for the exit of already mixed water. A rod is attached to the ball, which enters the cavity on the handle. This rod with a rigidly attached ball changes the temperature of the water, its pressure.

The structure of a single-lever mixer with a ball mechanism for mixing water

It is easier to adjust the parameters with such a device - the parts are well ground in, the handle moves easily. Mixers with a ball mechanism are less critical to the presence of mechanical impurities, but do not respond very well to the presence of hardness salts and excess iron. So for normal operation, pre-filtering is also required here.

Repairing a single-lever cartridge faucet often consists of overhauling and cleaning the o-rings. Salts are deposited on them, debris and dirt accumulate because of which the faucet begins to leak. To eliminate this trouble, the mixer is disassembled, all parts are wiped from dirt (with warm soapy water), rinsed, dried, put in place.

The sequence of installation of parts in a cartridge single-lever mixer

Let's figure out how to disassemble the cartridge faucet. First turn off the water, and then the procedure is as follows:

• Remove the decorative cap on the handle. Just pry it off with a screwdriver.
• Behind it is a mounting screw. We unscrew it with a hex wrench and take it out.

First unscrew the fixing screw

Actually everything. Dismantled single-lever mixer with cartridge. As you can see, there are not many details. The main working part is the cartridge. In it, inside, mixing takes place.

The cartridge itself has a sealing gasket - a rubber saddle at the bottom, which ensures a snug fit to the body. Over time, rubber loses elasticity, water begins to ooze. If this is the problem, you can first try to clean this ring from the salts and deposits that have formed on it. Put the cleaned part in place, check the work. If the leak does not stop, you will have to change the cartridge.

Cartridges for "one-handed" mixers

Faucet cartridges have different diameters, inlets and outlets are located differently in its lower part. Therefore, if you need to replace it, first you disassemble the mixer, get the treasured part and go to the store or the market with it. You need to choose exactly the same model without any deviations. At home, install the cartridge in the case, turn it slightly until you feel that it “sat” in place. Next - assembly, it goes in the reverse order.

Install the clamp nut first. Actually, at this stage, you can check how the new cartridge works. Turn on the water, adjust the temperature and pressure with the rod. To make it more convenient, you can put a handle on the stem. If everything is fine, continue the assembly.

The single-lever ball mixer was invented just over 40 years ago. Its design is simple and reliable - actually there is nothing to break. If problems arise, it is only because of poor-quality water - particles of dirt settle on the rubber saddles on which the ball rests. Contact deteriorates, water seeps in and the faucet starts to leak.

How to Disassemble Single Lever Ball Mixer

Some ball valves are also implemented with a cartridge. Only inside the cartridge are not plates, in a ball. Disassembly of this type is no different from that described above. All the difference is hidden inside the flask. There are also other types of faucets. In them, the locking ball is installed directly in the rubber seat. There are some minor differences here.

The tap lever is removed in the same way - first remove the plug, then unscrew the screw with a hexagon. Pull the lever up, remove it. After the action is very simple and similar to those described above:

• We unscrew the cap, preferably with our hands, since it is usually made of thin metal, it is easy to bend it.
• We unscrew the clamping nut, there is a washer under it, we remove it too.
• Opened access to the ball. We pull the rod, we take out the ball.
• There are two saddles under the ball, with springs so that the rubber bands are pressed against the ball more tightly.

All disassembled. Next is the repair of a single-lever mixer. In theory, the problem is that deposits have accumulated at the point of contact between the ball and the seat. They must be removed - carefully clean, wipe. There may be issues with the springs. They also sometimes accumulate dirt, but more often they simply lose their elasticity.

The third source of problems is the ball itself. In general, it should be made of stainless steel, respectively, it only needs to be cleaned of deposits.In reality, this is not always the case - cheap taps have appeared even with plastic balls or cheap metal. In this case, peeling of the surface or other similar troubles may be observed. Such a locking element will no longer work normally. It must be replaced. With the ball, you also go to the store, select a replacement of the right size. Assembling the mixer in reverse order: springs from the saddle, there is no place for the saddle, there is a ball on them, etc. When assembling the entire structure, carefully center everything - the skew will lead to rapid wear and the faucet will leak again.

Faucets with a swivel spout are installed on sinks in the kitchen or bathroom. From time to time, a leak starts from under it. The locking mechanism in this case is not to blame, just the gaskets have lost their elasticity or the lubricant has dried up.

Repair of a single-lever mixer with a movable spout

In this case, disassemble the mixer as described above, then remove it by pulling up the spout. Remove all old gaskets. If they are stuck, you can use a flathead screwdriver or even a knife blade. You need to remove them, but they still need to be replaced. On the removed gaskets, select new ones. It is desirable that they be made of silicone, not rubber. Silicone is more elastic, retains its properties longer, better tolerates contact with water.

Lubricate new gaskets with sanitary silicone grease, install in place. Install the spout in place. It must be pressed down well so that it rests against the union nut on the mixer body. Next is the assembly of the rest of the mechanism.

How to dismantle the oras 95 single lever mixer? The cartridge is held by a nut at 38. It is impossible to unscrew it with an adjustable and gas wrench. Breaks down as the skirt is only 4 mm. grab hold of it. I'll see you at the factory. pulled tight. Look for a cap head or there are some other options.

Papa Karlov wrote:
Search for cap head

or knipeks, or the manufacturer has a special key

I saw this wrench with thin walls on YouTube. Hemorrhoids to remove and drag to the officials!

Papa Karlov, well, do not shoot, what's the problem? - there are methods and others

Papa Karlov wrote:
How to dismantle the oras 95 single lever mixer? The cartridge is held by a nut at 38. It is impossible to unscrew it with an adjustable and gas wrench. Breaks down as the skirt is only 4 mm. grab hold of it. I'll see you at the factory. pulled tight. Look for a cap head or there are some other options.

Here about his (it seems) disassembly.
Might be useful:

Papa Karlov wrote:
It is impossible to unscrew with an adjustable and gas wrench. Breaks down as the skirt is only 4 mm. grab hold of it.

Place the adjustable wrench vertically and press on it from above, clamp the adjustable wrench with gas and rotate the adjustable wrench.
Or if the adjustable one can be put on the nut in its normal position, then just press it from above. Another option is to take a small hammer and slowly tap and / or resting a screwdriver on the edge of the nut, also tap with a small hammer in the direction of unscrewing.

Faucet leakage problems are relevant for bathrooms that we use several times a day. Small droplets dripping slowly and continuously from the faucet are the first signal that an urgent repair is needed.

It is not difficult to eliminate the breakdown, having an idea about the structure of the mechanism of the device. As they say, repairing a mixer with your own hands is a worldly affair.

Typical faucet problems are leaks caused by:

• a malfunction of the soul;
• conical plug defects;
• crane box wear.

But most often the rubber gasket wears out, the condition of the crane depends on the integrity and strength of which.

Most often, a leak from a valve is due to wear of the rubber gasket in it. This is the most common situation. Both mixer taps can leak.

You will need the tools shown in the photo:

The thickness of the new gasket is from 4 mm. You can make it from a piece of sheet rubber.The process of cutting it is the simplest, but if there are doubts about the quality of hand-made production, then in the future it is advisable to change the home-made gasket to a factory product.

As a template for cutting the gasket, the one that is to be replaced is suitable. If it is too deformed, then it should be taken into account that the manufactured part of the seal must be 1 mm larger in diameter than the previous one.

The edge resulting from the increase in Ø should be modified: cut along the circumference from the side adjacent to the seat at an angle of 45º so that this sealant tightly “enters” the hole to be closed and the valve with the new gasket does not buzz.

After replacing the gasket, everything must be returned to its place. We insert the crane box back. Usually, when removing a crane box, it is always advised to treat the internal cavity from plaque. This plaque is usually the result of water hardness. In the reverse assembly of the mixer, a plumbing adjustable wrench is used.

In most cases, mixers have problems with valves, especially with half-turn valves. The valve can be replaced or repaired. There are no particular difficulties in how to repair a broken faucet in the bathroom yourself.

In a conventional valve, which is unscrewed in a circular motion, it is most often necessary to change the gasket or gland packing. Brief instructions for replacing the gasket are posted above, and in case of problems with the gland packing, they usually try to tighten the gland.

A small nut located at the base of the crane box will be involved here. The cross section of this nut is square. In a clockwise direction, tighten the nut until it stops.

If these manipulations turn out to be useless, then it will be necessary to unscrew the gland ring. After unscrewing, a special gland packing is wound around the valve stem. Then the ring will need to be screwed back well. All of the above actions help stop the leak.

Repair of the valve seat - the cavity into which the faucet box is screwed - is necessary if, after replacing the gasket or the faucet box, water has not stopped flowing from the tap. With prolonged use of the mixer, it is often deformed, this causes leakage.

The appeared notches and scratches can be removed by milling. It is necessary to scroll the deformed area with a cutter a little. After such a scroll, the mixer is assembled, and if the seat is properly polished, there will be no leakage.

To solve this problem, you need to do the following:

• buy a switch;
• disassemble the crane;
• replace the broken part.

If deformations are found in the conical plug used to mix water from hot and cold water pipes, it must be replaced. When eliminating any breakdown, the flow of water is always blocked. The following photo shows how the switch is removed:

When eliminating the above described malfunctions, it is not necessary to remove the mixer from the mount. But there are more global problems with the valve mixer, which are also completely solvable.

Read more about some malfunctions of plug-in mixers and how to fix them.

It is possible to repair the shower-spout switching mechanism without replacement. Consider the original way of fixing the switch flywheel on the stem:

Now it remains for us to drill a hole on the switch stem and assemble the mixer:

Eliminate the leak, following a certain algorithm, and then change the mixer.

• Initially, in this situation, the water is turned off. Special taps for shutting off are located on the water supply pipes.
• After shutting off for verification, the valves are rotated in the direction of opening to the maximum.
• Then the connecting nuts are very carefully unscrewed. In modern mixer designs, they break easily. Regular brass nuts are easier to unscrew. They won't crack or break. A broken nut needs to look for an analogue in shape.
• Next, remove the mixer.

When removing the mixer, the branch pipe is turned out, at the border of which a leak is detected with the coupling. The edges of the pipe when turning out are held with a key or by a collar. A nut is screwed onto the removed pipe. You need to screw it in correctly, until the end. The new nut is taken from the old mixer. The reliability of the installation of the nut is determined in comparison with its original position.

When it comes to replacing the mixer, be sure to determine the size of the nozzles. The mixer is always sold complete with them. If differences are found between the old and new pipes, both are changed, and not just the one that flows. If they are identical, then only one can be changed.

To understand how the leak is removed in this case, consider the diagram:

During the installation of the pipe, there may be nuances. When screwing in, this part is held by the collar. In this case, the thread for two turns should remain free. All the rest are wound with sealing threads. Usually, this seal is advised to be impregnated with drying oil or oil paint. After such wetting, you must immediately screw the pipe into its proper place - this serves as a guarantee against re-formation of a leak.

Having shut off the water, they first try to simply tighten the nut, and then, after supplying water, check for leaks. If the leakage persists, the nut is unscrewed, and the mixer moves along the nozzle closer to the wall. Then you need to remove the hose attached to the bracket.

This is necessary to control the position of the mixer. When moving the mixer, look at the end of the pipe, because it is relative to it that the location of the device is changed.

This is done until it becomes possible to remove the old gasket, which is adjacent to the nut and ensures tightness. An attempt can be made to remove the gasket without touching the faucet. Often this fails. The reason for this is the gasket sticking to the pipe (to its end).

It is also impossible to pull out the pressed gasket. Then the shower is detached from the wall. This will help rotate the mixer. To facilitate rotation, all nuts on the mixer are loosened.

The gasket for replacement is simply cut out of rubberized sheets. In thickness, it should be from three to five millimeters. On the nut, it is prudent to leave free space for two threads of thread. After replacing the gasket, everything falls into place easily.

Sometimes there is a leak between the body and the sidewall. The mixer is separated from the piping, then from the shower. Take off the nose. The sidewall turns out. Then smeared with putty. You can use paint instead of putty. Do not use the mixer until the lubricant is completely dry.

Usually the problem is associated with blockages in the piping to the faucet. Pipes and sidewalls may be clogged. To correct the situation, you will need to clear the blockage. To do this, the valve head is turned out. Then a steel wire is pushed into the resulting hole. We take out all the garbage, sand. After that, you can clean the cavity with a solution of vinegar from plaque.

A similar nuisance is a sharp decrease in the pressure of water from the spout. Usually the cause of the problem lies in the blockage of the aerator. It is solved by unscrewing it and cleaning the nets. They are blown and then washed. You can use a needle to remove sand from the mesh.

What to do if the water flows, but the spout falls? This is due to the fact that the locking ring has broken. Until a new part is purchased, there is a temporary solution.

After closing the valves, you need to make an expansion ring. It is usually made from copper wire. The diameter of the material for the ring must match the diameter of the old product. After a ring is made with a soldering iron, it is advisable to treat it with liquid oil. This will prevent rust formation.

This situation is associated with the loss or breakage of the limiter. Knowing exactly where this part is located, it is easy to return it to its place.To do this, disassemble the mixer, find a malfunction and return the element to its place, applying light blows to the protruding part of the limiter with a hammer. Also, the limiter can be replaced with a small piece of brass wire - this will solve the problem of leakage at least for a while.

Sometimes troubles happen with a shower hose and a watering can, more often due to wear of individual elements or poor water quality.

Usually, water does not pass well through the mesh when there are blockages in its holes. Here, after removing the mesh, it is easy to clean it with an ordinary awl or needle.

After screwing the mesh back, the water supply and the direction of the streams are restored. And the plastic panel with holes, and the rest of the shower and faucet, can be wiped with a solution of vinegar from plaque and stains.

If the leak appeared due to wear of the inner part or winding, it does not make sense to repair the hose, it is easier to buy a new one. Its cost is low, and the service life of new modifications is much longer.

If both the drain and the shower are leaking at the same time, the point is a loose joint between the cork and the body. To correct the situation, the locking screw is first turned out. The next step is to tighten the union nut. This reduces leakage, but switching water from the drain to the shower is somewhat difficult.

To completely eliminate the leak, you need to grind the plug to the mixer body using special lapping paste compositions. They are sold in many stores.

Most people have preferred lever joystick mixers. It is very convenient to use them, since only the handle of the mixer is turned to achieve the desired water temperature. It is also very easy to create the desired water pressure by moving the lever up and down.

To understand how to fix a single-lever mixer yourself, you need to have an idea about its device.

Instead of valves with gaskets that close the channels with water, there are special cartridges here. They are usually spherical or disc. They do not need to be changed as often as the same gaskets. You cannot replace a disc cartridge with a ball cartridge. Only their cartridges are suitable for a ball lever mixer, and their own for a disk mixer.

Articulated, they are also single-lever or joystick, mixers are extremely sensitive to the quality of tap water. Therefore, malfunctions often occur not due to a breakdown or failure of the locking device, but due to the appearance of sediment and clogging of the interfaces of moving parts.

Consider how the Grohe Eurosmart 3300001 bathtub model was cleaned with the 08915 mechanism located on the spout, which switches the shower to the spout. This device did not work, the water went into both the shower head and the gander at the same time. Note that the master did not have to replace parts and seals, it was enough just to remove rust and calcium build-up.

After cleaning and washing the switching mechanism, it remains to "deal" with the pressure. As it turned out, for this it is enough to clean the spout aerator:

After the traditional water shut-off, unscrew the mixer mount. Then you will need to carefully remove the lever, and you need to do this carefully, slowly loosening it. Raise and pull out the lever only when no resistance is felt. To continue working, you need to unscrew the thread connection.

After dismantling the dome of the mixer, the plastic component will be visible. Behind it, a seal is usually visible, which needs to be cleaned or replaced. It is just a normal rubber gasket. If the ball element is damaged, it also needs to be replaced.

The ball is fixed with seals, the suitability of which must be monitored.

Mixers with a lever (joystick) need careful handling, they need to be used easily and smoothly.

When installing any cartridge, you need to make sure that the protrusions on it are identical to the protrusions on the mixer.

Disc cartridges rarely need to be replaced, as they last up to 10 years. But mixers with such a flow rate are not cheap, although they are fully justified.

A little about how to postpone the repair of the mixer for a long time. One of the simple solutions is to monitor the quality of the water supplied to the mixer, using modern mechanical filters for this. Solid particles of sand and pebbles will not spoil the parts, and they will last much longer.

It is recommended to install coarse filters at the beginning of the fork in the water supply of the dwelling. Today, a self-cleaning filter is available to the consumer. All filtered deposits from it are sent straight to the sewer. It is not always possible to install a large filter. Where there is none, the mixer itself is connected to connecting taps, where cleaning filters are already built in.

There are filters that help reduce water hardness. This is important for ceramic faucets, as they suffer more than others due to the presence of salt deposits in the water.

And finally, advice from experienced plumbers. If pipes hum when you turn on the mixer, you need to check how well they are fixed and, if necessary, fix them with clamps. In some cases, the buzz is due to high pressure in the pipes, then a special reducer will be required to reduce the pressure. Often this noise is caused by worn valve gaskets, after replacement it disappears.

Before the upcoming gasket replacement, it will be useful to watch the following video: