Four Home Plumbing Repair Tips

Cut and replace

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Cut and wedge

Slice down the side of the cap with a rotary tool and a cutting wheel. Don't worry about cutting the plastic seal (you'll be replacing that). But avoid cutting into the brass threads.

If a cap doesn't twist free, and the cap is metal, not plastic, heat the cap with a heat gun and grip it with the bare teeth of a slip-joint pliers.

If heating doesn't work, or your faucet is plastic, cut the cap with a rotary tool and a cutting wheel. Then jam in a flat-blade screwdriver and widen the opening until the cap unscrews. Buy a replacement cap at the home center. Coat the new cap threads with plumber's grease to prevent it from sticking again.

Get aggressive with setscrews

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Get a better grip

Use a hex socket and valve grinding compound to avoid stripping the setscrew.

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Loosen with leverage

Squeeze the hex socket deep into the setscrew with one hand and pull the ratchet handle with the other. Then loosen the setscrew with a quick yanking motion.

If the hex wrench that comes with your repair kit won't loosen the setscrew on the faucet, don't force it—you'll just ruin the head. Spend a few bucks for a 3/8-in.-drive hex socket kit. Buy a tube of valve grinding compound and apply a dollop to the hex tip to reduce the likelihood of stripping the setscrew. Then use a ratchet to break the screw free. If it still won't budge (and the handle is metal and not plastic), try heating it with a heat gun. As a last resort, drill out the center of the setscrew and use a screw extractor to remove the rest of it. Buy a new setscrew and coat it with anti-seize compound before reinserting it.

Special tools are worth it

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Twist, pull, done

Line up the prongs on the tool with the ears on the cartridge and tighten the screw at the top of the T-bar. Then turn the large nut with an adjustable wrench and twist the T-handle as you turn. The cartridge will pull right out.

Know when to throw in the towel

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Don't fight it; replace it

If you feel a groove where the O-rings mate to the spout, the faucet is toast. Don't waste any more time and energy on O-ring repairs—you'll never get a long-lasting seal. Replace the faucet.

It makes sense that a pivoting kitchen spout will leak if the O-rings are worn. But brass wears too. So if you've replaced the spout O-rings and the leak reappears in a few months (or weeks), check the inside of the spout.