Maintaining Your Faucet

A faucet is one of the essential parts of your home. It’s a place where you can get clean water to drink, cook, and wash your dishes. Maintaining your faucet can help keep your home clean and healthy. However, just like any other appliance, they can start to show signs of wear and tear over time. If your faucet is not working correctly, you can take some simple steps to maintain it. Learn more about keeping your tap in working order and who to call for plumbing services in Saskatoon. 

Regular Faucet Maintenance

Faucet maintenance is vital for a few reasons. First, if your faucet is not maintained, it can corrode over time. This degradation can lead to leaks and, in extreme cases, can damage your home. Second, proper faucet maintenance can help prevent costly repairs down the line. Third, a well-maintained faucet can look nicer and last longer. Regular maintenance can typically be divided into time-based tasks that you can schedule on your calendar to stay up to date. 

Daily Maintenance 

Daily maintenance is something you should strive to complete every day, at least once a day. It takes minimal upkeep to maintain a faucet if you do so regularly. Keep a microfiber washcloth for cleaning and utilize it to wash your faucet and dry it after use. Using non-abrasive window cleaner spray is also a popular choice but be aware of potential reactions with specific metals.

Minor Maintenance 

Minor maintenance tasks happen monthly or even quarterly to help prolong the life of your faucet. One of the most common minor tasks that you can do to extend the life of your faucet is to clean or replace the aerator. 

The aerator in your faucet should be replaced at least once a year, depending on what kind of water you have and whether or not it typically suffers from debris. It consists of a housing, strainer insert, and washer. Faucet aerators are subject to the same mineral and buildup accumulation that happens in pipes.

Cleaning your aerator is a basic and necessary procedure. Remove the aerator from your faucet, separating the pieces in the order they were taken out. Then flush out the pieces with water and clean the screen with a toothbrush. For hard water deposits, soak the parts in vinegar. Once you’ve finished, you can simply replace the pieces the way you took them out. You can also purchase a new screen if yours is too stubborn to clean or you don’t want to spend the time on it. 

Major Maintenance 

Major maintenance generally only happens during kitchen and bathroom renovations. Unless you have restored antique hardware, there is little chance that you will be saving the faucets after the construction work is complete. 

Replacing Your Faucet 

Another option for a quick upgrade is to replace only the faucet for a better working model that you can control the maintenance on, rather than one you inherited from a previous homeowner. This upgrade will boost the overall look and feel of your kitchen, and it can also save you money in the long run. There are noteworthy items to keep in mind when choosing new faucets. 

Flow

Any new faucet requires a reasonable flow rate – you want water to come out quickly and easily.

Operation

The faucet should be easy to operate – any buttons should be big and easy to see, and the handle should be comfortable to grip.

Durability 

Make sure the faucet is durable – it should be able to withstand daily use without breaking.

Following simple maintenance tips will help you keep your faucet in good condition. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the professionals at Handyman Connection in Saskatoon.