PSA: My dad's "quick fix" for a leaky faucet cost me $200 more

I was visiting my parents last month and my dad told me to just tighten the packing nut on my kitchen faucet to stop a drip. I did it and it worked for like two days, then the whole handle snapped off when I turned it on. Turns out I cracked the brass fitting inside by overtightening it, and I had to replace the entire cartridge and valve body. My plumber neighbor laughed and said he sees this all the time from people trying the "easy fix." Anybody else ever wreck something worse by following simple advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_thomas25d ago

The whole "tighten the packing nut" thing is such a trap. I did something similar where my dad told me to just crank down on a valve to stop a leak, and I ended up snapping the whole stem off inside the wall. It turned a 20 minute fix into me having to cut open drywall and replace a section of pipe. Did your plumber neighbor say if there's ever a good time to try the packing nut trick, or is it basically always a gamble? I feel like that advice gets passed around way too much without warning people about the risk.

zarar6725d ago

Using some Teflon tape instead of just cranking on things was a game changer for me... my dad showed me that trick after I went through a similar mess with a shower valve. That little bit of tape lets you get a good seal without having to torque things down super tight.