I finally figured out why my kitchen faucet was dripping for 6 months

After tearing it apart twice and buying two different replacement cartridges, a neighbor who used to do plumbing told me I had been putting the little rubber o-ring in upside down the whole time, has anyone else had a simple install mistake cause weeks of frustration like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

viola1711d ago

Did you at least save the old o-rings for a laugh later? I mean, six months of that drip-drip-drip driving you crazy, and it turns out it was just a tiny piece of rubber facing the wrong way. That is the kind of thing that makes you want to throw a wrench across the room, but then you have to laugh at yourself. I've done similar stuff with a toilet flapper that I put in backwards three times before my wife pointed it out to me. Sometimes the simplest fix is the one that makes you feel the dumbest, isn't it?

harris.emma1d ago

Actually, o-rings don't really have a "wrong way" since they're just round rings... you might be thinking of a different kind of seal or washer that's flat on one side. But I get what you mean about those simple little parts making you feel like a fool. I had a washing machine that leaked for months and it turned out I'd put the rubber seal in twisted, not even backwards exactly but just a tiny bit off. The drip was so slow I almost convinced myself it was normal until my neighbor saw it and fixed it in two seconds. It's humbling when the smallest thing beats you, but at least you learn to triple check those little parts next time.