Repair or replace? Faucets, toilets and doors

A dripping faucet, a toilet that keeps running or a door that won’t close properly is easy to put off. The good news is that many of these problems come down to one small worn part. Here’s how to tell when a repair is likely to be enough, and when replacing the whole thing makes more sense.

Faucets

Usually worth repairing:

• A steady drip from the spout. In most faucets this comes from a worn cartridge, valve seat, washer or O-ring. If replacement parts are available for your faucet’s brand and model, a repair is often all it needs.
• A leak around the handle or base. Often a worn O-ring or a loose part that can be tightened or replaced.
• Low flow from the spout. Often a blocked aerator (the small screen at the tip of the spout), which can be cleaned or replaced.

Often better to replace:

• The faucet body is cracked or badly corroded.
• Parts for it are no longer made, or it has already been repaired several times.
• The finish has worn through, or you simply want a different style.

A like-for-like replacement uses the existing water lines and drain. Moving a faucet, adding a new one or running new water lines is new plumbing work for a licensed plumber.

Toilets

Usually worth repairing:

• It keeps running or refills on its own. The flapper at the bottom of the tank, or the fill valve, is usually the cause. Both are standard, widely available parts.
• The handle is loose or has to be held down. Usually the handle, its chain or the flapper.
• It rocks. The toilet may need to be reset on a new wax ring and secured to the floor. Have it looked at soon, because a rocking toilet can leak under the floor, out of sight.

Often better to replace:

• There’s a crack in the bowl or tank. Cracks don’t repair reliably and can get worse without warning.
• It clogs often even though the drain is clear, or you’d like a model that uses less water per flush.

Doors

Usually worth repairing:

• It sticks or rubs. Loose hinge screws are the most common cause; tightening them, or using longer screws that reach the framing, often fixes it. Seasonal swelling can also make a door rub, which a little adjustment or planing can solve.
• It won’t latch. The strike plate on the frame can usually be adjusted so the latch lines up again.
• It squeaks, or the handle is loose. Hinges can be cleaned and lubricated, and handles and locks tightened or replaced.
• You can feel a draft around an exterior door. New weather-stripping or a new door sweep often helps.

Often better to replace:

• The door is warped, cracked or coming apart, or an exterior door has soft, rotting wood.
• An exterior door still lets in drafts after the weather-stripping has been replaced, or it no longer locks securely.

Still not sure?

Send us a photo and a short description. We’ll get back to you to talk it through and arrange a time, whether it turns out to be a repair or a replacement. See plumbing fixes for faucets and toilets, and repairs for doors, hinges and locks.