Tap Faucet

Tap Faucet

How do I fix this tap (faucet)?

It's leaking, both from the where the water is supposed to come out, and the whole head bit thing, so it's leaking down (from the top) underneath too.

I'm assuming a washer needs to be changed, but I don't want to start trying to unscrew it without a little advice.

Can you see how this thing comes apart?

Thank you

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/6011/image0039jz9.jpg

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/5286/image0040dy5.jpg

Well, heck, don't be afraid to just go for it; you really can't go wrong. It's not obvious from the pix, but that faucet's gotta have a set-screw that holds the lever/cartridge in place. Maybe under a cap or label or maybe on the underside of the control lever when the valve's fully open?
It'll seem so simple, once you find the fastening connector, it'll come apart 1,2,3.
You'll prolly find you've a worn packing washer, and/or rubber o-ring (o-ring on the spray-end).

Good Luck!

Bottled or Faucet Water - Which is Better?

Why not bottled water?

In Europe the Food Safety Authority has confirmed that a survey in 2007 found that 1 percent of samples of bottled water had E. coli.

6.3 percent of water was found to have coliform bacteria, indicating possible faecal contamination.

FSA Chief Specialist in Food Science, Wayne Anderson said the level of contamination was unacceptable and any problems found were corrected immediately.

It was found that one in every 11 of Irish produced bottled water was contaminated, compared to one in 119 of imported water.

The study also found that over 7 percent of bottle water was in breach of Irish or EU guidelines.

Tests on leading brands of bottled water in the United States turned up a variety of contaminants often found in ordinary water from the faucet, according to a study released recently by an environmental advocacy group.

The two-year study was done by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, an organization founded by scientists that advocates stricter regulation. It found the contaminants in bottled water purchased in nine states and Washington, D.C. Yet, there seems no quenching the thirst for more and more bottled water.

The global bottled water market advanced by 6 percent in 2007, with bottled water volumes reaching 206 billion liters in the year. With a 7.9 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the years 2002 to 2007, bottled water clearly remains a soft drink force to be reckoned with.

Asia/Australasia is the leader in the growth of volume consumption. Africa achieved 14 percent growth on 2006 volumes. Consumption rose in all but the West European region, which exhibited a 0.2 percent decline in volume, in part due to low summer temperatures and high rainfall.

What do politicians think of bottled water consumption rates? Drinking bottled water should be made as unfashionable as smoking, according to a government adviser in the UK.

"We have to make people think that it's unfashionable just as we have with smoking. We need a similar campaign to convince people that this is wrong," said Tim Lang, the Government's natural resources commissioner. Phil Woolas, the environment minister, added that the amount of money spent on mineral water "borders on being morally unacceptable".

Their comments come as new research shows that drinking a bottle of water has the same impact on the environment as driving a car for half a mile, (and can cost as much). Conservation groups and water providers have started a campaign against the £2 billion industry.

As consumers start to come to terms with hard economic times, an environmental group in Washington has offered a suggestion for saving money: Get your water from the faucet not a bottle.

The Environmental Working Group released a report recently that asserted that some bottled waters were "no different than tap water." And it found fertilizer residue, pain medication and other chemicals in some major brands.

While a lot of bottled water may be as pure as promised in those alluring commercials, the real problem is telling which is which. Public water supplies are regulated by the federal government. Not so for bottled water. The Food and Drug Administration does have some oversight, but bottled water is not very high on their long list of priorities.

The International Bottled Water Association, which represents most of the industry, has voluntary standards to make sure there are no contaminants. The association encourages (but does not require) bottlers to release pertinent information about what's in their water when consumers call and ask.

Among the states, so far only California has set strict standards to make sure carcinogens and other contaminants are not being sold as something purer than that mountain stream usually pictured on the labels.

The researchers recommend that people worried about water contaminants drink ordinary water from the faucet with a carbon filter.

Real cost of bottled water

Tap water comes from underground pipes, while the manufacture, distribution and disposal of bottled water requires much more energy and fuel.

While the WWF does acknowledge that bottled water is generally safer in areas where tap water is contaminated, it says boiling or filtering local water is a cheaper and more sustainable alternative.

The long-term solution, it argues, is to clean up municipal water supplies.

But in the meantime, the conservationists are fighting an uphill battle.

The bottled water market is booming. It is the fastest growing drinks industry in the world and shows no signs of drying up.

About the Author

Geoff Cummings runs the site at http://www.kitchenandhousewares.us where a range of discount kitchen products are on sale.

Tap Faucet

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Tagged with: bottled water • pure