Faucet & Fixture Installation in Arlington, VA

Dripping Faucet: Repair or Replace?

A dripping faucet almost always comes down to a worn internal part — compression, ball, cartridge, or ceramic disc, depending on the faucet type. Most modern kitchen and bathroom faucets use a cartridge or ceramic disc, both relatively straightforward to replace individually.

When Repair Makes Sense

If the faucet itself is in good condition, not too old, and a matching replacement part is available, repairing the worn cartridge or washer is the more economical path — and often the one we recommend first.

When Replacement Makes More Sense

Faucets over 15–20 years old, discontinued models with hard-to-find parts, or units with mineral buildup throughout the body are often better replaced outright than repeatedly repaired piece by piece.

Low Water Pressure at a Single Fixture

Whole-house and single-fixture pressure problems point to very different causes. For a single faucet, the culprit is almost always local: a clogged aerator (the small screen at the tip catching mineral deposits, common with Arlington's moderately hard water), mineral buildup restricting flow inside the cartridge itself, or a partially closed shutoff valve under the sink. We check the simple causes first — most single-fixture pressure issues are resolved in the same visit without opening anything.

Shower Valve Leaks Behind the Wall

Shower valves are more involved than a simple faucet since accessing them typically means opening drywall from the back side of the wall — a closet or adjacent room — specifically to avoid damaging shower tile.

Cartridge Replacement First

Most modern shower valves use a replaceable cartridge. If the valve body itself is in good shape, swapping the cartridge is far less invasive than replacing the whole valve.

When the Valve Body Itself Has Failed

Older valve bodies, especially in homes with hard water buildup or original construction-era fixtures, sometimes corrode or crack internally in ways a cartridge swap alone can't fix, which means the full valve needs replacing.

Water Hammer: The Banging Pipe Sound

That sharp bang when a faucet or washing machine valve shuts off has a specific mechanical cause: when a fast-closing valve stops water flow abruptly, the moving water's momentum has nowhere to go, creating a pressure spike that slams against the pipe. Older Arlington homes were sometimes built with air chambers — a capped vertical pipe section that cushions the shock — that become waterlogged over time and stop working. Modern water hammer arrestors serve the same purpose more reliably and are a straightforward retrofit.

Choosing New Fixtures

Ceramic disc valves are the current standard for durability and drip resistance, worth prioritizing over cheaper compression-style valves even in a mid-range fixture. For finishes, PVD (physical vapor deposition) coatings resist scratching and tarnishing significantly better than standard chrome or brushed nickel plating — worth the modest upgrade cost for a kitchen sink used daily.

Frequently Asked Questions