Repairing A Rotating-Ball Faucet

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Before starting a repair, turn off water to the faucet, open the spout to drain, and close the drain. To stop drips from the spout, replace the inlet seals and springs in the valve seat with duplicates. To stop drips from the base, replace the O-rings at the top and base of the faucet body or replace the whole ball assembly.

1. Pry out the decorative piece at the handle base. Use a hex wrench to remove the nut that holds the handle in place. (Most faucets came with the proper size wrench.)
2. Remove the cowling by twisting it counter-clockwise by hand. Remove the nylon snap ring by parting its opening and lifting it off the faucets base.
3. Use groove-joint pliers to carefully remove the cam that holds the ball in place. Turn the cam counter clockwise.
4. Remove the ball by lifting it out of the valve seat. As you do so, look for a positioning groove in the ball. To replace the ball, this groove must fit on a tab protruding from the valve seat housing.
5. Remove the inlet seal (black flexible washers). Push a blunt pencil into a seal to grasp it, or use a needlenose pliers to pull it out. Take inlet seals to a home store to buy replacements. Install them in valve seat.
6. To reinstall the ball, line up the groove with tab in the valve seat housing. If the O-ring at the top of the faucet body is worn, replace it. Reverse the other steps to complete reassembly of the faucet.

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