Seat washers are subject to damage from metal filings left in newly installed water pipes. A good plumber, before screwing up a piece of pipe, always stands the pipe on end and raps it with a hammer to clear the bore.
[Figure 4], A, shows an ordinary half-inch lever-handle Fuller faucet which closes with the pressure. As shown in [figure 4], B, the bottom of the spindle is eccentric, so that slight turning of the handle moves the rubber ball to and from the beveled seat. To replace the ball shut off the water to the faucet. Unscrew the body from the tailpiece with the hands or with a monkey wrench on the hexagonal part of the body of the faucet. It may be necessary to apply a wrench to the hexagonal nut on the tailpiece and press the wrench downward to prevent unscrewing the tailpiece. Unscrew the stem nut, which holds the brass cap and rubber ball on the stem. Put on a new ball and replace cap and nut. Red rubber balls are considered to be better than black balls for hot-water faucets. Avoid using too large a ball, as swelling of the rubber may hinder the flow. Screw the faucet into the tailpiece. Just before the joint closes or "makes up", wrap a little string packing or candle wicking around the thread on the faucet to make the joint water-tight.
Figure 4.—Fuller faucet: A, body unscrewed from tailpiece; B, spindle and stem removed from body.
TOP WASHERS AND PACKINGS
A top washer or packing; snugly fitting the stem is necessary to prevent leakage upward through the cap nut when a faucet is opened. If the space is too tightly packed, the stem binds, nudging it hard to operate the faucet; if too loosely packed, water spurts from the top of the cap nut. [Figure 5], A, shows a soft rubber-and-fabric top washer suitable for the compression faucet shown in [figure 1]. This washer is one-eighth of an inch thick and rests on the top of the body of the faucet, making a water-tight joint when the cap nut is screwed down. Just below the soft washer and inside the top of the body a thin brass washer is placed to take the wear when the faucet is fully opened. These washers are separated in the illustration but are together when placed in a faucet.
Figure 5.—Top washers and packings: A, top washers commonly used in ordinary compression faucets ([fig. 1]); B, top washers which fill the space beneath the cap nut (fig. 1) C, candle wick packing and brass washer for washstand faucet ([fig. 2]); D, spindle packing for Fuller faucet ([fig. 4]).