Sometimes it works like magic and other times you’re just grinding away for nothing but frustration.
That’s pretty much my experience too. I tried the reseating tool on an old laundry tap once—figured it’d be a quick fix, but the seat was so chewed up I ended up making it worse. Honestly, if there’s visible pitting, I just don’t trust it to seal properly again. Might be over-cautious, but I’d rather swap the whole thing than risk a slow leak turning into water damage down the line.
Honestly, if there’s visible pitting, I just don’t trust it to seal properly again. Might be over-cautious, but I’d rather swap the whole thing than risk a slow leak turning into water damage down the line.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve had decent luck with a brass seat insert kit even on taps that looked pretty rough.
- Costs way less than replacing the whole tap
- No need to mess with old plumbing connections
- If it leaks after, then I bite the bullet and swap it out
Not saying it’s always perfect, but sometimes a $5 fix is worth a shot before going full replacement.
I’ve wondered the same thing—why can’t it just be a washer swap and done? I’ve tried those seat insert kits too, and honestly, sometimes they work fine, other times it’s just delaying the inevitable. I guess if the pitting isn’t too deep, it’s worth a shot, but if you can feel it with your fingernail, I start to get skeptical. Ever had one where the kit actually held up for more than a year? I always feel like I’m just buying myself time...
I hear you on the seat insert kits. Tried one on an old laundry tap last year—looked promising at first, but by month eight it was back to that slow, maddening drip. I think you nailed it with the fingernail test. If I can feel a groove, I just assume it’s a temporary patch. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just better to swap the whole tap and be done with it, but then I remember how stubborn those old fittings can be...
I had the same dilemma with the bathroom sink in our place. I tried the seat insert kit too—figured it was worth a shot before getting into anything more involved. It worked for a while, but then that slow drip came back, just like you described. I actually ended up pulling the whole tap off to check the seat, and there was a pretty deep groove I hadn’t noticed before. The fingernail test is spot on—if you can feel it, it’s probably not going away for good.
Replacing the whole tap seemed like overkill at first, but after wrestling with those old fittings (and a few choice words under my breath), I realized it was less hassle than constantly patching things up. Still, I get why people try to avoid it—some of those connections are practically welded in place after decades. Sometimes I wonder if there’s a trick to loosening them that doesn’t involve brute force or risking a cracked pipe...