When I'm turning faucet off in kitchen (both hot or cold) the water takes a bit longer to stop coming out, even though I'm turning the taps off the same as I always do. I'm not sure if it's a valve or a washer problem. Can you recommend something?

Hi Jean,

These mesh discs and the part they go into - along with a few other small parts - make up what is called "an aerator".




Most aerators simply screw on threads at the end of your faucet. You can remove it by twisting it. You may need a wrench to loosen it first. Wrap the aerator in thick cloth / towel so that the wrench does not dent or scrape the finish on the aerator body.



Some aerators thread up and inside the faucet - rather than at the end - and need a special wrench to remove



Once removed, you should reassemble the parts and reinstall on the faucet. You may find replacement aerators in Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. if you're missing parts, etc. If changing it out, be sure to bring the old one with you to match.

I hope this helps & good luck!

You might have a clogged aerator screen. Remove the aerator from the faucet and see if the flow is normal. You can rinse the aerator off if it's clogged. It's also possible the stops (shutoff valves) aren't open all the way. Sometimes, if they're old, they don't turn on fully again after you shut them off to put in the new faucet. If you still have low pressure after removing the aerator, you may need to replace the valves.

I don't know if the instructions mentioned it, but it's good practice to remove the aerator and run a faucet to flush the water line after installing it. There's usually a lot of debris that comes through at first. That's usually why you'll have low pressure in a new faucet.

You are going to have to take the line off again and check it for debris or any plastic guides that have slipped out of place. You may have an internal clogg caused by something getting into the hot side of the faucet. Check any screens on the faucet for pluggage.

1) Use a small sharp-pointed knife and pop out the little plastic Moen logo at the bottom of the front side of the handle (and don't lose it!)
2) Lift the lever up a bit (the water may turn on) until you can see a small screw with an allen wrench socket.
3) Unscrew the allen-head screw; the handle will lift straight up.

Look down into the faucet; there's a philllips head screw. The leaking may simply be caused by this screw being loose.

If this is the single-handle faucet I remember, there's a decorative hot/cold indicator on the front, a small half red/half blue circle. This pops out of the handle to reveal the retaining screw underneath. It's a hex-key (Allen key) screw but I don't remember the size. Once you've loosened the screw you'll be able to lift the handle off the faucet body to get at the cartridge housing.

You will have to turn off your water mains and strip your mixer tap. It is possible that the seal (if it is an older tap with a rubber seal) has become stuck or the threaded part that turns it has gone faulty. If it is a modern tap with ceramic seals, check the operation of the mechanism and see why the ceramic seal is not being opened.

You took off the faucet, but did you take the aerator off the spout? That's a very common trouble, especially if you have hard water with lots of minerals. The aerator screen gets clogged and your water slows to a trickle or is stopped entirely.

The aerator just screws onto or into the faucet, but you might need a wrench to remove it if it hasn't been off in a while. Tape the jaws of the wrench to keep from damaging the chrome unless you plan to replace the aerator. Once it's off the faucet you can take the aerator apart, noting the order of the pieces, and clean off the screen. Reassemble it and put the aerator back on and you should have your water back.

You might also just want to replace the thing; you can find replacements at hardware stores and home improvement places. Just take the old one along to make sure you're getting the right replacement.

Take off the aerator from the spout (it just screws on, and should not be so tight you need a wrench) and then run the water. You'll probably find the aerator screen is clogged with debris and you can wash it off. This often happens when you turn the water supply off to connect the new faucet. After you clean off the aerator and screw it back into place your new faucet should work fine.

Isolate hot and cold suplies in turn and to identify which valve is letting by. Ring Atriflo (Perrin & Rowe) on 01708 526361 (Mon-Fri) to order the correct valve. For the Oberon the parts are Hot: 9.13145; Cold: 9.13146, but check with them first - they are very helpful and on the ball.To access the valve remove the handle (unscrew manually); remove the handle coupler (size 14 hex. bit) and gently unscrew the chrome bell-shaped valve shroud. (A mole wrench gently applied, with suitable padding to avoid dinking the chrome, does it nicely.) All will then be revealed.

no adjustment make sure your water shut off valves are fully open and the hoses or pipes are not kinked.