Faucet & Sink Repair in Fraser, MI

A dripping spout or a slow leak under the sink rarely fixes itself, and in Fraser's 1950s through 1970s houses there may be two or three generations of faucet parts under one countertop.

Leaky faucet, weak stream or a wet sink cabinet?

Where the water shows up tells you which part failed.

Drips from the spout with the handles off: a worn washer, seat or cartridge.
Water around the handle or spout base while it runs: tired O-rings.
Weak or sputtering flow at one faucet only: a clogged aerator or cartridge screen.
Water inside the cabinet: a supply line, the shutoff valve, the drain connections or the underside of the faucet.
A sink that drains slowly or gurgles: a clog in the trap or the line past it.

Is that sink drain leak at the trap, the strainer or the faucet?

Dry everything under the sink and lay a paper towel on the cabinet floor. Fill the basin with the stopper in, then pull it and watch.

If water appears only while the sink drains, the leak is on the drain side: a slip nut, a tailpiece washer, the plumber's putty under a kitchen basket strainer or the pop-up assembly in a bathroom sink. If it drips while the faucet runs with the drain plugged, look at the supply lines or the faucet body. A leak at a disposal connection is its own repair; see garbage disposal repair.

White PVC P-trap under a kitchen sink with a water droplet forming at a slip nut — A drip that only shows while the sink drains points to the trap or strainer.

A thinned chrome trap gets replaced, usually with PVC. A slow leak that rots the cabinet floor can also hide inside a wall, and leak detection finds what a towel can't. Our article on finding a hidden water leak shows the meter test you can do first.

Why faucets and sink drains give out in Fraser houses

Fraser's water comes from the Great Lakes Water Authority and carries roughly 105 to 113 milligrams of hardness per liter, which counts as moderately hard. That's enough to leave white crust on aerators and ceramic cartridges, which is why handles get stiff and streams go crooked.

The age of the house adds its own wear. Original two-handle compression faucets rely on rubber washers pressing on brass seats. Chrome-plated brass traps thin out from the inside until a pinhole opens. Plastic slip-joint traps loosen as the nuts work free, and old solid supply risers crack where they meet the stop.

Kitchen sinks on an exterior wall are a winter risk. The Red Cross lists kitchen cabinets and pipes along outside walls among the spots most likely to freeze, and the Detroit-area normal low for January is 19.2°F. Leaving the cabinet doors open on the coldest nights helps, and the rest of the cold-weather routine is in our post on stopping frozen pipes in a Michigan winter.

Faucet repair near me versus a full faucet replacement

Repair is the better call when the faucet body is solid, the finish is in good shape and the maker still sells parts. Most faucets fall into four types: compression (washer and seat), cartridge, ball and ceramic disc.

Worn faucet cartridge with mineral crust next to a new matching cartridge on a shop towel — Matching the old cartridge is the fastest way to the right replacement part.

Faucet replacement makes more sense when the body is corroded or cracked, when parts are discontinued, or when you're changing the sink anyway. WaterSense bathroom faucets and aerators flow at 1.5 gallons per minute or less, against the 2.2 gpm standard, and the EPA says the average family saves about 700 gallons a year with them. Count the holes in the sink deck before you shop so the new faucet covers them.

What a faucet and sink call covers

The work runs from the shutoff valves under the counter to the drain connection at the wall, on kitchen sinks, bathroom lavatories, laundry tubs and bar sinks. One house can hold a two-handle laundry tub faucet, a single-handle in the bath and a pull-down in the kitchen, each with different parts. A visit can include:

rebuilding a compression, cartridge, ball or ceramic disc faucet with matching parts
replacing seized angle stops and cracked or brittle supply lines
cleaning or replacing aerators and inlet screens on a low-pressure tap
resealing a basket strainer or pop-up drain and replacing a thinned trap
installing a new faucet, with a sink swap when the deck holes or bowl don't suit it

A faucet and sink repair visit, step by step

Close the stops and cover the drain

We shut the angle stops under the sink and plug the drain so small parts can't fall in. The residential code wants a reachable shutoff for every sink. If a stop is seized or drips when turned, it gets replaced while the water is already off.

Hand turning a chrome angle stop valve under a bathroom vanity with braided supply lines attached — Old multi-turn stops often drip once they're finally turned.

Identify and pull the worn part

We find the brand and model, remove the handle and pull the cartridge, stem or ball assembly. Matching the old part is the surest way to get the right one.

Clean the aerator and seats

Scale in the aerator and on the seats gets cleaned or the parts get replaced. A low water pressure faucet usually perks up right here.

Faucet aerator screen clogged with white scale and grit held over a small dish of vinegar — Scale and grit in the aerator are the usual cause of weak flow at one tap.

Reassemble with fresh seals

New O-rings get silicone grease made for faucets, since petroleum products swell rubber. The cartridge goes back aligned so hot is on the left, the retaining clip or nut is snugged without forcing it.

Test hot and cold under pressure

With the stops open we run both sides, cycle the handle and check under the deck with a light and a dry towel. If pressure is weak at every tap in the house, the cause is upstream; see main water line repair.

Cost factors for faucet and sink work in Fraser

The price depends on what turns up once the handle is off. A cartridge or washer kit costs less than a new faucet, and who supplies the faucet matters. Seized multi-turn stops and brittle solid risers add parts. Access changes the labor: an undermount sink in a stone top, a corner sink or a cramped vanity takes longer to work in. Thin or loose drain parts usually get replaced while the sink is apart. A full sink swap, or disposal and dishwasher connections sharing the same drain, widens the job.

Faucet makers set their own warranties on cartridges and finishes, so register the faucet and keep the receipt. Ask any plumber to write down what their labor covers.

Does faucet or sink work need a permit in Fraser?

Not for a rebuild. LARA's plumbing permit rules exempt repairs that touch only the working parts of a faucet or valve. Replacing the sink goes further, and the City of Fraser lists lavatories with its other standard fixtures at $10 each on the FY 2026-27 fee schedule, plus a $30 application fee filed online. Only a licensed plumbing contractor or a homeowner working on their own house can pull that permit, and LARA's free license lookup shows any plumber's status. The building department can confirm what your job needs. Very old faucets have another strike: since the 2011 Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, the EPA caps drinking-water fixtures at a weighted average of 0.25% lead on wetted surfaces, down from 8%.

For full kitchen work, see kitchen plumbing services. We also handle faucet and sink calls in Center Line, Warren, Sterling Heights and St. Clair Shores.

Why call a Fraser plumber for a dripping faucet?

Our office is at 32940 Janet Ave, and most of the faucets we open sit in 1950s through 1970s ranches, split-levels and condos. On the phone, tell us what drips and where so the right cartridge family comes along. The plumber finds the worn part before anyone mentions a new faucet. If a rebuild will hold, you hear that. If the body is cracked or the parts are gone, you see why. When a sink swap needs the city's fixture permit, that comes up before work starts. Call (207) 419-2600.

Faucet and sink answers for Fraser kitchens and baths

Where can I get faucet repair near me in Fraser?

Phone us at (207) 419-2600. Our shop sits on Janet Ave near 14 Mile Rd, and we handle faucet and sink calls across Fraser and the cities around it. If you know the faucet brand, tell us when you call, since it helps us bring the right cartridge. Until we get there, closing the two valves under the sink stops a drip or a cabinet leak.

Why does my faucet still drip after I replaced the washer?

On an older two-handle compression faucet, the brass seat the washer presses against wears too. A pitted seat cuts a new washer in days. The seat can often be replaced or dressed smooth. On a cartridge faucet, a drip after a new cartridge usually means the wrong part, a missed O-ring or a scratched faucet body, and sometimes the body itself is the reason to replace it.

Is a dripping faucet worth fixing?

Yes. The EPA says a faucet dripping once per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year. A hot-side drip also keeps your water heater working for nothing. Most drips come from one worn part, so the repair is often small, and stopping it early keeps scale from building up on the seat or cartridge.

Why is the water pressure low at only one faucet?

When every other tap is fine, the problem is local. Check the aerator first, since scale and grit collect there, especially after any water shutoff. Next come the screens at the cartridge inlets, a half-closed stop valve under the sink or a kinked supply line. If pressure is low everywhere in the house, the cause is upstream and needs a different look.