When putting the water tap on if you see splashing from your kitchen tap it could be an indication that you have an older model of the kitchen sink. The type that is not suitable for today’s kitchens. Although kitchen taps have been designed to provide strong powerful water pressure and be easy to turn off, taps often still splash water when turned off. This can create a mess in your kitchen, bathroom and even cause damage to walls and floors.
Kitchen faucets have many functions. They can be used for rinsing dishes, filling pots and pans, watering houseplants, making coffee or tea, washing fruit and vegetables, and even as a source of drinking water. Kitchen taps also control the flow of water, which develops pressure that pushes the water through all these different uses. The potential problems related to your kitchen tap depend on what is actually going wrong with it.
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Adjust the water flow
The first thing to check is whether the water pressure or flow rate of your tap is too high. If it is, you should turn it down from the supply stop-tap under the sink or from the stop-valve located on the wall near your water meter.
Once you’ve adjusted your water pressure, and you’re still having splash-back issues, it could be that the inlet holes on your tap (the holes through which the water flows) are too small. If this is the case, then you need to adjust them so that they allow more water to escape. When checking the size of your inlet holes, remember that there are different sizes for hot and cold taps.
Increase the water pressure
- Check the aerator in your faucet. The aerator is the device that regulates water pressure and prevents splashing.
- Turn on the water to see if it splashes. If it does, remove the aerator and clean the screen on its underside. Clean the threads of the faucet as well.
- Replace the aerator and try again. If the water pressure is still low, contact a plumber or call your municipality’s customer service department to check your water pressure at the street if you are on municipal water service, or at your well head if you have a private well. It may be that your home needs more pressure than can be adjusted with an aerator.
- Install a pressure-increasing valve if your home has low pressure issues that cannot be solved with an aerator adjustment alone. A plumber will install this for you or you can do it yourself if you are comfortable with plumbing work and follow installation instructions carefully for safety reasons.
Check the inlet valves
The first stage to solving your water splashing issues is to check the inlet valves. These are located at the base of your taps. They can be made of plastic, so be careful when you remove them and try not to snap them.
Once removed you should be able to see the inlet holes where the water enters the tap. If these have become blocked with limescale or debris then that could cause splashing as the flow is restricted.To clear them, use a small pin or needle to poke through any blockages and allow the water to flow freely. Remember that limescale can build up quite quickly so you should check your valves regularly – particularly if you’ve recently started using a new dishwasher, which can create more limescale than usual.
Repair the aerator
Aerators are located on the end of the faucet where the water comes out. Most screw on, but some slide on. If you have a screw-on aerator, simply unscrew it counterclockwise with your fingers. If you have a pull-out type faucet, there will be a small cap on the end of the spout that comes off to reveal the aerator. Once you remove it, check for debris and clean it out if necessary.
Replace it by putting it back in position and turning clockwise until tight. If you turn it too far, you can damage the threads or make it leak around the aerator. Then turn on your faucet and check for leaks or splashing. If you still have problems, try cleaning or replacing the aerator again.
The key to solving this problem is patience and a bit of DIY know-how
We hope that the solutions that we have suggested in the article above will help you to eliminate splashing from your kitchen taps. You should remember that it takes a little bit of effort and DIY know-how to make the solutions work, but you should also remember that it’s worth it, since you will be able to use your kitchen sink without getting wet for the first time in quite a few months.
There are a number of quick fixes for this problem, like installing a diverter or replacing the tap set if your tap is more than twenty years old. But if your tap is relatively new, and you aren’t interested in having a plumber come around, there’s no need to call out the tradespeople just yet. With a bit of patience and a few simple tools, you’ll be able to fix these leaks yourself in little to no time at all.
Kitchen tap washers are inexpensive, usually costing less than $30. Simply swap out the old washer with a new one, adjust the taps so they face straight into the sink and hold them in place with epoxy before you turn on the water. This might seem tricky to do, but a little preparation can go a long way.
And if this sounds too complicated for you, call in an expert. Your home is your castle and preventing water damage is worth it. You can attempt to turn off the water supply entirely to fix this, but plumbers recommend fixing it temporarily. You can do so by using a wooden plunger. If you don’t have one, use an item that is bigger than the hole in the sink that’s allowing the water to pour out.
