FIXED! -- Kitchen faucet - Need to turn handles a lot to get water flowing

[Muse]

I'm posting this here in hopes that someone will know what's going on. Didn't used to be this way with this faucet, which I bought around 12 years ago. It has separate handles for hot and cold, utilizes rubber-like washers, which I just replaced a few days ago because I had a drip drip drip thing going on for a few weeks that annoyed me. If pushed the handles extra hard, the drip would stop but I don't ordinarily push that hard, so I had a drop every 10 seconds or so (on average, I guess). So, I replaced the washers. I've done that several times over the years.

But now more even than before, I have to rotate the handles further than I used to to get the water to even begin flowing. The hot handle I have to rotate more than 90 degrees to start flow, more like 115 degrees. The cold, maybe 75 degrees or more for it to start. This is annoying me!

After replacing the washer in the hot side, (and even before) there was some major resistance to turning the hot handle. I looked this up online and it said clean things up with vinegar. I did that some and also painted plummer's grease inside but it didn't help a whole lot. I think that's improved, but why in the world do I have to turn these things so far to get water to start flowing?

When I bought this faucet at a kind of wholesale plummer's supply place (IIRC). they had a couple possibilities (I have a double sink, so I needed a swivel stem). I picked the cheaper one, maybe $70 IIRC, the expensive one was probably more than 2x the cost. The cheaper one looked good, but now I'm thinking I should have maybe popped for the expensive one?

 

[Micrornd]

Were the new washers a lot thicker than the ones you replaced ?

 

[Greenman]

12 years out of a low end faucet isn't bad. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and replace it.

 

[mztykal]

Are there cartridges or stems for your faucet? If there are they’re probably extremely worn out. Cheaper to change the faucet.

 

[Muse]

Were the new washers a lot thicker than the ones you replaced ?

Don't think so... I think I figured it out. The cold slowed when I checked it later. Flow was maybe 10% of usual at full throttle, WTF. Late and cold, I went to bed. This AM almost no flow, a trickle. Turned off water, opened the cold handle fitting and detected that the reverse thread screw holding the washer down wasn't tight down. I tightened it down and both hot and cold are working OK now, I think.

I tried to get another reverse thread screw for the cold valve and came up empty at a big hardware store IIRC. It's phillips but the screw driver grip had stripped considerably (it's brass) had to cut a flat blade screwdriver slot in it with a hacksaw blade. That's how I grip it now. Wonder if I can find another screw somewhere. Well, I guess I can still use it. Anyway, faucet OK now I think!

Are there cartridges or stems for your faucet? If there are they’re probably extremely worn out. Cheaper to change the faucet.

I don't know the nomenclature but I think it's what you call a stem. Aren't the cartridges for ceramic? This has rubbery washers. Those washers start to drip drip drip leak once every couple years or so in my experience and need replacement. I usually just turn them over if the other side's OK. I sometimes smooth them with wet dry sandpaper, that works if the washer's in decent shape, but it takes elbow grease.