Delta faucet repair is best with a genuine ‘Delta’ repair kit, not one of the many poor quality after-market sets for faucet repair. The repair time involved outweighs the additional cost. Here’s how to replace it.
Many after-market repair kits are made to inferior standards. We have found some of the cheepo kits to fail within one year. That goes for American Standard, Crain, Chicago and a host of other manufactures. The effort one spends shutting off the water, removing the handle, removing the top cap nut and replacing the parts greatly exceeds the money and effort acquiring original parts. Moen faucet repair
When a single handled faucet leaks from under the handle it is because of a worn cam assembly (#6) or the adjustment ring has loosened. The adjustment ring is on the top of the upper cap nut (#3) that retains the parts in the faucet. If you look closely, you will see little dents inside the top of the hole in the center. These dents control a threaded ring that pushes down on the cam washer assembly. More pressure here prevents water from leaking past the top of the ball.
A Delta repair kit contains a spanner wrench made to notch into the adjustment ring. Test the ball stem tension by moving it around. It should be a little tough to move without the handle. Increase the tension by tightening the adjustment ring clockwise until the stem is uncomfortable to move.
If the ring is frozen, clean it with several drops of vinegar. Sometimes WD-40 works well, just give it some time to loosen up calcium deposits around the adjustment ring. If the adjustment ring is frozen and will not move, turn off the water and remove the cap nut. Soak it in vinegar or a rust/lime remover for a few minutes and then try to loosen the ring.
Once tightened, the upper cam should not leak for years.