Faucet Repairs and Fixture Installation in Courtice

Faucet Problems We Fix

According to the Region of Durham, "leaking faucets occur when washers, O-rings or seals become dirty or worn." The Region also notes that "dripping faucets can waste water and money too". That is good news for repairs, because in most cases the fix is a part, not a whole faucet:

• A drip from the spout after the handle is closed usually means a worn cartridge in a single-handle faucet, or a worn washer or seat in an older two-handle model.
• Water seeping around the handle or from under the base points to O-rings or seals that have hardened or worn through.
• Weak flow from one faucet is often the aerator screen on the end of the spout, clogged with grit or scale. If cleaning it does not help, the cartridge or a supply line may be restricted.
• A handle that has turned loose, stiff or fussy about temperature is normally cured by a fresh cartridge rather than a new faucet.
• Under the sink, a dripping supply line or a shut-off valve that will not close is replaced so the faucet can be isolated again.

Repair or Replace the Faucet?

When the faucet itself is sound and the maker still supplies parts for it, a repair is usually the economical choice. Replacement makes more sense when the faucet body has cracked or corroded, the plating is peeling, the cartridge is no longer made, or you simply want a different style. We tell you which way we would go and price both when the choice is close. Any replacement we fit is chosen to suit the existing sink or counter holes, and the shut-offs and supply lines get a look while the water is off.

Old Faucets, Brass and Lead

The Durham Region Health Department notes that the National Plumbing Code allowed lead in solder until 1986, and that even fairly recent homes may have lead in brass fittings or solder. Its advice is to drink and cook only with cold water that has been flushed through the tap, because hot water has been shown to contain more lead, and it names replacing a lead service pipe or lead plumbing fixture as the best way to reduce exposure. If you are concerned, the Region offers free lead testing to homes and businesses on municipal water that were built before 1990: you request it online or by phone, a sampling kit arrives by mail, and the sample is taken at the kitchen tap. The result can help you decide whether an old faucet should go.

Shower Valves, Tubs and Outdoor Taps

• Shower valves: if the shower drips after it is off, the handle is stiff, or the temperature jumps around, the cartridge is the usual suspect. When the whole valve has to be replaced, the work is done from the existing access hole where possible, or a remodel plate covers a larger cut, so the tile can often be kept.
• Tub spouts: a spout that keeps running when the shower is diverted usually needs a new diverter or a new spout.
• Laundry room: a dripping laundry faucet is rebuilt or swapped, and a new laundry tub can be set up with its water and drain connections.
• Hose bibs: an outdoor tap that split or leaks after a freeze is best swapped for a frost-free version, whose valve closes inside the house, away from the cold. Before winter, disconnect the hose and close and drain the line to any outdoor tap that is not frost-free.

Permits From Clarington

Repairing a faucet, or replacing one where it already sits, is fixture work. The Municipality of Clarington, which covers Courtice, lists "Replacement of plumbing fixtures" among projects that do not normally need a building permit. Moving a sink, adding a shower or plumbing a new bathroom counts as "Altering or adding any plumbing", which normally does. Clarington's Building Division can be reached at 905-623-3379 ext. 2660 or BuildingPermits@clarington.net, and permit applications are made online through the Service Clarington portal. A full remodel is a bathroom renovation project, and our renovation team handles that.

What Faucet Work Costs

Faucet and fixture prices are not listed in our 2026 Oshawa plumbing cost guide, so we quote each job. For a repair, the price follows the diagnosis: once the faucet is apart and the worn part found, you get a figure. A replacement quote shows a faucet we supply as its own line, and shower valve work that involves opening the wall is priced after a look at the layout. Quoting is free, and you get the figure in writing first.