Table of Contents
cuttingafaucetwasher
| Field | Repairs |
| Went Obsolete | 1980 |
| Made Obsolete By | Easy availability of neoprene washers and ceramic valves |
| Knowledge Assumed | Safe use of a knife, wrench and screwdriver |
| When useful | When stranded in a very old house with a dripping faucet |
Washers in faucets used to be made of leather. These were later replaced with soft rubber. When neoprene became available these old materials were no longer needed and then the advent of ceramic valves made it all obsolete. When an old faucet started to drip (and they all did sooner or later) it was possible to disassemble the top of the faucet and replace the washer. If you were lucky there would be a washer available in the right size. If not you could cut one, a small circle of leather or rubber with a hole in the middle for the screw.
