The bathroom faucet has been leaking for months, drip drip driving me crazy. A plumber told me it's a worn washer. Have you guys ever replaced it yourselves? Should I just buy a replacement kit on Amazon or is it complicated?
What kind of faucet do you have, single-lever or two-handle? Generally it's a pretty straightforward thing if you've got some basic handyman skills - shut off the main water supply, take apart the top part of the faucet (usually just needs a wrench), remove the old washer and put the new one in. The kit on Amazon costs like 5-15 euros, so it's definitely worth doing it yourself rather than paying a plumber. The only thing is you gotta identify the model correctly because the washers aren't all the same, but if you take a photo and read the reviews you'll easily find the right one.
The cost isn't exactly zero if you buy the kit on Amazon, it depends on how much you spend to get the right part. Anyway yeah, it's one of the most doable repairs you can do yourself and you don't even need that much skill. What you really need is to properly identify what type of faucet you have, because a ceramic washer costs like 5-10 euros, but if you order the wrong part you've wasted time and money.
Here's how you do it: shut off the valve under the sink (the one that controls the flow), if there isn't one access the main valve. Then take apart the upper body with an adjustable wrench or a specific wrench if your faucet needs one - this really depends on the model. Once you can see inside, you'll see the washer that's probably worn out, blackened or warped. Take out the old piece, clean the seat well (sometimes there's limescale buildup that ruins the new washer right away), and put the new one back in the same spot. Reassemble everything and you're done.
The only thing that can really complicate things is if the faucet is crusty with limescale or if the seat's been damaged from years of wear. In that case you might need another component too like the spring or the support plate, but you'll find them together in the kit. Check the faucet brand before you order, so you don't end up with incompatible parts.
Don't let yourself be talked into getting some "universal" kit that works for everything - those are a disaster. I tried one years ago with an old faucet and ended up spending more money on failed attempts than I would have if I'd just called a plumber. The key is knowing exactly what model you have before you even touch Amazon.
Once you know what you're looking for, though, it's honestly a really easy job. I still end up changing them now and then for friends who have decent faucets - nothing complicated. Turn off the water from the valve under the sink (or from the main one if there isn't a shut-off valve there), take apart whatever needs to come apart, pull out the old seal which is usually hardened rubber, pop in the new one and put it back together. The cost is minimal, like 10-20 euros for the right part if you find it online, less if you go to a plumbing shop where the old-timers know their stuff and will give you solid advice. Time-wise? Twenty minutes tops if you're not in a rush and you're not the type who usually ends up fighting with screws.
The important thing is not to use overly aggressive pliers when you're taking it apart because you'll damage the faucet itself, not just the seal. And if the faucet is really old and the internal seat is pure corrosion, then yeah, it's worth replacing the whole thing. But from what I'm imagining of a faucet that's been leaking slowly for months, it's almost definitely just the seal, and that's really a job anyone with two hands can do.
Before you go ahead and buy any kit, check the serial number or model of the faucet - it's usually stamped under the base or on the hidden metal part - because the right gasket costs like 5-15 euros and the difference between the correct part and a generic one is huge. A trick not everyone knows: when you take the faucet apart, photograph each step with your phone before you remove the pieces, so you don't end up with screws and gaskets scattered around with no idea where they go - this happens constantly even to people who aren't completely hopeless at DIY. The job itself is really straightforward if you've got the right model, just 10-15 minutes of work.
I've done it a couple of times and I'll tell you that if it's really just the gasket the cost is minimal, like 5-15 euros for the right part. The only thing nobody mentioned is that before you take anything apart, snap a photo or two of the faucet from different angles with your phone - when you put it back together two weeks later you never remember where all the little pieces go and you end up with two mysterious bolts left over. If the faucet is relatively new and from a known brand (Grohe, Hansgrohe, Paffoni), the kit on Amazon works, but if it's old or no-name you risk ending up with a piece that doesn't fit and it's not worth the hassle, in that case just call a plumber who costs like 50-80 euros in labor but at least it gets done right.
If you really can't find the exact faucet model, try taking a photo of the disassembled internal part and bring it to a physical hardware store - not online. The staff usually recognize it straight away and can sell you the right gasket for the type and diameter without you having to hunt around. They cost just a few euros, the job is straightforward if you've got two hands and a bit of patience, and at least you won't waste money on kits that turn out to be useless. One thing though: turn off the main water supply BEFORE you touch anything, otherwise you'll end up with a flooded bathroom and that dripping faucet becomes the least of your problems.
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