We install, repair and service all types of kitchen, bathroom and utility room faucets and fixtures including:
- Sinks
- Bathtubs
- All types of faucets
- Shower systems
- Garbage disposals
- Water filtration systems
- Water dispensers
When installing or repairing any fixture, we always focus on proper installation as well as the overall appearance of the fixture upon completion.
Faucet repair or faucet replacement
Most faucet calls come down to one question: is this one worth fixing? A drip at the spout, a handle that has to be forced, or a leak at the base usually means a worn cartridge, seat, or O-ring. If the faucet is a known brand and the parts are still made, a repair is the sensible answer and the finish you like stays on the sink. If the body is corroded, the brand is unknown, or the same faucet has been rebuilt before, a replacement costs less of your time in the long run and comes with a new warranty.
Hard water is the reason so many Southwest Florida faucets fail early. Lee County and Cape Coral water leave mineral scale inside the cartridge and around the seat, so the handle gets stiff and the seal stops closing all the way. Cleaning the aerator and flushing the cartridge is a fair first step on your own. When the drip comes back within a few weeks, the cartridge itself is done, and on some older faucets the housing has worn along with it.
Garbage disposal jams, hums and replacement
A disposal that hums but does not turn is jammed, not dead. Power off at the switch, then free the plate with the hex key in the socket under the unit and press the reset button. Never put a hand in the chamber. A disposal that is silent with the switch on has usually tripped the reset or lost power at the outlet under the sink.
A unit that leaks from the bottom, has rusted through at the flange, or trips the reset over and over is at the end of its life. Most disposals in this area last around eight to twelve years, less in a home that runs the unit hard or feeds it fibrous scraps. When we replace one, we match the horsepower to the household, check the drain connection to the dishwasher, and test the whole assembly under running water before we leave.
- Hums with no rotation: jammed. Power off, hex key, reset button.
- Silent with the switch on: reset button first, then the outlet.
- Leaking underneath: the body has rusted through. Replacement.
- Trips repeatedly or smells burnt: the motor is failing.
Sink drains, traps and pop-ups
A slow bathroom sink is almost always the pop-up stopper and the P-trap below it, packed with hair, soap and toothpaste. That is a cleaning job, not a drain cable, and it is one a careful homeowner can do with a bucket and a pair of pliers. A kitchen sink that backs up on both bowls is further down the line, where grease and food have narrowed the drain, and on homes built before 1975 the cast iron under the slab may be part of the story.
We replace corroded chrome traps and tailpieces with new PVC, reset stoppers that have stopped sealing, and repair the basket strainer when the sink leaks at the drain rather than at the faucet. If the trap arm behind the wall is rusted, we can usually cut it back and rebuild the connection without opening more than a small section.
Touchless, pull-down and salt-air finishes
Touchless and pull-down kitchen faucets are the most common new installs we see, and they bring their own set of failures. Pull-down hoses wear at the weight and the spray head seal, so the head starts to drip or the hose will not retract. Touchless models depend on a battery pack or a small power supply under the sink, and a faucet that stops responding is usually a dead battery, a sensor fogged by scale, or a solenoid that has failed. Most of those are repairs; a failed solenoid on an older model is often a replacement.
On Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Pine Island and along the river, salt air is hard on finishes. Chrome pits, oil-rubbed bronze wears through, and the set screws that hold handles corrode in place. For a home near the water we favor solid brass bodies and PVD finishes, and we tell you which parts are worth ordering ahead if the faucet is a brand that is slow to ship.
What to expect on the visit
Have the water shutoff valves under the sink in mind, and let us know if either one will not turn, because that changes the job. Tell us the brand of the faucet if you know it. We bring common cartridges, supply lines, traps and disposals on the truck, so most repairs and straight replacements are done on the first visit. If you are supplying your own fixture, have it on site and unboxed so we can check it for missing parts before the old one comes out.
A dripping faucet is not an emergency, but a supply line that has burst under a sink is. Close the shutoff valve under the sink, or the main valve at the house if that one will not hold, and call. A plumber answers 24/7.
Call Van Franey Plumbing at (239) 851-0207 to install, repair or service your faucets and fixtures
Learn more before you call
- How do I unjam and reset a garbage disposal?
- Choosing a garbage disposal: horsepower, noise, and septic
- Low water pressure at one faucet? Clean the aerator first
- Touchless and pull-down kitchen faucets: what breaks and what to buy
- Bathroom sink draining slowly? Clean the pop-up stopper and the P-trap
Common questions about faucets, sinks and disposals
Can you repair my faucet, or does it have to be replaced?
If the brand is known and parts are still made, a cartridge or seat repair usually solves a drip or a stiff handle. A corroded body, an unknown brand, or a faucet that has already been rebuilt is a better candidate for replacement.
Why does my garbage disposal hum but not turn?
It is jammed. Turn the switch off, free the plate with the hex key in the socket under the unit, remove what was caught, and press the reset button. If it jams again right away or trips the reset, the motor is worn and we should look at it.
Can I supply my own faucet or disposal?
Yes. Have it on site and unboxed so we can check for missing parts before the old fixture comes out. We can also supply a fixture if you would rather have one we know holds up in local water.
Do you install water filtration and instant hot water dispensers at the sink?
Yes. Under-sink filters, reverse osmosis units and hot water dispensers all mount under the sink and tie into the cold supply, and we handle the extra hole in the sink or counter if one is needed.