How to Repair Danze Faucets

Danze isn't as well-known in the faucet industry as Moen or Delta, but its parent company, Gerber Plumbing Fixtures, has been in business longer than either of these two competitors. Gerber and Danze faucets occupy different ends of the price spectrum. Whereas Gerber faucets are primarily utilitarian, Danze faucets tend to be stylish and pricey, with most models costing from $200 to $400 and some approaching triple figures.

Lower-end Danze faucets feature either ball-style or ceramic disk valves. The more expensive ones are almost exclusively equipped with ceramic disk valves, which are among the best you can find. They are precisely engineered to provide accurate flow, and they seldom leak. Ball valves, on the other hand, aren't quite as sophisticated and are more likely to leak.

Hard water and normal wear take their toll on all faucet valves, even ceramic disk ones. When the faucet leaks or flow is restricted, the repair necessarily involves removal of the valve for cleaning or replacement of rubber parts or the valve itself. To do that, you have to remove the handle, and the procedure varies according to the faucet model. In most cases, you remove a hex screw located on the handle or a Phillips screw located under a cap on the top of the handle.

The Danze Sirius line of bathroom, kitchen and shower faucets features the most unusual handle design, and unless you've consulted the Danze faucet repair instructions for that model, it might baffle you. Danze Sirius shower handle removal, like the removal of the handle from a Sirius sink faucet, is actually quite simple, though.

Look on the bottom edge of the rectangular piece of metal that forms the handle and you'll see a hex head set screw. Turn this counterclockwise with a hex wrench and the handle will slide off the valve cover, revealing a pair of Phillips screws that hold the cover. Remove these screws and the cover will come off, allowing access to the valve.

When a ceramic disk leaks, it's usually because scale or some other debris has scratched the ceramic. This type of damage can't be repaired, so you have to replace the cartridge. It's best to have the new cartridge in hand before you take apart the faucet. To get a new cartridge, you'll need to know the model, which you can look up on the Danze website.

To remove the cartridge, begin by turning off the shutoff valves and draining the faucet, then remove the handle. Underneath the handle, you'll see a retaining nut that you can unscrew with locking pliers or a wrench. You may also have to unscrew the cartridge to remove it, but some are designed to just lift out.

Check the valve seats for rubber gaskets and replace any you find. Insert the new cartridge and screw it in if necessary, then screw on the retaining nut and replace the handle. That's all there is to it.

After you remove the handle from a Danze ball-valve faucet, you have to unscrew the cap, which is often doable by hand, especially if you wear a rubber glove. Then unscrew the retaining nut to release the ball using pliers or a wrench and remove the gaskets and springs in the valve seat using a screwdriver. Replace the gaskets, springs and the ball if it's damaged. Put everything back together and you're done.

If a Danze faucet is leaking from the handle, all you should have to do to stop the leak, according to the Danze website, is tighten the valve retaining nut. This may also stop leaking from the spout.