Repair instructions for Delta 300 and 400.

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The Delta 300 and 400 single handle kitchen faucet.

How to Repair a Delta 300 / Delta 400 Single Handle Kitchen Faucet

By Celeste Stewart

Is your Delta 300 or 400 single handle kitchen faucet leaking? Real Plumbing Help can help! This is a fairly simple faucet for do-it-yourselfers to repair. In addition, while this article specifically covers repairing a Delta 300 or Delta 400 single handle kitchen faucet, the instructions also apply to some of Delta’s single handle lavatory and tub and shower faucets.

Before You Begin

First, you’ll need to head down to the local hardware or plumbing supply store and pick up a Delta repair kit as well as a new diverter if your faucet has a sprayer. This photo shows the contents of a Delta repair kit. Notice the ball? Some kits do not come with the ball, so make sure to select one that does.

Here’s a picture of the diverter. Diverters come in either plastic or brass.

You will also need a wrench, a small screwdriver, and plumbers grease. Do not substitute any other type of grease for plumbers grease.

Repairing the Delta 300 / Delta 400 Faucet

Once you have all of the necessary supplies, turn off the water to the faucet. Confirm that the water is off by turning on the faucet. You are now ready to begin the repair.

Your Delta repair kit comes with a tool that you’ll use for the first step. Use this tool to loosen the Allen key nut. Once loosened, pull the Delta handle off.

Use a wrench to carefully remove the nut, taking care not to scratch the finish. Next, lift out the ball and throw it away along with the white plastic piece

This next photo shows what remains of the faucet’s two rubber seats and two springs. Remove these items by lifting them out with a screwdriver. These are easy to remove as they are simply sitting in place.

Next, grab the faucet’s spout and remove it by moving it from left to right while pulling up. It should work its way out with relative ease.

Look at the round cylinder in this image. Do you see the small circle? That is the diverter which will need to be removed. Use a small screwdriver to gently pull it out of the cylinder.

Finally, it’s time to remove the last parts of the faucet, the O rings. Again, use your screwdriver to pry the O rings from the faucet. The brass faucet should now be clear of all parts including washers and O rings. Double check to make sure that the faucet is completely clear of any rubber remnants that may have been left behind.

Now that the faucet has been disassembled, let’s use the Delta repair kit to rebuild the faucet. Start by comparing the O rings that you just removed with the O rings in the repair kit. The Delta repair kit comes with two sets of O rings with one set being thin and the other being thick. While most Delta faucets require the thick O rings, you’ll want to make sure to use the size that you just removed.

Using a dab of plumbers grease, lightly grease the O rings, the ball, and all rubber parts.

Once greased, place the O rings on the brass cylinder. Take care to place them in the same grooves where the old O rings used to sit.

If the diverter has an O ring, lightly grease it as well. Note that some diverters do not use O rings, so don’t be alarmed if yours doesn’t have one. If your old diverter has an O ring, you may be able to use it with your new diverter. Push the diverter back into place, as far as it will go.

Next, grease the inside of the spout with plumbers grease and reinstall the spout by pushing in onto the brass cylinder. Work the spout back and forth while pushing it into place. If the spout does not ease into position, it’s likely that the diverter is interfering. Check the diverter and push it in further or remove its O ring.

Once the spout is back in place, you’ll need to carefully compare Delta repair kit’s tiny rubber seats and springs to the ones that you just removed from your leaking faucet. Like the O rings, the repair kit comes with two different sets of seats and springs. Make sure to select the correct ones for your faucet. Now that you’ve selected the right ones, grease the rubber (if you haven’t already), and then take a look at the springs. Notice how one end of the spring is thinner? This thin side goes into the rubber seat and the thick side sits inside the faucet as shown in this photo.

Now it’s time to install the new faucet ball. If you haven’t greased the ball yet, do so now. Pay attention to the slit on the ball’s side. This slit will need to slide over a small pin inside the faucet on the right side. While it’s difficult to see the pin in these photos, you’ll need to make sure to place the ball’s slit over the pin as you position it into place.

Next, place the rubber washer inside the white plastic piece as shown in these photos. Again, the rubber washer should be lightly greased. Take a look at the white plastic piece and locate the small nub. Now, examine the faucet, looking for a small groove. The nub needs to go into this groove – and stay in position. You will need to hold it in position while screw on the top nut which will then hold it into place once screwed in enough.

Use the Delta repair kit’s tool to adjust the handle’s tightness or address any leaking that may be coming out of the top of the faucet. The handle should move freely. Reinstall the handle and then turn the water back on. Before testing the faucet, remove the aerator which is a tiny screen on the spout’s tip. Lift the handle and run the water to flush out the faucet. Finally, reinstall the aerator and put away your tools.

Note: You will have two O rings and two sets of springs and rubber seats left over after your repair is complete. This is because the Delta repair kit comes with two different sizes of each. You’ll want to select the O rings and spring and rubber seats that match the ones used by your faucet and discard the leftovers.

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