Faucets are the most-touched piece of plumbing in any home. A kitchen faucet is operated dozens of times a day; a bathroom faucet is operated by every member of the household, every day, for years. They're also the part of plumbing where 'quality of finish' shows up immediately — a beautiful sink with a wobbly, drippy faucet looks unfinished.
The economics of faucet work usually come down to one question: repair or replace? If your faucet is a quality brand that's less than 10 years old, repair is almost always the right answer — a $40 cartridge replaces a $400 faucet. If your faucet is no-name, more than 15 years old, or you don't love it, this is a great time to upgrade.
Common signs you need this service
- Steady drip from the spout or handle
- Aerator is clogged and the stream is weak or spitting
- Handle has gone loose or wobbly
- Visible green or white mineral crust around the base
- Hot/cold mix is wrong or the temperature won't hold
- Sprayer no longer pulls down or retracts properly
Why faucets actually fail
Three failure modes account for 90% of faucet service calls. The first is cartridge wear — the rubber and ceramic components inside the valve cartridge degrade with use, and when they do, you get a drip from the spout that doesn't stop no matter how firmly you close the handle. The second is mineral build-up — Kanata's moderately hard water deposits calcium and magnesium scale at the aerator (the small mesh screen at the tip of the spout) and at the cartridge seats. The fix for aerator scale is a 30-minute vinegar soak. The third is supply-line failure — the braided stainless lines under the sink that connect the faucet to the shut-off valves have a service life of about 10-15 years. When they fail, they fail spectacularly, which is why we replace any that look bulged, kinked, or visibly aged.
Choosing a new faucet that lasts
If you're upgrading, the things that matter for long-term value are: a brass body (not zinc — zinc bodies pit and corrode), a ceramic disc cartridge (not rubber-and-ball), good warranty support in Canada, and a finish that matches what you actually clean with. Brushed nickel and matte black hide water spots the best. Chrome is the cheapest to produce and the easiest to find parts for. Stainless looks great but is rarely actually stainless on lower-end faucets — most are stainless-look plating over brass or zinc. We recommend Moen, Delta, or Kohler for almost every residential install; Grohe and Hansgrohe for higher-end installs where the European look is the goal.
What we install in 90 minutes vs 3 hours
A like-for-like kitchen faucet replacement under a normal sink with accessible shut-offs takes 60-90 minutes. Adding a side-mounted soap dispenser or upgrading to a deck-plate model is another 30 minutes. A bathroom widespread faucet (three separate pieces with hot, cold, and spout in three holes) takes 90 minutes to two hours. A deep apron-front kitchen sink with a pull-down sprayer in a tight cabinet can run three hours, because you're often working flat on your back with the cabinet emptied. We'll always give you a realistic time and price up front.
Shut-off valves: the upgrade nobody asks for but everyone should
The angle stops (shut-off valves) under your sink are often original to the home. The old multi-turn screw-stem valves seize over time, and when you actually need to shut off water to the faucet — for a repair, for an emergency, for a renovation — they won't turn, or they leak when you do. We strongly recommend replacing original angle stops with quarter-turn ball valves whenever we're already under the sink. It's a $40 part, takes 15 minutes, and turns a future emergency into a non-event.
Our process
- 1
Diagnose the failure
Most drips trace to one of three parts: cartridge, valve seat, or O-rings. We identify which, on the spot.
- 2
Repair or replace?
If your faucet is a quality brand and parts are available, repair is almost always cheaper. We'll show you both numbers.
- 3
Source quality parts
Brand-matched cartridges and O-ring kits — not generic 'fits-most' parts that fail in six months.
- 4
Install and test
We pressure-test, check for leaks under the sink, calibrate the temperature limit, and clean the aerator.
What's included
- Full diagnostic of the faucet body and supply lines
- Cartridge or O-ring replacement with brand-matched parts
- Aerator clean or replacement
- Shut-off valve inspection (replaced if seized)
- Supply line inspection (replaced if old braided lines)
- Workmanship warranty
What affects the price
Brand and part availability
Moen, Delta, Kohler, and Grohe parts are widely stocked. Some imported European brands take a parts run.
Single vs multi-fixture
If we're already on-site, additional faucets on the same visit are quoted at a substantial discount.
Shut-off valve condition
Often the original under-sink shut-offs are seized — replacing them with quarter-turn ball valves is recommended and usually adds 20 minutes.
Sink and counter access
Vessel sinks, deep apron sinks, and tight under-sink cabinets add labour time.
Why Kanata homeowners choose us
- We carry universal cartridge kits for the top six brands on every truck
- We replace seized shut-off valves with quarter-turn ball valves as a matter of course
- Honest 'repair vs replace' math — sometimes a $50 cartridge is the right answer, sometimes a new faucet is
- We leave the under-sink area as clean as we found it
Kanata's municipal water is moderately hard, which means mineral build-up at aerators, cartridges, and valve seats is the most common cause of faucet performance issues. A simple soak in vinegar restores most aerators; a worn cartridge is usually the culprit when a drip persists.
Materials & brands we trust
- Moen
Our most-recommended residential brand for value and parts availability.
- Delta
Strong warranty, easy-to-source parts, and the DIAMOND seal valve cartridge is genuinely good.
- Kohler
Premium finish quality and excellent parts support.
- Grohe
European engineering — beautiful and durable when installed correctly.
Faucet installation is straightforward but every install includes shut-off verification at the main, supply line replacement if existing lines are over 10 years old, and a leak check at the supply, the faucet body, and the drain. Cross-connection prevention (per Ontario Building Code) is verified on any faucet with a sprayer or pull-down hose.
Swapping an aerator is genuinely homeowner-friendly. Replacing a cartridge is doable with the right instructions and a willingness to risk a small flood. Installing a new faucet is harder than YouTube makes it look — especially under a deep apron sink in a tight cabinet. If you've never done it, the labour cost of a pro is almost always worth it the first time.