Your kitchen faucet is one of the hardest working appliances in your home. It keeps dishes from going into the dishwasher with too much grime. It helps you wash off your fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s centrally located, so it’s likely your home’s handwashing home base.

If your kitchen faucet isn’t working properly, it throws everything else in your home out of whack. Dishes pile up. Hands go dirty. Vegetables are foregone in lieu of frozen pizza. Cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria. Just kidding… well, kind of. Your home really does rely on the functionality of the kitchen faucet to run smoothly. Unfortunately, like all other fixtures, kitchen faucets don’t last forever. When your faucet starts wearing out, you should replace it fast before you can’t rely on it anymore. If you notice any of the four signs below, consider replacing your faucet right away:

There are visible mineral deposits.

Mineral deposits can build-up inside your faucet, causing it to perform less than optimally. They frequently look like old toothpaste build-up both around the base and inside the spigot.

Constantly processing hard water makes these build-ups unavoidable in your faucets and other appliances. They can affect appearances as well as the inner workings of the faucet, like the gasket, filters, and flanges.

Having a water softener installed can keep these deposits from building up in the first place. However, once they’re significantly visible, it’s likely time to get your faucet replaced.

It’s really, really old.

The lifespan of your specific faucet depends on its make and model. Finding out the specific type of faucet you have can be difficult, but there are ways of figuring it out. For example, Moen frequently prints model numbers on the back or underside of the spout.

Finding the manufacturer information can help you diagnose the type of faucet you have, along with its lifespan. If you can’t figure out your faucet’s lifespan, you should generally replace any faucet that’s over 15 years old.

It’s gotten rusty.

Does your faucet handle stick or crack when you try to move it? Does it take a few seconds for water to come out when you turn it on? These are signs of internal rusting and corrosion. Once your faucet starts breaking down, there isn’t much you can do to fix it except replacing it.

Rust builds up internally before it becomes visible. The most common external places to find it will be around the base and spigot. If rust and corrosion is left alone, your faucet only more leak-prone and less effective as time goes on.

It keeps leaking no matter how many times you try to fix it.

Sometimes, it’s possible to fix a leaky faucet by replacing the cartridge inside the handle assembly. Sometimes, however, that won’t be enough. If your faucet keeps leaking after you’ve attempted to fix it once or twice, it’s time to replace it.

It’s not worth wasting money trying to fix a faucet when it’s much easier to replace the entire apparatus. Not only is a leaky faucet annoying, but constant leaking could also lead to mold growth. Often, replacing a faucet altogether will end up saving you more money than attempting a temporary repair.

Do you think it’s time to replace your kitchen faucet? All you need to do is call the professionals at Ben Franklin Plumbing. They’ll help you choose the best faucet option for your home and get it installed for you quickly and efficiently. We’re ready to help find the faucet that’s right for you.