The faucet for my kitchen sink is hard to turn

[Brian]

I have noticed that the faucet for my kitchen sink is hard to turn from one sink to the other.

It has become so hard to move it that I'm afraid it will break.

Do I have to buy a new faucet or can this be repaired?

[home improvement guy]

The first time I heard of this the plumber said the faucet was frozen.

I had always thought a frozen faucet was, well, frozen like ice.

What he was telling me was a frozen faucet was one that was too stiff to use because of corrosion, water deposits, worn washers or the crud that builds up over time.

You can take a faucet apart at the sink to clean and to replace worn parts, but the repairs will be temporary and it would be wiser to simply replace the faucet.

Depending on how old the faucet is, the supplier may replace the entire faucet under their warranty plan, which varies from one manufacturer to another.

The major manufacturers I researched offer a limited lifetime warranty on their products with a one-year replacement warranty, but this excludes damage due to aggressive air or water conditions and harsh or abrasive cleaners, the very things that make the faucets stiff.

If you have hard water that leaves deposit or spots on your dishes or clogs the aerators at the faucets, you may need a water softener. If you have well water it is most likely you will need a softener and a filter.

To keep all faucets in good working condition remove the screw on aerators from the kitchen and bathroom faucets and clean with CLR or vinegar.

If the aerators are filled with minerals, replace each of them with a one and a half gallon per minute aerator to reduce the amount of water used.