Bathroom sink: water still running when cold water handle is in "off" position (washer, phone)

[Inventedia]

Hi everyone,

So this problem has been going on for a few days now.. Basically, my (generic, no name brand to see) bathroom sink has 2 handles (hot and cold). The house was built in the 1970s, but it was renovated in late 2014 so all of the appliances and everything are new.

The hot handle works perfectly, but the cold handle is weird. When the handle is turned all the way "on", the water runs at full blast. When the handle is turned all the way "off", the water still runs at full blast. There is no difference in the strength of the stream based on the handle's positions - it is always on full blast. The only way to make the cold water stop is to the turn the handle about half-way between "on" and "off" positions. (You can kind of see this in the attached picture, but the angle of my phone was not straight on, so it isn't that clear.)

In doing some searches, I thought maybe the culprit was a washer or cartridge, but when I went to take the handle off, this is what is underneath. No idea what this is, and even doing a Google reverse image search yielded no results.

So, I don't know what this part is, how to get it off, how to describe it or how to explain the general issue in order to head down to a hardware store in attempt to find a replacement for whatever part is actually broken. I was trying to get some diagnostic info so I would be able to figure out what part was broken or how to fix it myself.

Does anyone have any insight? (either for this part or the issue as a whole)

Thanks so much.

[Annuvin]

Try replacing the cartridge (the blue thing). Remove the nut that is under it release it and it should slide right out. Take it to a plumbing supply store and they'll sell you a new one.

It is a very basic repair. The cartridge is the only thing in the faucet that controls the water flow.

This link may help you if you are unsure what to do.

[Noccidoggo]

Originally Posted by Annuvin

Try replacing the cartridge (the blue thing). Remove the nut that is under it release it and it should slide right out. Take it to a plumbing supply store and they'll sell you a new one.

It is a very basic repair. The cartridge is the only thing in the faucet that controls the water flow.

This link may help you if you are unsure what to do.

Thanks, Annuvin. The link was very helpful to ME, if not the OP. My bathroom faucet is driving me nuts right about now and it was a very timely post!