A sink gets hammered. . .trouble spouts up in the tub

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Q: Dear Ed, thanks for being here to help out not only homeowners, but us contractors as well! I'm a licensed handyman and recently I was doing work in a customers bathroom and unfortunately I dropped my hammer in the bathroom sink. The good news is that the sink is cast iron and did not crack. The bad news is that it did chip a bit of the enamel finish off the cast iron. My question is; Can cast iron sinks be repaired? The customer is a friend of mine and will go for the repair if can be done; otherwise I owe them a sink. Sal -- Tennessee.A: First off Sal you are a lucky contractor to have such an understanding customer. I have had clients who put up a stink because they felt that the color of the caulking was a shade off from the color of the fixture. No matter how I tried to explain that different materials will reflect slightly different colors, it didn't matter, they still complained. So, if you have a customer who is willing to forgive you for dropping a hammer, I would do anything I could to keep that customer! Another lucky break is that it was not a porcelain or a china sink. Once a fired clay based sink is cracked or chipped, usually there is no way to fix it and it will have to be replaced.More good news is that yes, cast iron sinks can be repaired as long as the cast iron frame is not damaged. Chips in cast iron can be filled in with special resins and fillers that can be colored to match the sink and buffed to a smooth finish. This does two things; First, it restores the sink to a normal looking finish and second, it covers and protects the exposed cast iron from rusting. However, this is not a job for the normal homeowner or contractor. Usually this job is done by a professional fixture repair person who is more of an artist than a service person. If you call your local plumbing supply house it can usually recommend the right person for the job. Or, find the make and model of the fixture and the manufacturer may have a service rep in your area who also can make the repair. This is a service that you will have to pay for since it was not a factory defect. But, all in all that was a pretty lucky chip shot you took in the sink. In this case it sure beats a hole in one.Q: Ed, we recently moved into an older home and have a problem with the tub. The noise from water dripping out of the spout is driving us crazy! The spout is the kind with a diverter button that we are not used to. If you can give me any information on what we can do ourselves before we have to call a plumber that would really help us out. Rick --Canada A: Hi Rick, and a big hello to all my friends in Canada! Believe it or not I have received several letters from homeowners in Canada with the same problem. There is one thing you can try and it may just be a simple fix. The type of spout you described has a built in diverter valve. When you pull the lever up it diverts water up to the shower. The key is that when you finish with the shower and shut off the water, you need to push the lever down to drain out the shower feed line. If you don't drain the line, the water may slowly drip out of the spout for hours. However, if you notice that the water never stops dripping, or even after you drain the shower water line it still drips constantly, you may have a mixing valve leak. A mixing valve leak needs to be addressed by a licensed plumber since it is now a temperature control valve issue. But try the simple diverter setting first and you may save yourself a service call.(Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known nationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call" and for hosting TV shows on Scripps Networks and HGTVPro.com. For information visit eddelgrande.com or write eddelgrande(at)hgtvpro.com. Always consult local contractors and codes. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)