How to Fix a Leaky Faucet

The most common sources of any leaking faucet are a worn out washer or gasket, a loose O-ring or corrosion in the valve seat. All these problems can be fixed easily with most faucet repair kits. Sometimes knowing you have a leak is as simple as hearing the faucet dripping. No matter how tight you twist the handle, it still drips. However, some leaky faucets have irregular or faint drips that can go unnoticed. The best way to identify slow faucet leaks is to use your home’s water meter.

• Check the meter and record its reading.
• Cut off the water to all your faucets and any appliances that use water such as an ice maker.
• Wait 2-3 hours and check the reading on your meter.
• If you have a slow leaking faucet, the meter reading will have increased.
• Check all the faucets in and outside your home to see which one has signs of moisture or water.
  

Before you begin to fix a dripping faucet, your first step is to shut off the water supply.

• Twist the valve under your sink to turn off the water supply. If there aren’t individual shutoff valves under the sink, shut off the water supply for the house.
• Turn on the faucet and leave it open. This will allow the remaining water in the line to empty into the sink.

Tip: Insert a sink stopper or cover the sink opening with a small cloth or towel to prevent tools from falling down the drain.

The type of faucet in your kitchen or bathroom may be a single or double handle or have a modern pull-down wand design. Some showers and tubs can also have a twisting ball faucet. How you remove the faucet handle depends on your faucet type.

• If there is a set screw behind the handle, insert a hex key or Allen wrench into the screw and turn it to remove.
• If the handle has a top screw cover, pry it off with a flat screwdriver and set aside. Then, use a Phillips head screwdriver to loosen the screw underneath the cover.
• Pull the handle free.

Removing the handle of a leaky shower faucet or bathtub faucet requires a bit more work.

• If the handle has a cap, remove it with a flat head screwdriver. Use a Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the handle.
• Remove the faceplate behind the handle from the shower wall. If it has threads, unscrew the faceplate from the wall and remove it.
• Find the metal sleeve over the shower valve. Pull it off or unscrew it.
• If the shower valve has a locking clip, pry it off with needle nose pliers or a screwdriver.

The faucet cartridge or faucet stem is found in most two-handled kitchen and bathroom faucet styles. This is the part that regulates the flow of hot and cold water.

• Using a wrench, loosen the packing nut in the handle assembly.
• Remove and set aside.
• Gently pull the part straight up and out of the assembly.

Now that you’ve inspected the cartridge or stem and identified it as the source of your dripping kitchen faucet or bathroom faucet leak, you’ll have to replace it.

Cartridges and stems come in many shapes and sizes. The easiest way to find the right replacement part is to know the name of the faucet’s manufacturer and the faucet’s model number. If you’re not sure, take the old cartridge or stem you’re replacing to the store. Then, you can use a reference guide to match it to the exact cartridge you need.

• Clean and dry the area around the handle and all the parts with a cleaning solution and cloth.
• Inspect the O-rings around the housing. Replace any that look damaged or worn.
• Insert the new cartridge or stem, making sure it is aligned correctly.

Once you’ve installed the new cartridge or stem:

• Reattach the faucet by working backwards through the steps you used to remove it.
• Turn your water line back on.
• Remove any debris or towels, and clean your sink.
  
• Run both hot and cold water through your faucet for a few minutes to ensure your aerator isn’t clogged.

The aerator is the piece that screws onto the end of the faucet spout. It can be easily removed and cleaned if buildup is hindering continuous water flow.