Fix Your Leaky Faucet!

Updated on: February 28, 2024
By: Greeniacs Team
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Benefits of fixing a leaky faucet:
Why bother fixing your leaky faucet? Here’s why it’s worth it!

Good for your wallet: A leaky faucet that loses one drop per second wastes up to 1,660 gallons of water a year.¹ You can calculate how much that’s worth on your monthly water bill! Also, if you do the repairs yourself, you can save around $50 to $75 in labor fees.

Good for the environment: Freshwater ecosystems are the most diverse ecosystems (around 12% of all animal species live in fresh water³), yet they are also the most threatened. On top of that, with dwindling water supplies, imagine how many other animals in nature will have to compete with humans for access to freshwater! As water supplies continue to dwindle, species living in and out of freshwater ecosystems are forced to compete with humans for access to freshwater. One of the major disruptions to freshwater habitats are dams and canals, which divert freshwater for human uses. For more information on water conservation and the environment, check out the Greeniacs article, “” .

Good for humanity: In a study concerning dwindling water supplies, the UNESCO director said, “Of all the social and natural crisis we humans face, the water crisis is the one that lies at the heart of our survival and that of our planet Earth.”⁴ The earth’s water supply has many threats: pollution, global warming, and overpopulation. Furthermore, of the 7.2 billion people⁵ that inhabit the Earth today, about 1.1 billion people lack access to potable freshwater⁶. Fixing that leaky faucet might just conserve a few more gallons of this precious resource.

Cost: Low to Moderate
A leaky faucet often needs only cleaning or replacement of a minor part. Replacing major parts can cost slightly more.

Time and effort: Moderately High
If you have spare parts and tools handy, this should only take around 15-30 minutes. You can also take parts over to a hardware store and have them remove the difficult parts and help you find replacements.

The alternative to conducting the repair yourself is calling a handy friend to help you out, or if you are in dire need, you can always call a plumber. As you might imagine, calling a plumber is slightly more expensive than doing it yourself, and will very likely take more than 15 minutes. Still, if both you AND your friends are all thumbs down, you might find writing a check or providing your credit card simpler!

Things you may need:

Instructions for faucet
Stopper for faucet drain
Philips-head screwdriver (X-shaped)
Flat-head screwdriver
Slip-joint pliers (wrap the jaws in cloth or tape to prevent any wear and tear on the faucet parts)
Allen wrench
Seat wrench
Heat-proof plumber’s grease
Utility knife
Rags or towels
Faucet repair kit (for compression or ball-types)
Replacement cartridge (for cartridge or disc type)

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General Tips:

While removing parts of the sink, line them up in the order that you took them off so you can put them back on the same way.
Don’t stop immediately once you’ve found something broken inside the sink. It is best to clean and check all of your parts, to be sure that they’re all in working order.
If you need replacement parts, bring your old part to a hardware store, where someone will be able to help you find the new part.

General Instructions For All Faucet Leaks

⁸Under the sink, there are pipes which divert water to the sink, or water valves. Twist the handles clockwise, or “righty-tighty” to shut off the water. If you don’t know what temperature the leaking water is, shut off the valves for each kind of water one at a time. The valve that shuts off the leak is the one you want to work with. If these valves are not under the sink, you may have to go directly to the water main to shut them off.
Turn the faucet back on to drain any remaining water in the faucet.
Put the stopper at the bottom of the sink to clog the drain and prevent nuts and bolts from going down the drain.
Lay a towel in the bowl of the sink to protect the basin from chipping, in case you drop any nuts or bolts.
Determine which kind of faucet you have. This will establish the kind of repairs that you may have to make. The four different types of faucets are listed below. You can find a detailed visual display of each type of faucet at Fixing a Leaky Faucet.

Type	# of Handles	Shape	Movement of Handles
Compression	2	Handles separate from spout. One for cold, one for hot water.	Twist handles for water flow.
Ball-type	1	Lever-like handle connected to dome shaped top above spout.	Handle pivots around a point on top of the spout like a ball and socket.
Disc	1or 2	Lever-like handles connected to column or disc shaped top above spout.	Handles pivot up and down for water flow and swiveling around side-to-side for temperature.
Cartridge	1 or 2	Any shape.	Push and pull handle in and out to adjust water flow, pivot right and left to adjust temperature.

Compression Faucet Instructions
First, determine the kind of leak:

If the faucet is leaking from the opening of the spout (where your tap water usually flows from, into your sink) or from the bottom of the handle, (where your handle meets the counter top or sink bowl) then you’ll need to work only with the handles.
If your faucet is leaking from the bottom of the spout (where the spout meets the counter top or sink bowl) then you’ll only need to work with the spout.

⁸Working with the handles
In compression faucets, turning the handle allows the water to flow through a gap between the valve seat and the seat washer, which are parts inside the handle. A leaky spout likely means that these parts need to be replaced. Leaky handles mean that either the O-ring needs replacement or the packing nut needs tightening.

Take note of whether the leaking water was hot or cold. Work on the handle that corresponds to the leak.
There is sometimes a decorative cap on top of the handle, like those labeling H and C for hot and cold. You either unscrew them or pop these caps off with a small screwdriver or utility knife, depending on the type of cap.
A screw should be visible. Remove the screw with a Phillips-head screwdriver.
Pull off the handle. This may require simple twisting, wiggling, or even prying.
There may be a retaining nut that holds the stem in place. Use pliers to remove this.
Pull or twist off the stem, which is a long column consisting of many smaller components.
Check the bottom of the stem, where the rubber washer used to sit inside the valve seat. Unscrew any washer screw fastening the washer to the stem.
Make sure the washer is still smooth and flexible. If it has hardened or become worn, this might be the problem, and it should be replaced. If you can’t pry it off yourself, you can take it to a hardware store and someone there will help you do so.
Keep checking the stem. At the top of it, there may be a stem nut or a packing nut. Unscrew these or pop them off with the wrench or pliers. If your handles are leaking, a loose packing nut may be the reason.
Check the O-rings. They are literally little O-shaped rubber rings somewhere around the stem that prevent water from leaking around the stem or handles. If these are starting to wear out, replace them. Cut the O-ring off with the utility knife. Grease up the replacement and slide or roll it back onto the stem.
Check the valve seat. This is the socket where the washer and everything above it was sitting. Use your finger to check the seat for dirt, damage, or anything that would prevent it from making that watertight seal with the washer. If it needs to be replaced, use the seat wrench to remove it and replace it. If it cannot be replaced, use a seat-dressing tool, which you can screw directly into the seat, sometimes with a packing nut.
Put everything back, but in reverse.

If you are more of a visual learner, check out this video: Fix Leaky Faucet. It provides a step by step demonstration of fixing a compression faucet leak.

Working with the spout
The problem probably lies in the O-ring, which prevents leaks from the spout. Here’s how to replace the O-ring:

There is probably a coupling nut at the bottom of the spout. Loosen it by turning it counterclockwise.
Pull out the spout.
At the bottom, you will see one or more O-shaped rubber rings. Cut any off that are worn or broken.
Replace the O-rings by sliding them back onto the spout.
Put the spout back into the hole and fasten with the coupling nut.

Ball-type Faucet Instructions
In this kind of faucet, when the handle is raised, the ball’s rotation allows water to flow. If the spout is leaking, the problem is likely in the seats and springs. If the handle is leaking, this can mean either that the adjusting ring needs tightening or that there is a seal loose. If the bottom of the spout is leaking, the problem may be in the O-rings or the ball. For more information check out: Ball Type Faucet

The handle is set in place with a set-screw. Unscrew this and lift off the handle.
If the base of the spout is leaking, use the repair-kit wrench or and tighten the adjusting ring clockwise a little at a time. (If you cannot move the adjusting ring, go to the next step.) Turn the water and faucet back on to see if this has stopped the leak. If not, turn off the water and go onto the next step.
Unscrew the cap off by turning it counterclockwise.
If there is a spout underneath, wiggle and pull it up and off.
Pull the ball by its stem carrying the cam (a hollow cylinder resting on the ball).
Check the ball for wear and tear. If it is dirty, clean it. If there is just too much gunk on it, replace it with another ball.
Look back into where the ball came from. There should be two rubber seats and springs. Use pliers to remove them. If they are dirty, then clean them. If they are too worn or broken, replace them, putting the springs in first, then the seats over those (cupped sides of the seats facing down).
At the stem of the faucet, there are some O-rings. If the faucet is leaking from the base, this is probably the problem, especially if the O-rings are worn or hardened. Cut off or pry off the O-ring. Replace them by greasing and rolling or sliding on the replacement.
Put everything back together, in the reverse order that you took them apart. The slot in the side of the ball should fit with the pin in the faucet body. The cam also has a part which fits into a notch in the faucet body. If you need to put the spout back on, push down until you hear a click.
If the faucet still leaks, readjust the adjusting ring until it is right. Tightening it too much will make the handle hard to move, but if it is too loose, the faucet will leak.

Disc Faucet Instructions
In these kinds of faucets, the water is controlled by the alignment of the two discs. Disc faucets don’t often have problems. So, when they do, the problem is probably a worn seal. It is rare, but sometimes the problem can also be a broken disc, in which case, the entire disc needs to be replaced.

If there are two handles, there are two possible parts you need to work with:
- If the water is leaking from the bottom of the spout, refer to the instructions for working with the spout under compression faucets. The process will be the same.
- If the water is leaking from the handles or from the opening of the spout, remember whether the water was leaking hot or cold water and work with the corresponding handle. Go to step 2.
There may be a cap below or above the handle. If there is a cap above the handle, pop off or twist off by hand. If it is below, remove it after step 3.
Unscrew the set-screw or handle screw with a screwdriver.
Remove the handle.
There should be a cylinder or cartridge. Unscrew any screws that keep this in place. Then remove the cylinder. Clean cylinder if necessary.
Underneath, there will be O-rings which act as seals. Inspect these for wear and tear, and replace any that are broken.
If the area itself is dirty, clean it.
Reassemble the faucet to see if it has been fixed.
Before turning the water valves, turn the faucet on. Then, slowly turn the water valves to let any trapped air escape.
If the faucet still leaks, you need to replace the disc. Repeat steps 1-4 and find a replacement at the nearest hardware store.

Cartridge Faucet Instructions
Lifting the handle of the faucet raises the inner stem of the faucet, allowing the water to flow. The great thing about cartridge faucets is that the only parts that need to be replaced are either the O-rings or the cartridge. For an illustrated explanation, go to: Leaky Single Handle Cartridge Faucet.

If there are two handles, there are two possible parts you need to work with:
- If the water is leaking from the bottom of the spout, refer to the instructions for working with the spout under compression faucets. The process will be the same.
- If the water is leaking from the handles or from the opening of the spout, remember whether the water was leaking hot or cold water and work with the corresponding handle. Go to step 2.
There may be a cap on the handle covering the set-screw. Pry this cap off.
Unscrew the set-screw or handle screw with the Philips-head screwdriver.
Pull the handle off. If there is a decorative sleeve or snap in “hot-cold” button, pull this off too.
Look for a retainer clip, or a U-shaped piece of metal. If there a spout on top, remove the spout first.
Remove the retainer clip. There may be two, one for the handle and one for the faucet. If so, remove both.
Use pliers to pull the cartridge up.
Inspect the O-rings. If the O-rings are worn or broken, cut them off. Grease up their replacements and slide or roll them onto the cartridge.
Get a replacement at the nearest hardware store.
When you install the new cartridge, make sure the arrows are aligned as they were originally. You may need to lubricate the cartridge or the O-rings with grease.
Reinstall everything as you took them out.