How to Fix a Leaky Faucet (Without Calling a Plumber)
A dripping faucet wastes 3,000+ gallons a year. Identify your faucet type and replace the worn washer, cartridge, O-ring, or seal in under an hour with this step-by-step DIY guide.
A dripping faucet is the most ignored repair in the house and one of the most worth doing. It's not just the 3 a.m. plink — the EPA's WaterSense program calculates that a faucet leaking at one drip per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year, roughly the water for 180 showers. Multiply that across the country and household leaks waste close to 1 trillion gallons annually, equal to the yearly water use of 11 million homes. The good news: this is one of the cheapest, most beginner-friendly fixes there is. Most leaks come down to a worn rubber or ceramic part that costs a few dollars, and the whole repair takes under an hour with tools you probably already own.
What that drip is actually costing you
It's easy to ignore a slow drip until you see it as water — and money — leaving the house. Here's how different drip rates add up over a year, using the EPA's drip-to-gallons math and a typical U.S. water-and-sewer rate of about $0.012 per gallon.
| Drip rate | Gallons per year | Roughly equal to | Approx. yearly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 drips per minute | ~500 gallons | 60 dishwasher loads | ~$6 |
| 30 drips per minute | ~1,600 gallons | 95 showers | ~$19 |
| 1 drip per second | ~3,150 gallons | 180+ showers | ~$38 |
| Steady trickle (no gaps) | ~9,000+ gallons | A month of normal household use | ~$110+ |
The numbers look small per drip, but they run 24 hours a day, every day. A single fast-dripping faucet quietly out-wastes most of the water-saving habits people agonize over — and the fix is a part that costs less than the water lost in a month.
First, find the leak's real source
Before you buy anything, figure out where the water is actually escaping — it points straight to the worn part.
| Where it leaks | What's worn | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Steady drip from the spout | Seat washer, cartridge, ball seats, or disc seals | Easy |
| Water seeping from the base of the handle | Worn O-ring or packing | Easy |
| Drip under the sink at a connection | Loose or failed supply line or valve | Easy |
| Spray is weak or sputtering, not leaking | Clogged aerator — not a leak at all | Very easy |
If the symptom is weak or splattery flow rather than a drip, you don't have a leak — you have a scaled-up aerator, and the fix is to unscrew it and soak it in vinegar. That overlaps with the causes in our low water pressure guide. The rest of this guide is about true drips.
Identify your faucet type (this decides everything)
There are four faucet designs, and the repair is different for each. You can usually tell them apart by the handles and how they move.
| Type | How to spot it | What leaks | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Two separate handles you screw down firmly; oldest style | Rubber seat washer | Replace washer + seat |
| Cartridge | One or two handles that move smoothly, no "tightening" feel | The cartridge | Swap the whole cartridge |
| Ball | Single handle over a domed body; common kitchen faucets | Springs, seats, ball | Ball-and-spring repair kit |
| Ceramic disc | Single lever, short travel, premium feel | Hardened inlet seals | Replace neoprene seals |
Compression faucets are the leak champions because they rely on a soft rubber washer being crushed against a metal seat every time you turn them off — that washer wears out. The three single-handle types (cartridge, ball, ceramic disc) are "washerless" and last longer, but their cartridges, springs, and seals still eventually fail.
A shortcut: match it by brand
Most single-handle faucets are easiest to repair by brand, because each maker sells a drop-in kit:
- Moen — almost always a cartridge faucet; pull the old cartridge and match the number (a 1224 is the most common). Moen offers a lifetime warranty and will often mail you the replacement cartridge free.
- Delta — typically a ball faucet; a single ball-and-spring repair kit (RP4993-style) handles the rebuild.
- Kohler / American Standard — usually ceramic-disc or cartridge; replace the disc seals or the cartridge.
- Price Pfister (Pfister) — cartridge-based; brand-specific cartridge kits.
Snap a photo of the brand name on the spout or base before you head to the store — it can turn a guessing game into a five-minute parts-counter visit.
Is it the hot side or the cold side?
On a two-handle faucet, each handle is its own little valve with its own washer or cartridge — so a drip that's noticeably warm or cold tells you exactly which side to rebuild, and you only need to fix that one. On a single-handle faucet, hot and cold run through one shared cartridge, so the leaking side doesn't narrow anything down — you replace the single cartridge either way. Touch the drip for a moment to tell hot from cold before you start.
What you'll need
Tools
Most are already in a kitchen drawer
- Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers
- Adjustable wrench or channel-lock pliers
- Allen/hex keys (for set-screw handles)
- A rag and a sink stopper to block the drain
- A phone for step-by-step photos
Parts (match your faucet)
Bring the OLD part to the store
- Seat washers + O-rings (compression)
- A replacement cartridge (cartridge type)
- A ball-and-spring kit (ball type)
- Neoprene seals (ceramic disc)
- Plumber's grease and plumber's/PTFE tape
The cardinal rule of faucet repair: take the worn part to the hardware store and match it physically. Cartridges and washers come in dozens of sizes, and the brand stamped on the faucet (Moen, Delta, Kohler, Price Pfister) often has its own dedicated kit. Guessing means a second trip.
The step-by-step repair
1. Shut off the water and plug the drain
Reach under the sink and turn both shutoff valves clockwise until they stop. Open the faucet to release the pressure and confirm the water is truly off — if it keeps running, the under-sink valves aren't sealing and you'll need to shut off the water to the whole house first. Then drop a rag or stopper over the drain so a dropped screw or spring can't vanish down it.
2. Take the handle apart — slowly, with photos
Pop off the decorative cap on top of the handle, remove the screw underneath, and lift the handle free. Set-screw handles need a small Allen key on the side instead. Photograph every stage and lay the parts out left-to-right in the order they came off. Reassembly is just the photos in reverse.
3. Replace the worn part
- Compression: Unscrew the stem, remove the brass screw at the bottom, and replace the flattened rubber seat washer. If the metal seat it presses against is pitted, reseat or replace it too. Swap the O-ring while you're in there.
- Cartridge: Remove the retaining clip or nut, pull the old cartridge straight up, and slide the matching new one in the same orientation.
- Ball: Lift out the cam and ball, then replace the rubber seats and springs (and the ball if it's scored) with a kit.
- Ceramic disc: Lift out the cylinder and replace the neoprene inlet seals; the ceramic discs themselves rarely need replacing.
Smear a little plumber's grease on every O-ring and rubber seal before it goes back — it helps them seat and last.
4. Reassemble and turn the water on slowly
Rebuild in reverse, snug but not gorilla-tight (overtightening crushes new washers and causes the next leak). Open the shutoff valves slowly to avoid a pressure surge — sudden surges are what cause water hammer and banging pipes. Run hot and cold, then watch the spout and the base of the handle for a full minute. Dry, with full flow restored, means you're done.
DIY cost vs. calling a plumber
This is where a faucet repair really pays off. The parts are pocket change; a service call is not.
| Task | How often | DIY cost | Pro cost | Prevents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Even in the worst case — buying every consumable above — you're under $30 versus a plumber's minimum visit. And because a dripping faucet wastes 3,000+ gallons a year, the water-bill savings often pay for the parts before the year is out.
Still leaking? Quick troubleshooting
A rebuilt faucet that still drips is almost always one of four things. Work down this table before you assume the worst:
| Symptom after the repair | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Drip is the same as before | Wrong part — close but not exact | Re-match the old washer/cartridge precisely |
| Drip is slower but still there | Pitted valve seat (compression) | Reseat with a seat wrench or replace the seat |
| New stiff drip or hard to turn | Overtightened packing nut/washer | Back off slightly; don't crush the rubber |
| Leak now at the handle base | O-ring not greased or pinched | Re-seat the O-ring with plumber's grease |
| Mineral grit on every part | Hard water scaling | Clean parts; consider a softener long-term |
If the part matches, the seat is smooth, you reassembled gently, and it still drips — the valve body is worn out and it's time to replace the faucet.
When to stop and call a pro (or just replace the faucet)
Most faucet leaks are firmly in DIY territory, but a few signals mean the smart move is a new faucet or a plumber:
- You rebuilt it and it still drips — the valve body or seat is corroded beyond repair.
- The shutoff valves under the sink are seized or leaking themselves.
- You see green/white corrosion crusting the connections, or the faucet is decades old.
- Water is leaking from a cracked body, not an internal seal.
At that point a $30 parts repair is throwing money at a worn-out fixture. A mid-range WaterSense-labeled faucet installs in about an hour, uses 20% less water, and saves roughly $250 over its lifetime — frequently the better call than rebuilding an old one a third time.
Keep small leaks from becoming big ones
A faucet drip is the visible leak. The expensive ones hide — a silent toilet flapper or a weeping supply line under the sink can waste hundreds of gallons a day before you notice. A 10-minute leak check a couple times a year catches them all:
- Check toilets for silent leaks with a few drops of food coloring in the tank.
- Inspect washing-machine and toilet supply lines for bulges, corrosion, or dampness.
- Test your home's water pressure — pressure over 60 psi quietly chews through washers and seals.
- Keep drains flowing so backups never stress the fixtures.
- Re-seal wet areas — failed tub and shower caulk is another silent path for water to get behind walls.
Fixing a leaky faucet is the perfect first plumbing repair: low stakes, low cost, and an immediate, satisfying result. Do it once and the rest of the plumbing maintenance list suddenly feels a lot less intimidating.