That Drip Is Costing You More Than You Think
The average plumber service call costs $150 to $250, and most of that is for showing up. The actual repair on a standard leaky faucet takes about 20 minutes and requires a part that costs somewhere between $3 and $15. That math should make you angry enough to fix it yourself, and the good news is that you absolutely can. A leaky faucet is one of the most common household repairs, and it’s also one of the most straightforward once you understand what’s actually causing the drip. In most cases, a single worn-out rubber washer or a degraded cartridge is the entire problem. Replacing it requires no special skills, no expensive tools, and no prior plumbing experience.
Beyond the repair cost, that steady drip is wasting water. A faucet that drips once per second wastes over 3,000 gallons per year. That’s real money on your water bill and a genuinely fixable problem sitting right in front of you. Here’s exactly how to fix a leaky faucet, start to finish, with no plumber required.
Figure Out What Kind of Faucet You Have
Before you touch anything, you need to know what type of faucet you’re working with because the fix is slightly different for each one. There are four main types in residential homes. Compression faucets have two separate handles, one for hot and one for cold, and they work by pressing a rubber washer against a valve seat to stop water flow. These are the oldest and simplest design, and the most common source of drips because that rubber washer wears out over time. If you have two handles that you twist to turn on and off, this is almost certainly what you have.
Ball faucets have a single handle that moves over a rounded ball mechanism inside the faucet body. These are common in kitchens. Cartridge faucets also have a single handle but move up and down for flow and left to right for temperature, using an internal cartridge. Ceramic disc faucets are the newest design and use two ceramic discs that slide against each other. For most homes, you’re dealing with either a compression faucet or a cartridge faucet. If you’re not sure which one you have, take a photo of your faucet and search for the brand name (usually printed on the base or handle). The manufacturer’s website will tell you the model type and the replacement parts you need.
Turn Off the Water Before You Do Anything
This step sounds obvious but skipping it is how bathroom floors get flooded. Look under the sink for the shut-off valves. There should be two: one for hot, one for cold. Turn both clockwise until they stop. If your valves are stuck or you can’t find them, turn off the main water supply to the house instead. Once the valves are closed, turn the faucet on to release any remaining water pressure in the line. When the water stops flowing, you’re safe to start taking things apart. Put the drain stopper in or cover the drain with a rag so you don’t lose small parts down the sink.
Fixing a Compression Faucet
If you have a two-handle compression faucet, the drip is almost always caused by a worn-out seat washer. Start by removing the decorative cap on top of the handle. It’s usually a small round disc that says H or C. Pry it off gently with a flathead screwdriver. Underneath is a screw. Remove that screw and pull the handle straight up and off. Now you’re looking at the packing nut. Use an adjustable wrench to unscrew it counterclockwise. Pull the stem assembly out of the faucet body.
At the bottom of the stem, you’ll see a small rubber washer held in place by a brass screw. This is your problem 90% of the time. The washer is compressed, cracked, or deformed, and it’s no longer creating a watertight seal against the valve seat. Remove the brass screw, pop out the old washer, and replace it with an exact-size match. Take the old washer to the hardware store if you’re not sure of the size. While you’re there, pick up a small tube of plumber’s grease. Apply a thin coat to the new washer and the threads of the stem before reassembling. This helps the handle turn smoothly and extends the life of the new washer. Reassemble everything in reverse order: stem in, packing nut tightened, handle on, screw in, decorative cap replaced. Turn the water back on and check for drips.
Fixing a Cartridge or Ball Faucet
Single-handle cartridge faucets drip when the internal cartridge wears out. The process is similar: remove the handle (look for a set screw on the side or back, often hidden under a decorative cap), then pull or unscrew the retaining clip or nut holding the cartridge in place. Pull the cartridge straight out. Some cartridges are stubborn and may need a cartridge puller tool, which costs about $10 and saves you from cracking the faucet body by yanking too hard. Take the old cartridge to the hardware store to match it. Brand-specific cartridges vary significantly, so an exact match matters. Install the new cartridge, reassemble, and test.
Ball faucets are slightly more complex because they have multiple small parts: springs, inlet seals, O-rings, and the ball itself. The easiest approach is buying a ball faucet repair kit for your brand, which includes every part that could be causing the leak. Replace everything at once rather than trying to diagnose which specific piece failed. The kit costs $10 to $20 and the process takes about 30 minutes. YouTube has excellent visual guides for every major faucet brand, and watching a three-minute video specific to your model before you start will make the whole job feel much less intimidating.
What If the Drip Doesn’t Stop After Replacing Parts
If you’ve replaced the washer or cartridge and the faucet still drips, the problem is likely the valve seat itself. The valve seat is the surface inside the faucet body that the washer or cartridge presses against. Over time, mineral deposits or corrosion can pit the surface of the valve seat, preventing a clean seal even with a brand-new washer. You can feel this by running your finger over the valve seat after removing the stem. If it feels rough, pitted, or uneven instead of smooth, that’s your culprit.
A valve seat grinding tool, also called a seat dresser, costs about $10 and smooths the surface in about two minutes. Insert it into the faucet body, apply light downward pressure, and rotate it several times. Wipe away the metal shavings, install your new washer, and the seal should be perfect. In rare cases, the valve seat is replaceable. Use a valve seat wrench to unscrew it and bring it to the hardware store for a match. If none of this is working and you’ve confirmed you’re using the correct replacement parts, this is the point where calling a plumber is actually justified because you may have a cracked faucet body that needs full replacement. But for the vast majority of leaky faucets, you’ll never get to this point. The money you save on this one repair covers the cost of the tools several times over, and those tools work on every faucet in your house.
Preventing the Next Leak
Now that you’ve fixed the current drip, a few habits will keep your faucets working longer before the next one starts. Don’t overtighten the handles when you turn the water off. Cranking the handle as hard as you can compresses the washer against the valve seat with unnecessary force and accelerates wear. Turn the handle until the water stops and then stop turning. If you have hard water, mineral buildup inside the faucet accelerates wear on every moving part. A whole-house water softener addresses this at the source, but if that’s not in the budget, periodically soaking the aerator and any removable parts in white vinegar overnight dissolves mineral deposits before they cause problems.
Keep a small kit under each sink with a replacement washer or cartridge for that specific faucet, an adjustable wrench, and a roll of plumber’s tape. When the next drip starts, and eventually it will because washers are consumable parts that wear out by design, you’ll have everything you need to fix it in fifteen minutes without a trip to the hardware store. Knowing how to fix a leaky faucet is one of those basic skills that saves real money year after year. You’ve done it once now. Every time after this gets faster, easier, and costs you nothing but a few dollars in parts.
