Stop That Drip: Fix a Leaky Faucet for Under $20

What’s Causing the Drip?

A faucet that drips once per second wastes over 3,000 gallons of water per year, according to the USGS drip calculator. That is roughly 15 extra dollars a month on your water bill for a fix that costs less than lunch for two. Almost every leak comes down to a worn washer, O-ring, or cartridge inside the faucet handle.

Identify your faucet type first. Take the handle off and look at the mechanism underneath. A compression faucet has a rubber washer at the bottom of a stem and is the most common type in homes built before 1990. A cartridge faucet uses a plastic or brass cartridge that slides up and down. A ball faucet has a slotted ball on a single-handle kitchen faucet. A ceramic-disc faucet seals with two polished ceramic discs and almost never leaks from the discs themselves.

Compression faucets account for the majority of drips. The rubber washer at the tip of the stem hardens, cracks, or gets a groove worn into it over time. Water pushes past that groove under pressure. Replacing the washer takes 10 minutes and costs under a dollar. I have fixed four of these across two houses and the part costs less than the gas to drive to the hardware store.

Tools and Materials

Total cost: $8-$20 depending on faucet type. The Danco washer assortment covers almost every bathroom and kitchen compression faucet sold in the US. I keep a pack in the toolbox because it costs the same as two individual washers and covers years of future repairs.

Before you leave the house: Bring the old washer or cartridge to the hardware store. Hold it next to the new one on the shelf. A washer that looks close but is half a millimeter off will still drip. I once made three trips for the same faucet before learning this. Do not guess.

Step 1: Turn Off the Water

Shut off the cold and hot water supply valves under the sink. Turn them clockwise until they stop. Open the faucet to release any pressure and drain the remaining water from the lines. Plug the sink drain with a rag or a rubber stopper. Small screws and washers bounce directly into the drain every single time otherwise.

If the shut-off valves are seized or missing, turn off the main water supply to the house and open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the lines. The main shut-off is typically in the basement, crawl space, or garage near the water meter.

Step 2: Remove the Handle

Pry off the decorative cap on top of the handle with a flathead screwdriver. An index card or piece of thin plastic works if the cap has a soft chrome finish that scratches easily. Underneath you will find a screw — usually a Phillips head. Unscrew it and lift the handle straight off.

If the handle is stuck, do not pry it with a screwdriver against the sink. Wrap a rag around the base and wiggle gently. A handle puller tool costs $8 at Home Depot and removes stuck handles without scratching the chrome. I bought one after scarring a bathroom faucet and the tool paid for itself with that single avoided replacement.

Step 3: Remove the Stem or Cartridge

For a compression faucet, the stem threads into the faucet body. Use an adjustable wrench on the brass hex nut at the base of the stem. Turn counterclockwise. The stem unscrews with the washer still attached at the bottom. For a cartridge faucet, remove the retaining nut or clip holding the cartridge in place, then pull the cartridge straight up. A cartridge puller tool helps if the cartridge is seized from years of mineral buildup.

Step 4: Replace the Washer or Cartridge

Compression faucet: Flip the stem over. The rubber washer at the tip is held by a small brass screw. Unscrew it and compare the old washer to the new one. They look identical when you are in a hurry. They are not. Hold them side by side — diameter, thickness, and the bevel or flat face must match. Replace the O-ring on the stem body at the same time. It sits in a groove halfway up the stem. Coat the new O-ring with a thin layer of silicone grease before reinstalling the stem. The grease prevents the rubber from tearing when the stem threads back in.

Cartridge faucet: Drop the new cartridge into the housing. Align the tabs with the notches in the faucet body. Press firmly until it seats. Reinstall the retaining clip or nut. The cartridge only fits one way. If you have to force it, rotate it 180 degrees.

Ball faucet: Replace the entire ball-and-seals kit. Remove the old cam, packing ring, ball, and spring-loaded seats. Install the new seats with the springs underneath, press the ball into place, and reassemble the cap in order. Watch the alignment tabs.

Step 5: Check the Valve Seat

The valve seat is the brass ring inside the faucet body where the washer presses down to form the seal. Run your fingertip around its inner edge. If it feels rough, gouged, or chipped, a new washer will not seal and the faucet will still drip. A seat dressing tool costs $10 and grinds the surface smooth without replacing the seat. A seat wrench removes the entire seat if the damage is too deep for dressing.

I once replaced a washer three times before checking the seat. The pitted seat had chewed through each new washer within a week. A $10 seat dressing tool and five minutes fixed what $4 in failed washers could not.

Step 6: Reassemble and Test

Screw the stem back into the faucet body by hand to avoid cross-threading, then tighten gently with the wrench. A quarter-turn past hand-tight is enough. Overtightening crushes the new washer and creates the same leak you just fixed. Reattach the handle and screw. Pop the cap back on.

Turn the water supply valves back on slowly. Open the faucet to the middle position so both hot and cold lines bleed air. Let it run for 30 seconds, then close the faucet. Watch the spout for any drips. A properly seated washer shuts off with zero drips. If water still seeps out, the washer is either crushed from overtightening or the wrong size. Take the stem out and check.

Common Mistakes That Waste Your Time

Guessing the washer size. Flat washers come in sizes #00 through #5 and an eighth of a millimeter difference matters. Bring the old washer to the store. Hold it next to every candidate on the pegboard.

Skipping the O-ring. The stem O-ring fails just as often as the bottom washer but shows different symptoms. A leaking O-ring sends water up the stem and out from under the handle. A leaking washer sends water out the spout. Replace both on a compression faucet every time.

Overtightening the stem. Cranking the stem down to stop a drip crushes the rubber washer flat. It seals temporarily then fails within days as the rubber loses its shape. Hand-tighten the stem, then give it a quarter-turn with the wrench. That is all it needs.

Cleaning the old washer instead of replacing it. A rubber washer costs 50 cents. Scrubbing it with a scouring pad and reusing it saves half a dollar and guarantees the drip returns within a month. Toss the old one.

When to Call a Plumber

A faucet rebuild is a straightforward DIY job on compression, cartridge, and ball faucets. Ceramic-disc faucets almost never leak from the discs themselves. If yours is dripping, the problem is usually the O-ring seals underneath — a $1 fix. Call a plumber for these specific situations:

The faucet body is cracked anywhere. Water seeping through the housing means the casting has failed and the whole faucet needs replacement.

The cartridge is seized and will not come out even with a puller tool. Minerals can fuse a cartridge to the housing so solidly that removing it damages the faucet body.

You have a designer or imported faucet with proprietary parts not stocked at hardware stores. Order the part from the manufacturer first, then attempt the repair. Hansgrohe, Grohe, and some Kohler models use brand-specific cartridges with no universal equivalent.

A plumber charges $85-$175 for a faucet repair in most markets. If the faucet is over 15 years old and the finish is worn, a new unit from Moen or Delta costs $60-$120 and installs in about an hour with basic tools.