Fix dripping faucets, taps, hose spigots

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How to fix a faucet or hose bibb that drips.

This article series describes outdoor faucets, hose bibbs, sillcocks, or hose hookups, how they work, where they should be installed, freeze-proofing hose hookups, and troubleshooting or repairing stuck, broken, or dripping outdoor faucets.aky outdoor faucet repair instructions address each of these faucet leak locations & types and suggest a repair sequence from easiest that may work to more challenging faucet repairs that may be necessary.

Our photo at page top shows water gushing out of the building wall just above the foundation. The owner/occupant had forgotten to turn off water to the outside hose hook-up, leaving that line full of water. The water line just inside the foundation froze and burst.

We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

If the faucet or hose bibb drips when the valve is closed tightly, and if there is no leakage around the valve stem, then the problem is probably the valve stem washer – you’ll want to replace just the washer itself.

Other types of water shutoff valves such as gate valves and ball valves do not have a replaceable stop washer or valve washer like the one pointed to by the red arrow in our photo.

[Click to enlarge any image]

First let’s double check that we’ve made the correct diagnosis of the cause of this drippy faucet.

If you see water dripping from the faucet mouth (red arrow where I wrote DRIP) and if there is no water around the valve stem packing (green arrow where I wrote DRY HERE) then yeah the problem is a leak at the valve stem washer or valve seat.

This is an easier repair that you’d think, but I’ll also warn you of when to stop so we don’t make matters worse.

Our first photo above is a typical frost-free anti-siphon faucet, or “Woodford” valve. Repairing that faucet is discussed

at FAUCET, SILLCOCK ANTI SIPHON LEAK REPAIR

If your outdoor faucet looks like our second photo at above, and if needs repair, it is NOT a frost-proof anti-siphon valve, it’s a traditional compression valve faucet or spigot.

If the faucet is dripping from its spout stay right here where we’ll explain how to change out or replace the faucet washer.

Other leak repairs for this traditional compression valves are given

at FAUCETS, OUTDOOR HOSE BIBBS

You will need an adjustable wrench, a flat blade and possibly Phillips-blade screwdriver, and you would be smart to have a bit of plumbing grease or anti-seize compound.

In my photo is also a box of assorted faucet washers I’ve collected beginning when I was ten – you don’t need all these. I also show a can of anti-seize compound – enough for a lifetime: I’ve been using this can since 1978 and it’s still half-full.

There’s also a disassembled faucet assembly in the photo – for now pretend it’s not there, OK?

OK so where is the valve stem washer? You can’t see it because it’s hiding inside the faucet assembly. In our photo below, the red arrow points to the stem washer’s location inside of a typical stop valve. To find and replace this hidden but critical faucet leak-stopper we’ll need to disassemble the faucet.

Our photo shows the position of the valve washer in a conventional stop valve. You’ll find similar washers in hose bibbs and many other water valves of this type.

You will need a replacement stem washer, but if you don’t already have a lifetime supply like I do, there’s no point in buying one of those cute little fellows before you’ve disassembled the leaky faucet as you won’t know what size is needed.

Watch out: be sure you’re attacking the right part – when you need to remove a faucet stem assembly to replace the stem washer, it’s the stem assembly nut, the larger one closer to the faucet body, that you want to un-screw, NOT the packing nut.

Watch out: if using what seems to you reasonable force you cannot turn the faucet stem assembly retaining nut, first be sure your wrench is in the right place – some brass faucet bodies also include a cast octagonal-faced part that was intended to be held with a wrench when screwing in the retaining nut so as to avoid twisting the whole assembly, bending a pipe, and causing a horrible leak.

Watch out again: if using reasonable force and having been sure you’re attacking the correct nut you still can’t turn it, you may want to quit and call someone who knows what she’s doing: a plumber.

If you apply too much force and twist a pipe or break parts you’ll create a bigger problem and you’ll be sorry.

Watch out: look closely at our two photos below: when using an adjustable wrench to loosen or tighten any nut it is important to adjust the wrench to fit snugly against the facets of the nut.

DO NOT set your wrench as it is in the first photo with sloppy space. Instead adjust the wrench as shown in the second photo.

Otherwise you will strip off the facets of the nut you are turning and ultimately your wrench will slip and you’ll bang your knuckles to a bleeding pulp.

Watch out one last time: if you can’t turn the nut, stop and remember the movie Jaws: when the giant shark bites the boat in half one of the actors looks up and says calmly: You’re going to need a bigger boat.

Well you don’t want a bigger wrench. Attacking the part with a huge wrench increases the risk that you bend the whole assembly and bust it wide open. Don’t do that.

Watch out: here is where we can save some wasted effort. STOP and inspect the faucet valve seat closely – look for damage like nicks or grooves.

Above: this valve seat looks perfect. On others I’ve seen corrosion, nicks, and grooves that will cause a leak even if the stem washer is replaced.

Just below is a view of the stem washer from a leaky outdoor spigot that dripped constantly. This rubber stem washer was removed from a spigot installed on a New York home in the 1960s.

With a close look under a stereo microscope you can see why this faucet was leaking. All it takes is a small chip or bit of damage to the stem washer to have a drippy leak.

The green circle marks the outer edge of the depression left in the washer by the round valve seat against which this washer was intended to seal. Any defect in the washer near this line will mean a leak.

With half a century of service this rubber dried and cracked (yellow arrow) and finally a bit of the rubber chipped off and was lost (red arrow) causing a dripping leak at the valve seat

We put a bit of teflon paste or anti-seize compound on the threads of the remaining parts during re-assembly, also to make life easier for the next person who’ll do this job again twenty years from now.

Watch out: Modern faucet washers are color coded: the purple washer in my photos is a nominal 1/2″ washer. Made in China. It was a fraction too small and squashed and became concave when I tightened the screw – a disappointment that meant I had to take care not to over-tighten the screw. As long as the washer nearly fills the pan into which it sits it’ll be ok, but it means that the thin pan lip is exposed to corrosion and a shorter life.

But don’t use a washer that’s too big to sit in the recessed pan or your assembly will either not fit back into the faucet body or the washer will bend, crack, break, and the faucet will leak again – soon.

Put the faucet stem assembly back into the faucet body: Now we’re ready to return the faucet stem assembly to the faucet body and screw it back in.
Close the faucet by turning the handle in but before doing so check that you’ve snuggled down both the stem retaining nut (first) and the stem packing nut (second).
Watch out: before screwing the faucet stem assembly back into the faucet body open or un-screw the faucet stem to the “open” position in the assembly. Otherwise the stem bottom may press against the faucet seat during installation and you won’t be able to screw the assembly fully into the faucet body.
I am not including photos of tightening the faucet stem assembly in place – but don’t over-tighten. Just firm and snug. It won’t leak.
Next we’ll go back inside and turn the water supply back on.

If the dripping hose faucet still leaks we suspect that either the stem washer you installed is not the right one or that the valve seat itself has become corroded or damaged.

Especially when a valve stem washer has been leaking for a long time, the passage of water through the valve can literally cut or corrode a slot in the valve seat.

There are valve-seat damage repair tools that might still salvage the repair. The valve seat repair tool mounts through the faucet cap and provides a cutting wheel and handle designed to allow re-surfacing of the valve seat.

The faucet-re-seater kit shown here is inexpensive (less than $10. USD) and is sold by plumbing suppliers, by Grainger.com and other online vendors.

Disassemble the faucet spindle and handle assembly as we described above.

Inspect the valve seat inside the faucet. Often you will see a small groove in the valve seat that has been worn through the seat by dripping water. If that groove is shallow you can often smooth the faucet seat to a sealable condition by purchasing and using a faucet valve seat repair tool at any hardware store or building supplier.

The faucet valve seat repair tool includes a stem that fits inside the packing nut of your faucet, and a round “grinder” face that mounts on the end of the stem. Select a grinder face that fits inside the diameter of your valve and covers the valve seat.

By assembling the faucet seat repair grinder and stem through the packing nut, the grinder will be held in the proper position (with the grinder parallel to the valve seat). Pressing on and turning the valve stem repair resurfacing tool may suffice to “grind” the valve seat back to a smooth condition.

If not, but if the seat is almost perfect, the valve may still shut off without dripping when you install a new stem washer. If not, you will most likely need to replace the faucet entirely.

Other faucets have a screw-in valve seat that can be replaced entirely once the valve has been disassembled.

Shown below is Lasco’s No-Lead Aqua-Seal valve seat repair kit for American Standard Brand faucets. Lasco’s valve seat repair kit as well as others are availble from local hardware stores, plumbing suppliers, and online vendors such as amazon.com.

On 2021-05-21 by danjoefriedman (mod) – outdoor wall faucet spewing water around the stem

@Robin Daniel,

It’s possible that the dome nut packing or washer is under-sized in outer diameter OD; If you’re confident it’s proper, try a bit of teflon paste on the nut threads; then tighten the stem washer dome nut packing nut carefully and make sure you’re not using so much force that you’re at risk of breaking the component.

On 2021-05-20 by Robin Daniel

I am repairing an outdoor wall faucet that was spewing water around the stem. The nut holding the handle to the stem is quite rusted in place. I found a new spigot whose handle/stem assembly seems identical to my old one. It has a dome packing washer that I believe is what disintegrated on my old faucet. (Note: I tried just adding packing under the dome of my old stem, but the space between the dome and the stem is too large, and the packing just oozed out.) The new stem assembly fits my old spigot body and seems to work really well.
The faucet is located on the front of the house where the water pressure is at its highest. I attached a hose with nozzle closed and turned the water on. I tightened the packing nut slowly until there is a very small slow drip around the packing nut. I the water is coming from the bottom of the packing nut where the threads are.
At this point should I continue tightening until the drip is gone, or should I add stem packing between the dome packing washer and the stem threads that go into the faucet? Or should I use pipe tape on the threads of the spigot where the dome nut attaches?
Thank you in advance!

On 2021-05-12 – by (mod) –

@Richard Greenburg,

Most hose bibbs or faucets have a cap nut that surrounds the faucet handle stem.
Sometimes you can stop leaking by slightly tightening that nut which in turn compresses packing around the valve stem.
If that does not work the faucet can be disassembled and new packing installed.

On 2021-05-09 by Richard Greenburg

Re: Outdoor Wall Faucets – I have installed a hose-based sprinkler and timer on my faucet. For it to work without manual intervention, I must leave the faucet partially open all the time. When I do, leaks occur at the faucet valve stem. There are no leaks when the valve is closed. What should I do to prevent leakage from a partially opened valve with the water flow well closed at the end of the hose at the sprinkler?

On 2021-04-27 by Christopher Campbell

GENIUS!!! I think the 3/8L may do the trick, but if not, this is what I’m doing.

On 2021-04-27 – by (mod) –

@Christopher Campbell,

When I have had this problem I’ve simply used a sharp single edged razor blade or utility knife to work carefully on a suitable surface to trim a little off of the oversized washer.

On 2021-04-26 by Christopher Campbell

This is amazing. I’m having trouble finding a washer that fits my 1987 hose bibb. The nominal 1/2 is just a little too big and won’t fit in the recessed pan. The 3/8M is a little too small and leaves about 1+ MM around the edge of the pan. I’m going to try a 3/8L and see if that fits better, but wondering if you have any other suggestions.

On 2021-04-05 by (mod) – Details on repairing an outside hose bibb / faucet using Woodford parts

@Jackstirjohn,

Thank you for the question: I’ve not encountered a hose bibb valve that leaks or re-opens when the handle is turned in too far.
A couple of things to check:
1. loose or worn packing washer around the valve stem – found in the dome of the hose bibb
2. a loose or wobbly stop washer assembly on the bottom of the valve stem;
3. also double check that the new stop washer or compression washer you installed is as thick as the original.
4. Also check that there is not a groove etched or worn into the ribbed mating surface against which the stop washer is compressed when the valve is closed.
5. Also check that the coarse-threaded stem of the valve is not itself worn and wobbly – you may need to replace the entire upper assembly – the compression stem and bonnet assembly for your hose bibb. Take the old assembly to your hardware store or plumbing supplier (wearing a mask) for an exact match. (See illustration below using a Woodford anti-siphon hose bibb faucet as an example)
6. some faucets that use an internal disc (usually ceramic and usually not with a stop washer) can rotate too far and the disc opening comes around to the open position again; a faucet is worn internally or the wrong disc is installed or the disc is not properly seated and secured in place.

On 2021-04-05 by Jackstirjohn

Great info on hose bib repair! I replaced the faucet washer on my spigot and it stopped the leak but now I have to be careful not to turn the handle too far or the faucet will turn on again. I suspect I have the wrong faucet washer. Any advice?

On 2020-11-04 – by (mod) –

Good going, Brad. You were able to salvage the valve with that perserverence.

Thanks for the feedback – that may help and encourage some other readers.

On 2020-11-04 by Brad

Thanks for the tip on not giving up on a bad screw on a stem washer. I had one that was recessed in a “frostproof” hose bib so I wasn’t even able to get vise-grips on it but after some WD40 I was able to unscrew it from the end with needlenose pliers.

On 2020-05-21 by Sharon

I just want to thank you for your very informative and thorough explanation of how to replace my faucet washer. I am not a plumber. I like to fix things myself, and your pictures and comments on those pictures and the detailed instructions and warnings are just so helpful.

I use this hose frequently and just noticed it leaking a few days ago.It’s been going strong for 25 years. I am going to try to replace the washer tomorrow. Already have a good plumbing supply store to go to, and will be adding teflon paste, anti-seize compound and a faucet re-seater kit to my purchases there. It’s okay if that makes it a bit more expensive for a washer. I have other, equally old faucets to attend to.

If I can get the faucet stem retaining nut off, I will be thrilled. That’s what I’m most nervous about at this point. I send much gratitude your way. If I can get this, and I see no reason why I can’t, I will be unbearable to be around for awhile.

It’s so gratifying to be able to know what you’ve done and that you’ve done it properly. Plus it saves me a lot of money, which isn’t bad either. Blessings to you!

On 2020-05-21 – by (mod) – tip for working on any faucet: find the nearest water shut-off & hope that one works

Sharon
Thank you so much for the kind comment. Do let me know how the repair goes, take photos if you can and I can perhaps offer useful comment or answer questions that may arise.
If you have a shutoff valve ahead of the hose bibb that’s to be repaired, close it and then open the hose bibb (faucet) to be sure the shutoff worked.

If it successfully closes the line then you can work as slowly as needed without having to shut down water to the whole house.

On 2020-06-04 – by (mod) –

Very nice going, CVB

and thank you for the follow up. The details will be a help to others.

On 2020-06-02 by CVB – how to fix a badly-corroded faucet stem end & washer

I have the problem of a mucky soft green corroded blob. If I can’t dig out the washer and unscrew it, is there somewhere I can buy just the assembly and faucet wheel?

On 2020-06-03 – by (mod) –

CV

Sometimes we can remove the corroded, half-dissolved brass screw that holds the faucet washer in place, then replace both washer and screw – that’s the nicest and least-expensive repair.
Shown above: A Korky 38BP beveled faucet washer and brass mounting screw kit

Unfortunately there are probably 500 parts variations in faucet stop assemblies, but if you remove the existing one you might find that you can match it at your local hardware store;
On occasion when I couldn’t get a replacement stem assembly, and provided that the stem seat inside the faucet body is ok, I’ve even bought an entirely new faucet of same model and brand (after checking that the internal stem parts still match), then taken out the stem assembly from the new faucet and inserted it into the old one.

That’s still less cost and trouble than de-soldering and replacing the whole faucet.
Expanding the topic a bit to include the valve seat in the faucet body:
If the valve seat in the faucet body is slightly pitted or nicked (so it drips even with a new washer) a simple faucet grinding tool can often smooth the seat enough to work.
This faucet re-seating kit is made by Superior tool and is widely sold.

The hose bibb or other faucet stem assembly has to match the original faucet in thread, length, and stem seal diameter.

An example for a complete replacement stem assembly for an outdoor, frost-proof hose bibb is below,

B&K’s anti-siphon frost proof hose bibb replacement assembly for a Woodford RK-25 frost proof hose bibb.

On 2020-06-03 by CVB – compression valve hose bibb stem assembly parts

I was able to dig the washer out but unfortunately the screw was so badly corroded it just crumbled when I went at it with vice grips.

Mine is a compression valve but does not have a rod. It’s very much like the one in your example. I like the idea of purchasing a whole faucet, I’ll see if that is a solution.

I’ve purchased a Y-splitter for now so I can use the bibb, but I’ll have to be careful in the winter. I’m not in a Northern state. I’m determined to fix this myself. Thanks for your help.

I was able to get the washer out but unfortunately the screw is so corroded when I tried getting it out with vice grips, it just crumbled.

I like your idea of buying a whole faucet if necessary to get the complete washer handle, dome nut or bonnet, packing, o-ring, shaft, and faucet washer assembly all together.

I keep coming back for more advice because I have had great success following your instructions. I was successful in removing that mangled screw if you can believe it. I’ll tell you how I did it. First I applied some “Oops” brand remover. I figured it might act as a loosening agent.

I’m not sure if it affected it or not. Next, since the screw turned out to be brass, I used a teeny, tiny drill bit to drill a hole through it diagonally, being careful not to hit the threads on the other side.

Creating this tiny hole enabled me to grasp the “point” of the screw with wire cutters.

The sharp edge of the wire cutters facilitated grabbing on. And I turned, and lo and behold the screw came out. I did not have another screw the proper length, but I took a longer brass screw, cut it with a hacksaw and presto, I was able to install the new washer.

And it worked! No more leaks with the water on. However, now it is now leaking at the packing nut when the water is on. I will follow your advice to stop that leak.

Thanks so much for posting! This saved me $400! I’m going to post a video when it’s all complete and if it’s ok, I am going to reference your site. Thanks again! – CVB 2020/06/04

Glad to assist CV and thanks for the follow-up on using a drill to help get a bite to remove the corroded faucet washer screw. Below I show a small screw extractor set made by Hanson and selling for under $10. U.S.

You drill a small hole in the broken-off screw, just as in your photo above, and then gently tap in the screw extractor and turn it counter-clockwise to pull out the old broken-off screw.

I have had similar success by drilling and then using a tiny extraction tool to either get a bite on the corroded screw or sometimes I’ve used a tapping tool to basically grind out the old brass and renew the threads for the same or one size larger faucet washer screw.

If you cant find a replacement assembly its also possible to drill out and re-tap the part or to use a snap in or snap-on washer retainer that uses a spring clip rather than threads to hold the faucet washer onto the base of the valve stem.

Ask your plumbing supplier to show you sizes of Hose Bibb Washer Retainers and select one that will hold the proper washer required for your hose bibb.

They’re a bit hard to find but we’ve used a replacement valve stem faucet retainer called a “threadless spring clip faucet washer retainer” of two types:

1. a combined washer and brass expanding shaft that simply pushes into the cleaned-out hole where the corroded brass retaining screw used to fit

2. a clip-over washer/retainer combined that clips into the the recessed exterior of the end of the valve stem base.
These are sold in various standard washer diameters such as 5/8″ – you’ll need to match the diameter of the faucet or hose bibb valve stem you are repairing.

These washer retainers, shown above, work with the Perlick Stem type of faucet and may not fit other faucet stem assemblies.

If your outdoor spigot or “hose bibb”is leaking around the valve stem shaft just under the handle, you probably need to replace the valve stem packing, but first try gently tightening the bonnet nut – the outermost large nut around the valve stem and found under the faucet handle.

Watch out: other faucet washers or O-rings may need replacement, including

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