That drip is costing you more than your sanity — a faucet leaking one drip per second wastes over 3,000 gallons a year. The good news: learning how to fix a leaky faucet yourself is one of the easiest home repairs there is. Fifteen minutes, basic tools, a $5 part. This is the repair that turns “I’m not handy” people into “wait, I can do this?” people.
First, figure out what kind of faucet you have. Compression faucets (two separate hot/cold handles you twist multiple turns) are the most common leakers and the easiest fix — it’s almost always a worn washer or O-ring. Cartridge, ball, and ceramic-disk faucets (single-handle types) need their specific cartridge replaced, which is still simple but requires buying the right part. Take a photo of your faucet and show it to the hardware store if you’re unsure.
What You’ll Need
- Adjustable wrench and/or basin wrench
- Phillips and flathead screwdrivers
- Replacement washers/O-rings or cartridge (take the old one to the store to match)
- Plumber’s grease (silicone-based)
- Old towel or rag
- White vinegar for cleaning mineral buildup
How to Fix a Leaky Faucet: Step by Step
Step 1: Turn off the water. Look under the sink for the shut-off valves and turn them clockwise. No valves? Turn off the main water supply. Then open the faucet to release pressure and plug the drain with the rag — tiny screws love to escape down drains.
Step 2: Disassemble. Pop off the decorative cap on the handle, remove the screw underneath, and lift off the handle. Unscrew the packing nut with your wrench, then remove the stem. You’ll see the washer at the bottom held by a small screw — that’s usually your culprit.
Step 3: Replace and reassemble. Swap the worn washer and O-ring for new ones (coat the O-ring lightly with plumber’s grease), reassemble in reverse order, and turn the water back on slowly. Nine times out of ten, the drip is gone. Total cost: under $10. Total time: 15 minutes once you’ve done it once.
For Single-Handle Faucets
The process is similar but you’re replacing a cartridge instead of a washer. Remove the handle (there’s usually a set screw under a cap), pull out the old cartridge — note its orientation — and drop in the matching replacement. Cartridges run $15-40 depending on brand. Pro tip: if your faucet is a major brand (Moen, Delta, Kohler), the manufacturer will often send replacement cartridges free under their lifetime warranty. A five-minute phone call can save you the parts cost entirely.
When to Call a Plumber Instead
DIY has limits. Call a pro if: the shut-off valves are frozen or broken, the faucet body itself is cracked or corroded, you’ve replaced the parts and it still leaks (the valve seat may need regrinding — a $150 tool or a plumber visit), or the leak is coming from the base or supply lines rather than the spout. Also, if your home has very old plumbing, sometimes the gentle approach fails and a simple washer swap turns into a bigger project — fixing a leaky shower head follows the same principles and is equally DIY-friendly, but a running toilet has its own quirks worth knowing. Know your limits, but know that this particular repair is well within most people’s abilities. The drip stops today.
Why Faucets Leak: Understanding the Wear
Every faucet is a controlled leak — water under pressure, held back by a seal. The seal always loses eventually. In compression faucets, a rubber washer gets mashed against a metal valve seat every time you turn the handle. Rubber hardens and cracks with age and hot water accelerates it; the metal seat can also develop grooves or corrosion that prevent a clean seal even with a new washer. If you’ve replaced the washer and it still drips, the valve seat is the likely culprit — it can be resurfaced with a seat wrench, or replaced.
Cartridge faucets fail differently: the cartridge’s internal seals wear, or mineral deposits from hard water score the surfaces. If your area has hard water (white crust on fixtures is the tell), cartridges die faster — a whole-house or under-sink water softener extends the life of every faucet in the house. Ceramic disk faucets are the most durable type; when they leak it’s usually the disk seals or inlet seals, and the fix is a seal kit rather than a full cartridge. Knowing which failure mode you’re dealing with saves a second trip to the hardware store, which is where most “quick” repairs go to die.
Repair vs. Replace: When a New Faucet Wins
Sometimes the smart move is a new faucet, not another repair. Replace when: the faucet is over 15 years old and parts are getting hard to find; the finish is pitted or corroded (no washer fixes ugly); you’ve repaired it twice and it leaks again within months (the valve body is worn); or you want water efficiency — old faucets flow at 2.2+ gallons per minute while modern WaterSense-labeled faucets use 1.5 gpm or less without feeling weak, thanks to better aerator design.
A decent new faucet costs $60-150, and installation is the same 15-minute process as the repair — disconnect supply lines, unscrew the mounting nuts, lift out the old, drop in the new. If you’re already comfortable fixing the leak, you’re already qualified to replace the faucet. The EPA’s WaterSense program estimates an efficient faucet saves the average household hundreds of gallons a year — and since hot water is involved, it trims the water-heating bill too. Fix the drip today; consider the upgrade when the faucet’s earned its retirement.
Preventing the Next Drip
Once the faucet is fixed, make the repair last. Don’t overtighten handles — cranking a compression faucet shut mashes the washer and shortens its life dramatically; snug is enough. If you have hard water, wipe fixtures dry after heavy use to slow mineral buildup on seals. And when one faucet starts dripping, check the others — washers in the same house tend to age out together, and fixing the second one takes five minutes when your tools are already out. An occasional drop of plumber’s grease on O-rings during any disassembly keeps everything moving smoothly for years.
