Leaky Faucet Repair: DIY Fixes vs. When to Call a Plumber

A dripping spout is a worn cartridge, washer or seat, and on most modern faucets it is a genuine DIY repair. A faucet leaking from the base of the spout, or from underneath into the cabinet, is a different fault, and the second one is worth more attention because it soaks the cabinet floor unseen.

Identify the type first

Cartridge faucets have a single handle that lifts and swivels, and take a replacement cartridge. Compression faucets have separate hot and cold handles that tighten down, and take washers and seats. Ball and ceramic disc types take their own kits. Buying the wrong part is the most common way this job stalls halfway.

Before you start

Close the stops under the sink, open the faucet to drain the line, and plug the drain so nothing small disappears down it. Photograph each stage as you disassemble; reassembly order matters and memory is optimistic.

Hard water is why yours failed

Mineral content here scores the sealing surfaces and shortens cartridge life. It is also why a new cartridge sometimes still drips: the seat it closes against has been pitted by years of the same water, and replacing the cartridge without dressing or replacing the seat repeats the fault.

When to stop and call

A stop valve that will not close or weeps when moved. A cartridge seized in the body. Forcing it can crack the casting, turning a small repair into a new faucet. Any leak inside the cabinet rather than at the spout. And any leak in the wall behind a shower valve, which is not a fixture repair at all.

What a drip actually costs

Not much per drip and a surprising amount per year, and on a hot tap you are paying to heat it as well. That is worth knowing but is rarely the real reason to act: the real reason is that a dripping faucet is usually the first of several on the same age of fittings.

Repair or replace the faucet

Repair a good-quality faucet in sound condition; parts are available and the body will outlast several cartridges. Replace one that is corroded at the base, has a cracked body, or is an unbranded unit where parts cannot be sourced. Hunting a cartridge for an unidentifiable faucet costs more in time than the replacement.

The one to act on today

Water inside the cabinet. It runs to the back where nobody looks, soaks the base panel, and reaches the subfloor. By the time it is visible at the front the damage has been happening for months.