How to Fix a Dripping Faucet: A Step-by-Step Guide by Faucet Type

To fix a dripping faucet, shut off the water at the supply valves under the sink, plug the drain, then disassemble the faucet and replace the worn part, which is usually a rubber washer, an O-ring, or a cartridge, depending on your faucet type. Reassemble it, turn the water back on slowly, and the drip should stop. The catch is that the four common faucet designs come apart differently, so the right repair depends on knowing which one you have.

I have been turning wrenches on West Tennessee plumbing since 2005, and a steady drip is one of the most common calls we get. It is also one of the most fixable. Below is how I approach each faucet type, what parts wear out, and the point where a DIY repair turns into a job worth handing to a plumber.

First, Identify Your Faucet Type

Before you touch a tool, figure out what you are working with. A faucet drips because an internal seal or moving part has worn, and each design uses different internals. There are four:

• Compression faucets have separate hot and cold handles that you tighten down hard to stop the flow. They are the oldest design and rely on a rubber washer.
• Cartridge faucets use a single removable cartridge, come in one or two handle versions, and the handle moves smoothly without that tightening feel.
• Ball faucets have a single handle that pivots over a rounded cap, common on older kitchen sinks.
• Ceramic disc faucets are single handle, feel solid, and use two ceramic discs to control flow. They rarely fail, but when they do it is usually the inlet seals.

If you can pull the brand off the faucet, do it. Knowing whether you have a Moen, Delta, Kohler, or Price Pfister makes finding the exact replacement cartridge or repair kit far easier.

Shut Off the Water and Protect the Sink

Every faucet repair starts the same way. Skip this and you will flood the cabinet.

1. Turn off both supply valves under the sink, righty tighty, until they stop. If there are no shutoffs under the sink, or they are seized, close the main water valve to the house.
2. Open the faucet to release pressure and drain the lines.
3. Push a rag into the drain or close the stopper so small screws and springs cannot disappear down the pipe.
4. Lay a towel in the basin and line up your parts as you remove them so reassembly goes in reverse order.

Most handles hide their screw under a decorative cap on top. Pop the cap with a flat screwdriver, back out the screw, and the handle lifts off.

Fixing the Drip by Faucet Type

Compression Faucet

On a compression faucet, a drip almost always means a worn rubber seat washer at the bottom of the stem. Remove the handle, unscrew the packing nut, and back the stem assembly out. At the base you will find a brass screw holding a flat or beveled washer. Replace that washer with an exact match, and while you are in there, replace the O-ring on the stem too. If the drip continues after a new washer, the brass valve seat the washer presses against is pitted or corroded, and it needs to be reground with a seat wrench or replaced. That is the most common reason a compression faucet keeps dripping after a homeowner swaps the washer.

Cartridge Faucet

For a cartridge faucet, the fix is usually replacing the whole cartridge rather than a single seal. After the handle is off, you will see a retaining clip or a threaded nut holding the cartridge in place. Pull the clip with needle nose pliers, note the orientation of the cartridge so the new one goes in the same way, and pull it straight up. These can stick; brands like Moen sell a cartridge puller tool that makes a stubborn one come out cleanly. Drop in the matching replacement, and the drip is gone. Matching the part number exactly matters here more than anywhere else.

Ball Faucet

Ball faucets have the most small parts, which is why a repair kit beats piecemeal fixing. The drip typically comes from worn rubber seats and springs sitting under the rotating ball. Buy the brand repair kit, which includes the seats, springs, cam, and O-rings, plus the special tool to loosen the adjusting ring. Replace every rubber piece in the kit while you are in there rather than guessing which one failed. Take a photo before you pull it apart, because the order of the cam and gasket trips people up.

Ceramic Disc Faucet

A ceramic disc faucet rarely drips, so when it does, start with the rubber inlet seals seated in the bottom of the disc cylinder. Lift out the cylinder, pull the seals, clean any white mineral crust off the openings with vinegar, and seat fresh seals. If the ceramic disc cartridge itself is cracked or scored, the whole cylinder gets replaced. Our Memphis-area water leaves mineral deposits, so cleaning the seats often solves the problem on its own.

Reassemble and Test

Put everything back in reverse order, hand-tightening so you do not crack a nut or strip a thread. Then turn the supply valves back on slowly, about a quarter turn at a time, and watch for leaks at the base and under the sink. Run both hot and cold, let the faucet sit open for a minute to clear air, then shut it off and watch the spout. If it is dry after a few minutes, you are done.

A few safety notes from the field: never force a stuck valve or cartridge with a pipe wrench, because old chrome and pot metal crack easily and turn a small job into a fixture replacement. If you smell a musty cabinet or see swollen particleboard, you have had a slow leak longer than you thought, and that wood and any affected shutoff should be addressed too.

When to Call a Pro

Plenty of drips are a fifteen minute fix with a two dollar washer. Others are not. Call a licensed plumber when:

• The shutoff valves under the sink are seized or will not fully close.
• You replaced the washer or cartridge and it still drips, which points to a damaged valve seat or faucet body.
• The faucet is corroded, the handle is frozen, or parts crumble as you remove them.
• You cannot find a matching cartridge or repair kit, often the case with older or off-brand fixtures.
• The leak is at the base of the spout or inside the cabinet rather than the spout itself.

A drip you ignore wastes water around the clock and can quietly rot a vanity from the inside. If the repair has moved past your comfort level, or the fixture is simply worn out and due for replacement, our team handles faucet and fixture repair and replacement every day.

Patton Plumbing, Heating, and A/C is a family-owned, fully licensed and insured shop (Tennessee contractor license #TN55976, A+ BBB accredited) that has served the Greater Memphis area and West Tennessee since 2005. If your faucet is still dripping or you would rather hand it off, call us at (901) 489-2119 and we will get it sorted.