Is an occasional drip worth fixing?

Yes. Internal wear does not reverse. An intermittent drip tends to become a steady one, and EPA estimates household leaks waste nearly a trillion gallons nationwide each year.

Can I use plumber's tape on faucet threads?

On supply-line connections, yes. Inside cartridges and o-ring seats, no — those rely on gaskets, not sealant, and tape will actually prevent a proper seal.

How long should a faucet last?

A quality faucet often lasts fifteen to twenty years with an occasional cartridge swap. Lower-end faucets may only last five to ten before the body itself begins to corrode.

Why does my faucet only drip when the water is hot?

The hot-side seat or hot-side of the cartridge has worn. Replace the cartridge, or on a two-handle compression faucet, replace just the hot-side washer and seat.

Do I have to match the cartridge to the brand?

Yes. Cartridges are brand- and model-specific. Bring the old one with you, or note the faucet's brand and model before shopping for a replacement.

Honest Advice

Faucet dripping: causes and when to fix or replace

By Ken HovenUpdated April 20266 min read

A steady drip wastes a few gallons a day — enough to show on a water bill over months, enough to stain a sink, and usually a sign of a worn internal part that is not going to heal itself. Most drips trace to one of four faucet designs, and once you know which you have, the repair is usually small.

Four faucet designs, four failure modes

Cartridge. A cylindrical cartridge controls hot, cold, and on/off. Most modern kitchen and bathroom faucets. Drips usually come from a worn cartridge or worn o-rings around the spout.

Ball. Older single-handle kitchen faucets. A metal or plastic ball rides on springs and rubber seats. Drips trace to worn seats, weak springs, or a worn cam gasket.

Ceramic disc. A sealed ceramic cartridge, very durable. When it finally leaks, the whole disc assembly is usually replaced as a unit.

Compression. Old-school two-handle faucets where the handle screws a washer down against a seat. Still common on outdoor spigots and older homes. Drips are nearly always a worn washer at the base of the stem or a chewed-up seat in the valve body. A small universal washer and O-ring assortment covers almost every compression and stem-type repair for a few dollars.

Figuring out which you have

Two handles, each closes with real resistance? Compression.
Single handle, heavier commercial feel? Likely ball.
Single handle, smooth and modern? Cartridge or ceramic disc.
Two handles, quarter-turn open/close? Ceramic disc.

If it is still not obvious, take the handle off — the shape of the part underneath will tell you immediately.

Cartridge swap — the common modern repair

This is the repair most homeowners will do on a modern faucet at some point.

Close the hot and cold shutoffs under the sink.
Open the faucet to bleed the pressure.
Pry off the decorative cap on the handle, remove the screw, lift the handle.
Pull the cartridge straight up. If it is stuck — and on a ten-year-old faucet it often is — a brand-matched faucet cartridge puller is the difference between a ten-minute job and a destroyed faucet body.
Bring the old cartridge to the store and match it exactly. Cartridges are not universal.
Drop in the new one, reassemble, open the stops slowly.

First time through, budget thirty to forty-five minutes. Second time is fifteen. Take a photo of the brand and model while you have it apart — it will save a trip in a few years.

O-ring swap for spout-base leaks

Water leaking from where the spout meets the body — not from the spout tip or the handle — usually means the o-rings around the spout base are worn. Pull the spout off, replace the o-rings with correctly sized replacements (measure the old ones or buy an assortment), apply a thin smear of silicone faucet grease, and slide it back on. Fifteen minutes once you have the right parts.

When replacement beats repair

Replacing the whole faucet is often the better move when:

The faucet is old and scratched, and you were already thinking about it.
Replacement cartridges are no longer available for the model.
The faucet body is cracked or visibly corroded at the base.
A cartridge replacement does not fix the drip.

Mid-range kitchen and bathroom faucets are affordable, and modern ones use widely available cartridges. For a twenty-year-old fixture you are already tired of, the math usually favors replacement. If there is also water pooling in the cabinet below, our water under the bathroom sink guide covers the below-deck issues worth handling in the same visit.

A short list of tools worth owning

A basin wrench (reaches the mounting nuts behind the faucet), an adjustable wrench, a cartridge puller sized for your faucet brand, channel-lock pliers, and a small tube of silicone faucet grease. That covers most faucet work for years.

Rough cost ranges

DIY cartridge replacement: part often $15 to $50; time under an hour.
DIY o-ring kit: often $5 to $15.
Plumber repair: often $150 to $300.
Mid-range faucet, DIY install: part often $100 to $300; time one to two hours.
Plumber-installed replacement: often $200 to $500 plus the faucet.

A drip is worth fixing early — partly for the water, mostly because the wear behind it keeps going.

Sources

Frequently asked

Is an occasional drip worth fixing?: Yes. Internal wear does not reverse. An intermittent drip tends to become a steady one, and EPA estimates household leaks waste nearly a trillion gallons nationwide each year.
Can I use plumber's tape on faucet threads?: On supply-line connections, yes. Inside cartridges and o-ring seats, no — those rely on gaskets, not sealant, and tape will actually prevent a proper seal.
How long should a faucet last?: A quality faucet often lasts fifteen to twenty years with an occasional cartridge swap. Lower-end faucets may only last five to ten before the body itself begins to corrode.
Why does my faucet only drip when the water is hot?: The hot-side seat or hot-side of the cartridge has worn. Replace the cartridge, or on a two-handle compression faucet, replace just the hot-side washer and seat.
Do I have to match the cartridge to the brand?: Yes. Cartridges are brand- and model-specific. Bring the old one with you, or note the faucet's brand and model before shopping for a replacement.

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