Drip, drip, drip. The incessant dripping of a leaky faucet can drive even the calmest person to The Shining levels of crazy. It can also lead to a marked increase in your monthly water bill, wear away at the inside of your faucet, and lead to other costly and troubling problems. Luckily, not only are we experts at finding out why your faucet is leaking, but helping you make it stop as well.

Why is my faucet leaking?

There are a few main causes of dripping. Sometimes, it’s the result of one of their parts being damaged, such as an o-ring, washer, or inner seal. In some cases, a leak is due to a worn-out cartridge. The cartridge is located inside the faucet in a – you guessed it – cartridge faucet. It deals with a lot of pressure from water, which naturally wears it out over time.

These aren’t the only potential problems. Sometimes a leak happens because your home’s plumbing has a problem with water pressure, or a hard water build-up. It’s also possible that there’s a broken pipe or fitting down the line.

How do I fix it?

The easiest way to fix a leak is to call in a professional plumbing technician to diagnose why it’s leaking and fix the problem for you. However, we understand that not everyone is interested in calling the pros for every plumbing problem they face.

How you fix a leak depends on the variety of faucet you have. There are compression faucets, ball-type faucets, and cartridge faucets. Here’s how to fix each one.

Fixing a leak in a compression faucet.

Compression faucets have a decorative cap on their handle. Remove that cap, then remove the handle screw beneath it. Once the handle screw is removed, take off the handle. Then, use a crescent wrench to unscrew the packing nut within.

Once everything is taken apart, pop the stem out and replace the o-ring. Then you just have to put everything back together. Worn out o-rings are the most common cause of leaks in compression faucets. Replacing it should almost always fix your problem.

Fixing a leak in a ball-type faucet.

Ball-type faucets have more intricate, moving parts than other varieties. Fixing them can be a bit of a headache.

The easiest way to handle the leak repair of a ball-type faucet is to replace the whole thing. Purchasing a replacement kit from the manufacturer and follow the instructions within.

Fixing a leak in a cartridge faucet.

To fix a leak inside of a cartridge faucet, you’ll usually have to replace the interior itself. In order to do this, you have to remove the decorative cap on the handle, then the handle screw.

Take the handle off and pull the cartridge up and out. Remove it and replace it before putting everything back where it belongs.

If you need any additional help, all you have to do is give the pros at Ben Franklin Plumbing a call.