Why Is My Faucet Dripping? Causes and Fixes Ranked by Difficulty

The short answer: a dripping faucet is almost always a worn internal seal — a washer, O-ring, cartridge or valve seat — letting water slip past when the tap is off. Which part has failed depends on the faucet's design: older compression faucets eat washers, cartridge faucets usually need a cartridge or its O-rings, and ceramic-disc faucets rarely drip but can need their seals or the cylinder replaced. Most fixes are beginner-friendly with the water shut off and parts in hand; a few situations (corroded valve seats, mystery leaks under the sink) merit a plumber.

Key Takeaways

• Shut off the water under the sink before any repair, and open the faucet to drain pressure — this step is not optional.
• Identify the type first: two-handle older faucets are usually compression; most single-handle designs are cartridge, ball or ceramic-disc.
• Take the failed part to the store — faucet parts are model-specific, and 'close enough' seals drip exactly like the old ones.
• A drip from the spout points to seals/valve parts; a leak from the base or handles points to O-rings; water under the sink means supply connections — a different (and more urgent) problem.

Step 1: Diagnose by Faucet Type and Drip Location

Compression faucets (separate hot and cold handles, often older) squeeze a rubber washer against a valve seat as you close the handle; the washer hardens and grooves over years until it can no longer seal — the classic drip. Cartridge faucets (most modern single- or double-handle) move a cartridge whose O-rings and seals wear; leaks here usually mean replacing the cartridge assembly. Ceramic-disc faucets (wide single lever, smooth quarter-turn feel) seal with polished discs that rarely fail; their drips usually come from inlet seals or debris.

Location refines the diagnosis: dripping from the spout = the shut-off seal inside. Leaking around the handle or base when running = O-rings or packing. Dripping underneath into the cabinet = supply line or drain connections — shut the water off and treat it as urgent, because cabinet and floor damage outruns any faucet drip.

Easy Fixes (Under an Hour, Basic Tools)

Washer replacement on a compression faucet: water off, handle screw out, packing nut off, stem pulled, washer (held by a brass screw) swapped for the identical size, reassembled in reverse. Cartridge O-rings: many cartridge drips stop with fresh O-rings and plumber's grease on the cartridge body — the parts kit for your model costs little and the swap is a pull-and-push with the retainer clip removed (photograph each stage as you disassemble; faucet innards are a puzzle with a right answer).

Universal tips: close the drain and lay a towel in the sink so dropped screws stay findable; keep parts in removal order on the towel; and turn the water back on slowly with the aerator removed first, flushing debris before it clogs the screen.

Medium Fixes (Cartridge and Seat Work)

A full cartridge replacement is the same disassembly carried one step further — pull the old cartridge (a cartridge puller tool exists for stubborn ones on common brands), seat the new one in the exact orientation, replace the retainer, done. On compression faucets, if a new washer still drips, the valve seat it presses against is likely pitted; seats are either removable (a seat wrench unscrews them) or can be resurfaced with an inexpensive dressing tool — this is the boundary where patience and corrosion decide DIY versus pro.

Ceramic-disc repairs: remove the cylinder, check the neoprene inlet seals at its base and replace them; if the discs themselves are damaged (rare, and usually by grit), the cylinder is replaced as a unit. While any faucet is apart, cleaning mineral deposits with vinegar and replacing tired O-rings throughout is cheap insurance.

When to Call a Plumber Instead

Call when: the shut-off valves under the sink themselves leak or won't close (now the house main is involved); you find corrosion so advanced that parts crumble; the leak is in a wall, ceiling or supply line rather than the faucet; a specialty or wall-mounted faucet has no accessible parts path; or your repair has failed twice — the second failure usually means the diagnosis, not the seal, was wrong.

One more pro-trigger: any sign of long-term hidden water damage (swollen cabinet floor, mold, staining) suggests the drip you see is the tail of a longer story. Plumbers are expensive per hour and cheap per avoided disaster; knowing this boundary is a homeowner skill, not a surrender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a dripping faucet an emergency? A spout drip is not an emergency — it wastes water (a steady drip can amount to hundreds of gallons a year, per water-agency estimates) and will worsen, but you can schedule the fix. Water leaking under the sink or from supply lines is different: shut it off and treat it promptly.

Why did the drip come back a month after I changed the washer? Usually a pitted valve seat shredding the new washer, or the wrong washer size/material. Inspect the seat with a flashlight and fingertip — if it feels rough, resurface or replace it and fit another fresh washer.

Do I need to turn off water to the whole house? Only if the under-sink shut-offs are missing, stuck or leaking. Test them before disassembly — a valve that will not close turns a one-hour repair into a plumbing call, and it is better to know that with the faucet still together.

Conclusion

A faucet drip is a seal telling you its age. Identify the faucet type, match the failed part exactly, work with the water off and parts laid in order, and most drips die within the hour. Respect the boundaries — corroded seats, supply leaks, hidden damage — and the drip stays what it should be: the cheapest plumbing lesson your house will ever teach you.

Disclaimer: FixForge publishes general home-improvement information for education only. Home projects carry real risks — electricity, gas, water and structural work can be dangerous and may require permits and licensed professionals. If a project is beyond your skill or comfort, hire a qualified tradesperson.