The outdoor tap on a house wall, a hose bib or spigot, tends to leak from one of three spots: at the spout, around the handle stem, or where it meets the wall. Each is a different fix, and the first job is to watch where the water comes from. Fixture trouble inside the house, such as sinks and disposals, lives with faucets, sinks and disposals, but the hose bib is simpler than most of them.
Where is my outdoor faucet actually leaking from?
Open the faucet, then close it, and look. Water still coming out of the spout with the handle closed means a worn washer or seat inside. Water around the handle means a worn stem packing or a loose packing nut. Water from the top of a vacuum breaker means the breaker is spent. Water at the wall means a failed joint or a leak inside.
Dry the faucet with a rag, then run water and look again, since a wet bib is hard to read. Also try it with the hose attached and removed. A faucet that only drips with a hose on may be leaking at the hose connection, which needs only a new rubber washer in the hose end.
How do I stop water dripping around the handle?
Nudge the packing nut tighter with a wrench in small increments, about a quarter turn each time, until the drip stops. If it still weeps, close the water, pull the handle and nut, and wrap fresh graphite string or a new packing washer around the stem. Reassemble and test. Going too tight makes the handle bind.
The packing nut is the hex nut just behind the handle. A leak that shows only when the faucet is on is nearly always here. Packing is cheap and sold at hardware stores. If the stem itself is scored or corroded, replacing the whole bib is easier than repairing it. Hard water, as in Santa Ana, where the city lists about 250 parts per million, deposits minerals on stems and seats, which can speed the wear.
How do I fix a faucet that drips from the spout?
Shut the water, take the stem out, and replace the rubber washer at its tip, which is held on by a small screw. Check the seat inside the faucet body for pitting or crust, and clean it. Put the stem back, reassemble, and turn on the water slowly. A new washer kit is inexpensive.
Match the washer size and shape to the old one, since they differ. Faucets with cartridge or ceramic stems cannot take a washer. They are fixed by replacing the whole cartridge, as the Wikipedia article on taps describes. If the seat is badly worn, the faucet will keep dripping, and a new bib is the better fix.
How do I shut off the supply before taking it apart?
Hunt for a shutoff inside the house, upstream of the bib. Some houses have one tucked in the garage, the crawl space or a cabinet. When none turns up, close the main at the house, then open the outdoor faucet so the line empties. Confirm the flow has stopped before unscrewing anything.
Older Santa Ana houses may not have an interior shutoff for the bib, which means using the main. If the main valve is stuck or leaks, do not force it. Call a plumber. Leave the faucet open while you work so pressure cannot build behind you.
What does it mean if the cap on top of the faucet leaks?
Hose bibs in most US jurisdictions must carry a vacuum breaker, the small cap-like device that stops dirty water creeping back into the house when pressure drops. If water spurts from the cap when the faucet is on, that is normal for some designs. Constant leaking when closed means the breaker has failed.
Backflow happens when supply pressure drops and water is siphoned backward through a hose into the plumbing. A hose left lying in a bucket, a pool or fertilizer can pull contaminated water in. That is why you should not remove a vacuum breaker, even if it drips. Often the old one unscrews and a fresh one threads onto the same bib. Commercial and some residential setups need testing, and our pages on backflow prevention assembly testing and backflow testing services explain when.
When should I replace the whole faucet?
Replace it if the body is cracked, the threads are stripped, the stem is corroded, the seat is badly pitted, or the faucet has leaked more than once. Replacement is a small plumbing job for a handy person if the pipe is threaded or push-fit, and a soldering task if it is copper.
Soldering near a house wall needs care, since a torch can set wood or insulation alight, and many owners hire this out. Check what material the pipe is before you buy anything. If you find the pipe behind the faucet is corroded, galvanized or pinholed, this is bigger than a faucet. See pinhole leaks in copper pipe for that. Water inside the wall, or flow that drops all over the house, is the point to stop and hand it over, since hidden water does damage quietly.
A plumber replacing a bib may also check your house pressure. High pressure wears washers quickly, and the plumbing code asks for a regulator once pressure passes 80 psi, as covered in changing a pressure regulator.
Is a small drip at the hose bib really worth fixing?
Yes. EPA estimates one drip a second adds up past 3,000 gallons annually, and a leaky hose connection adds to it. Outdoor water use averages more than 30 percent of household water, and up to 60 percent in dry regions, so outdoor leaks matter.
An outdoor leak does not trigger the alarm that an indoor one does, since the water runs into soil. It may only show on the bill. Related checks are in what drives a water bill up and general faucet repair. Inside the house, sink faucets, tub spouts and shower valves each have a guide. To have a local plumber handle an outdoor faucet, send a price request. Everything else we arrange is on the Santa Ana Plumbing Co home page.
Common questions
What kind of time does this job need?
Snugging a packing nut or changing a washer takes roughly half an hour for a handy person. A new faucet takes longer, especially with soldering, and a hidden shutoff or a corroded pipe adds more. After seeing the faucet, a plumber can name a realistic window.
What belongs in an estimate for a hose bib repair?
Confirm the price covers the part, a look at the shutoff and the vacuum breaker, and a plan if the pipe behind the faucet turns out damaged. Get it in writing, along with the contractor license number the state board lets you verify.
Is an adult required on site?
Usually yes, so the plumber can reach any interior shutoff and agree the price before starting. Unlock the side gate and clear the ground around the faucet. Water service is interrupted for a short time, so fill a pitcher first if you need it.
Will a leaky outdoor faucet damage my house?
It can. Water running down the wall can rot siding and trim and damage the foundation. A leak inside the wall can saturate insulation and drywall, so check inside the house near the faucet for damp or staining. If you see any, call a plumber.
Do outdoor faucets freeze in Santa Ana?
Rarely. Freezing nights are uncommon here, so frost damage is not the usual cause. Leaks tend to come from worn washers, packing, old vacuum breakers and corrosion. If a rare cold snap is forecast, wrap exposed pipes and bibs and disconnect hoses.
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