Outdoor Faucet Leaking From Stem

A new rubber washer under the packing nut usually fixes leaks around the stem and handle.

Outdoor faucet leaking from stem.

Repairing a dripping outdoor spigot is often at the bottom of a homeowner s to do list since the leak is outside the house. If your faucet leaks out of the spout when it s turned off the washer is bad. Repairing a leaky outdoor faucet is a chore that can be done in less than an hour with a few common tools. If it seems that an outdoor faucet is leaking from a hole in the stem the.

Knowing how to fix a leaky stem faucet saves money and the process is easy. Trying to squeeze a slightly larger washer in won t work and your faucet will leak. If your outdoor tap is a frost free design with a long valve stem the process is similar. If a faucet leaks around the handle you either have a loose packing nut or a bad packing washer.

However be sure to open the valve stem before inserting it into the tap. When a spigot leaks the cause is usually a worn washer on the end of the valve stem or worn packing around the handle. The packing which looks like string keeps water from leaking out around the stem. These faucets have no aerators and are found mostly in laundry.

Find out how to repair a leaky faucet stem with help from a longtime. The washer at the tip of the stem is usually secured by a brass screw. Step 1 tighten the packing nut situated below the faucet handle with an adjustable wrench if the stem is leaking. But left unchecked it doesn t take long for even a small leak from a hose bibb to waste hundreds of gallons of water.

Unscrew the faucet mounting nut and extract the entire stem from the faucet body. The size and type of nut varies a bit with faucet styles. Reassemble the faucet turn on the water and test to make sure it no longer leaks. It s important that replacement washers be of the same size as the original.

Remove the handle and nut photo 1 and pull the stem from the faucet photo 2. If your faucet still leaks the stem may be leaking and you should replace the faucet. The stem of your faucet should never be leaking especially not while the water is off. Another common problem on outside spigots is leaking around the valve stem when the water is.

On frost proof faucets the washer is located on the end of the long faucet stem.