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.

Outdoor faucet leaking from stem.

A leaky stem faucet usually means that the packing is worn out or needs tightening. On frost proof faucets the washer is located on the end of the long faucet stem. Knowing how to fix a leaky stem faucet saves money and the process is easy. If a faucet leaks around the handle you either have a loose packing nut or a bad packing washer.

Remove the handle and nut photo 1 and pull the stem from the faucet photo 2. But left unchecked it doesn t take long for even a small leak from a hose bibb to waste hundreds of gallons of water. Examing the washer and or o rings at the end of the faucet stem and replace them. Another common problem on outside spigots is leaking around the valve stem when the water is.

The stem of your faucet should never be leaking especially not while the water is off. Unscrew the faucet mounting nut and extract the entire stem from the faucet body. Find out how to repair a leaky faucet stem with help from a longtime. The size and type of nut varies a bit with faucet styles.

Trying to squeeze a slightly larger washer in won t work and your faucet will leak. Reassemble the faucet turn on the water and test to make sure it no longer leaks. If your outdoor tap is a frost free design with a long valve stem the process is similar. A new rubber washer under the packing nut usually fixes leaks around the stem and handle.

These faucets have no aerators and are found mostly in laundry. The packing which looks like string keeps water from leaking out around the stem. If your faucet still leaks the stem may be leaking and you should replace the faucet. It s important that replacement washers be of the same size as the original.

If it seems that an outdoor faucet is leaking from a hole in the stem the. The washer at the tip of the stem is usually secured by a brass screw. However be sure to open the valve stem before inserting it into the tap. If your faucet leaks out of the spout when it s turned off the washer is bad.

First try tightening the nut with a wrench or pliers.