Can I fix a leaking faucet without turning off water to the whole house?

Yes, if your sink has individual shutoff valves underneath, which most homes built after the 1980s do. If not, you'll need to shut off the main supply.

Why does my faucet still drip after I replaced the washer?

The valve seat it presses against may be corroded or scratched, or the actual cause may be pressure-related rather than the washer itself. See Cause 4 above.

Are faucet replacement parts universal across brands?

No. Moen, Delta, Kohler, and other brands each use proprietary cartridges and stems. Always match your specific brand and model before buying parts.

Is a dripping faucet actually costing me money?

Yes. A drip per second wastes over 3,000 gallons a year. It's a small leak with a real cumulative cost.

How do I know if my faucet is a compression, cartridge, ball, or disc type?

Two handles that turn to shut off usually mean compression. A single handle that lifts and swivels is typically cartridge, ball, or disc. Check the manufacturer's website with your model number for a definitive answer.

What water pressure is considered 'too high'?

Most plumbing codes recommend household water pressure stay between 40–60 psi; consistently above 80 psi is generally considered high enough to accelerate wear on fixtures and warrants a pressure-reducing valve.

How can I prevent this from happening again?

Avoid over-tightening handles, which accelerates wear on internal washers and cartridges. In hard-water homes, consider a water softener. Mineral buildup is one of the most common accelerants of faucet seal failure. Clean the aerator every few months as routine maintenance, especially in hard-water areas.

Recommendation · DIY-Friendly

Why Is My Faucet Leaking and How Do I Fix It?

A dripping faucet is almost always a small, cheap part wearing out inside the fixture, not a real plumbing emergency. Four things typically cause it; three are a quick swap.

Time: 10 min – 1 hr
Cost: $0–600
Difficulty: Easy
Risk: Low Risk

Before you start

Diagnose first, then act.

Faucet leaks trace back to one of four places, and which one depends partly on your faucet type (compression, cartridge, ball, or ceramic disc). Identify your faucet type and brand before buying parts. They aren't universal. Work through the causes below in order, and use each 30-second check to confirm before you disassemble anything.

Decision matrix

Every likely cause, with its own real cost and time, not one blended guess for the whole repair.

Decision matrix: cause, approach, cost, and time for Leaking Faucet
Cause	Approach	Cost	Time
Worn rubber washer	DIY	$5–15	10–20 min
Stuck or failing cartridge	DIY	$15–50	20–30 min
Clogged or worn aerator	DIY	$5–10	5–10 min
High pressure or cracked supply line	Professional	$150–350	1–2 hrs

Causes

Tap a cause to open it. Only one stays open at a time, so it's easy to compare.

Most common

Worn Washer or O-Ring (Compression Faucets)

DIY-Friendly

Root cause

Compression faucets (two handles, one hot/one cold) seal with a rubber washer at the base of the stem. Over time it dries out, cracks, or gets pushed out of shape by mineral deposits, so it no longer seals against the valve seat, causing a steady drip from the spout.

30-second check

Turn off each handle's supply valve one at a time. If the drip stops when you shut off one specific side, that side's washer is worn.

Tools & materials

Adjustable wrench, screwdriver, replacement washer/O-ring kit matching your faucet brand, plumber's grease.

Step-by-step

1 Shut off the water supply valves under the sink; open the faucet to drain the line.
2 Pry off the decorative cap, remove the screw, and lift off the handle.
3 Remove the retaining nut with pliers or a wrench to expose the stem.
4 Unscrew the brass screw holding the washer at the bottom of the stem and swap in a new washer of the same size; check the stem O-ring too.
5 Dab plumber's grease on the new O-ring, reassemble, and turn the water back on slowly.
6 Run the faucet a few minutes and confirm the drip is gone.

Time: 30–45 min · Parts cost: $5–10 · Skill level: Beginner

Common

Worn Cartridge (Cartridge, Ball, or Disc Faucets)

DIY-Friendly

Root cause

Single-handle and modern two-handle faucets use a cartridge, ball, or ceramic disc mechanism instead of a simple washer. Internal O-rings, seals, or springs inside these wear out with age and mineral exposure, causing drips at the spout or around the handle base.

30-second check

Wiggle the handle gently side to side with the water off. Excess play, or a drip specifically when the handle sits in one position, points to a worn cartridge rather than a washer issue.

Tools & materials

Hex key/Allen wrench, adjustable pliers, replacement cartridge or repair kit matching your exact faucet model, plumber's grease.

Step-by-step

1 Shut off water supply valves and drain the line.
2 Remove the handle (often a hex set screw underneath a decorative cap).
3 Use pliers to remove the retaining cap/clip holding the cartridge in place.
4 Pull the old cartridge straight out and replace with an identical new one. Orientation matters, so note how the old one was seated.
5 While disassembled, also replace the seats and springs beneath a ball-style mechanism if accessible.
6 Reassemble, lubricate O-rings, and turn water back on gradually.

Time: 30–60 min · Parts cost: $10–25 · Skill level: Beginner to intermediate

Quick fix

Dirty or Clogged Aerator

DIY-Friendly

Call a pro

High Water Pressure or a Cracked Supply Line

Hire a Professional

Worth remembering

If a cause above points you toward hiring a professional, a few patterns are worth knowing before you approve anything.

Red flags

Scare tactics claiming your fixtures will be ruined or the house will flood without an immediate pressure-reducing valve install. If a home has gone 10-20+ years without one and never had a problem, that alone rarely means it's suddenly urgent.
No itemized estimate before work begins, or a verbal "we'll figure it out once we're in there."
Full payment demanded upfront, especially in cash.
A parts markup far beyond the normal 20-50% range plumbers typically charge over their own cost.
Refusal to show you the failed part that was removed.

Questions worth asking before you approve anything

Can I see the pressure reading that shows this is actually a problem?
Can I see the old part once it's removed?
What is the itemized breakdown of parts versus labor?

Check what this repair should typically cost

5 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I fix a leaking faucet without turning off water to the whole house?

Yes, if your sink has individual shutoff valves underneath, which most homes built after the 1980s do. If not, you'll need to shut off the main supply.
Why does my faucet still drip after I replaced the washer?

The valve seat it presses against may be corroded or scratched, or the actual cause may be pressure-related rather than the washer itself. See Cause 4 above.
Are faucet replacement parts universal across brands?

No. Moen, Delta, Kohler, and other brands each use proprietary cartridges and stems. Always match your specific brand and model before buying parts.
Is a dripping faucet actually costing me money?

Yes. A drip per second wastes over 3,000 gallons a year. It's a small leak with a real cumulative cost.
How do I know if my faucet is a compression, cartridge, ball, or disc type?

Two handles that turn to shut off usually mean compression. A single handle that lifts and swivels is typically cartridge, ball, or disc. Check the manufacturer's website with your model number for a definitive answer.
What water pressure is considered 'too high'?

Most plumbing codes recommend household water pressure stay between 40–60 psi; consistently above 80 psi is generally considered high enough to accelerate wear on fixtures and warrants a pressure-reducing valve.
How can I prevent this from happening again?

Avoid over-tightening handles, which accelerates wear on internal washers and cartridges. In hard-water homes, consider a water softener. Mineral buildup is one of the most common accelerants of faucet seal failure. Clean the aerator every few months as routine maintenance, especially in hard-water areas.

6 · Sources

Research & References

How this guide was researched

This guide was built by cross-referencing Moen, Delta, and Kohler manufacturer repair documentation, EPA WaterSense guidance on water waste from leaks, and established home-repair references. full methodology for how we evaluate cost, time, and safety risk for every guide.

Still deciding

Two other questions worth answering

This guide covers whether you can do the job yourself. These cover the two questions that often come before and after it.

Repair it or replace it?

Whether this is worth fixing at all, based on age, repair cost, and how much life it has left.

What should this cost?

Parts pricing and labor rates for your state, so you can check a quote line by line.

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Before you start

Decision matrix

Causes

Root cause

30-second check

Tools & materials

Step-by-step

Root cause

30-second check

Tools & materials

Step-by-step

Root cause

30-second check

Tools & materials

Step-by-step

Root cause

30-second check

What a professional actually does

Worth remembering

Frequently asked questions

Research & References

Two other questions worth answering

If this wasn't quite it

Browse every Fix or Hire guide.