This video provides a step-by-step guide on how to fix a leaking outdoor faucet, whether it’s a minor annoyance or a major leak. Leaky exterior faucets not only waste water but also dump it next to the foundation, which is not desirable. To fix a dripping outdoor faucet, replace worn-out washers or O-rings in the faucet stem.
To stop an outdoor faucet or hose bibb from dripping, use pliers or an adjustable wrench to slightly tighten the packing nut below the handle of the faucet in a clockwise direction. If this doesn’t stop the leak, you’ll need to replace the rubber washer.
Check the packing nut: Use pliers or an adjustable wrench to tighten the packing nut below the handle of the faucet in a clockwise direction. If that doesn’t stop the leak, you’ll need to replace the rubber washer.
Turn off your water supply: Turn off the water supply by locating the valve inside the house and closing it (or the main water valve). Buy a repair kit that includes a repair kit for the spigot.
Access the washer assembly: Check the packing nut by using a screwdriver or socket wrench to tighten the handle or knob. If the spigot is leaking around the valve stem when the water is turned on, tighten the packing nut behind the handle 1/8 to 1/4 inch.
In summary, fixing a leaking outdoor faucet is an easy and cost-effective solution that can prevent water damage to your home’s exterior or leakage into your basement windows.
📹 How To Fix A Leaking Outdoor Faucet | Easy DIY Fix!
Before calling a plumber to fix that annoying leaky outdoor faucet watch this video and with less than 1 hour and a few bucks in …
📹 How To Fix A Leaking Outdoor Faucet!Cheap and Easy!
In this video I show you how to easily fix any leaking outdoor hose bibb, spigot, faucet, or what ever else you might refer to it as!
a good trick on tight fittings is to set your wrenches up next to each other close enough to Squeeze the two together that way you dont have to worry about twisting the back pipe or fitting. harbor freight has a pipe cleaning wire brush for 4 bucks i keep several around for battery cleanups and general round fittings that need cleaned up. i personally dont like teflon tape But lots of people do i like the teflon paste or a product called true blue. good concise article to the point and well presented have fun
Thanks for the great article. I’ve never, seriously never, successfully completed a plumbing project. Something always defeats me…usually involving the first thing I have to loosen….it never loosens. Anyway, this project went exactly as you demonstrated. I feel like maybe there’s hope for the new bathroom faucet that’s been sitting in its box for over three years. (Couldn’t get the old one’s bolt loose.) Thanks again!
Like tge article showed, make sure that the main body of the faucet (the one with the bigger wrench on it) does not turn when you loosen or tighten the body or you will cause a pipe to be broken inside that wall. If that happens you will have a big mess and probably need a plumber to fix that problem!!!
I have a hose bib that’s leaking out of the stem opening, not through to to bib outlet. I tried tightening down on the nut but it didn’t fix it. Some sort of packing, perhaps, just below the nut? I still have to add an isolation valve upstream of it so haven’t opened it up yet, but if it does use packing what can I use to repair it? Thanks in advance, wonderful website!
Thank you for your informative articles, this was handy for me, I live alone, currently out of work due to ill health so money is tight right now! Whilst good at DiY, I am not that good on plumbing. Managed to replace both washers on an old outdoor tap, cleaned the threads, then added PTFE tape. Hopefully the outdoor Tap will not leak for a few more years now. Thank you.
For a cheap / temporary fix, I have just flipped the rubber washer over and reattached with the screw into the shaft. Sometimes, water leaks out around the knob SHAFT. Using an adjustable or box wrench, just tighten the packing nut slightly to squeeze the sealing material enough to stop the leak but not too tight that would make the knob difficult to turn. Hardware stores do sell small quantities of rubber washers or re-build kits, so make sure to bring the old parts with you as a reference.
The tape or sealant on the threads is important. You mentioned it is a relatively low pressure area – and it is, when the water is flowing. But if you put a hose on there with a nozzle, and stop the flow with the nozzle, then the hose and that part of the valve housing comes up to line pressure. So don’t skimp on the tape folks! 😉
The question that bugs me with this kind of “single” nut faucet as opposed to one with a second nut housing that houses the teflon or graphite thread packing that crunches in between the in & out moving rotating shaft & the faucet body so the clearance between the shaft & valve body is closed up, which if open will cause water to drip – how is this achieved in the faucet above? Because the seal you just fixed is not at all related to what I just described above? Anyone can shed a light or spray of water on this matter, much appreciated! Thanks.
I used to build thousands of similar valves, and noticed one mistake you were making. You should always have the stem backed out away from the seat when loosening or tightening the bonnet. Otherwise, if the seat washer sticks to the seat while loosening the bonnet, the coarse drive threads on the stem will tighten the valve as you try to loosen the bonnet, and it won’t come loose at all; just keep getting tighter against the seat. Same with reassembling, do that with the stem backed out away from the seat so it doesn’t interfere. Also, like pipe dope, Teflon tape is only effective for sealing tapered threads. It does not do anything for straight threads, other than making them slicker, which is not necessary, or even a good idea. Great article though.
Well I used this article as a base… but there were some details I needed to figure out. When I went to turn the meter off, my water never completely stopped running. Turns out since I have a townhome, perhaps the other units could still be feeding me water. I turned off the neighbor water too that’s connected to my house. (It’s okay they are grandparents that live on the east coast, and use their place strictly for vacations). Still my water wasn’t completely off. It crossed my mind to turn off all 4 units water, both the gentleman in the adjacent house were home and I didn’t want to bother. I decided that the low water pressure was workable. I did go rub my kitchen sink to maybe help? (Side note, I heard my water heater making pinging noises, and turns out if you gonna turn your water off for extended periods of time, or if it gets cut off, you should turn off the water heater, or it might damage itself trying to heat a tanks that’s not full). Back to the bib.. turns out I didn’t even need a pipe wrench wince the base or the faucet is partially in the wall and covered with the outside building material. It’s all good though because I have this spiffy new pipe wrench that is easy to use one handed and self adjusting. Now I went to turn counter clockwise behind the handle and it came off easily enough. But when the nut came loose and I could pull the handle out, in only came out like an inch and was stuck. I feared it was the water pressure still active that prevented me from taking it out.
Seems every time I repair a valve like this the bibb screw is so deteriorated it crumbles when you try to back it out. Then you need to get out the drills and screw extractor. It’s too bad these bibb screws are so cheap, I cannot find any that will hold up. Also, ALWAYS use plumbers silicone when reassembling, load up the screw hole. This will make future disassembly much easier. Plumbers silicone is your best friend when servicing any kind of valve be it cartridge, washer or other style.
My plumber put a new outdoor faucet that has leak from the time he put it on. Being a widow need to learn how myself, since wasn’t working from the time he replaced all my plumbing under my house. Disappointed homeowner Thank you, Widow woman get took advantage of. Now need to learn how to sharpen stihl chain saw chain, bar has the chain size, thank you ❤😊 big help 🌻🥀
Have the exact same hose Bibb – got the washers but I think it soldered together (or some type of cement paste was used – not sure) – used exact same wrenches, etc, but worried I was going to break it of at the pipe I was putting too much torque to turn it. Back to Lowes to get a replacement Bibb. I will keep the pack of rubber washers though ($3 for a dozen may come in handy later). Great article and instruction!!!
Just curious…why didn’t you mention about inspecting the valve seat for nicks or cracks? Another couple of stages of fixes could include relapping the valve seat with a lapping tool (not very expensive) or, the next stage of repair could be replacing the valve seat (if removable, many are removable). Valve seats are cheap too as are valve seat removal tools!
Very helpful article. Thank you. I have a 10in stem with a cup like gasket towards the back of the stem that is slightly wrinkled. My back washer looks new as it’s about 1yr old. I tried looking for a replacement for the gasket on the stem but couldn’t find anything. Do you think it’s the back washer only that needs replaced as I’m waiting for an order to ship? I still have a constant drip, but not sure if I need to replace the whole hose bib as I can’t find the cup like gasket replacement.
The screw that holds the washer has disolved. How do you remove the broken screw and them replace the screw. The faucet was installed in 1949 and I am unable to find replacement parts. I’m thinking of installing a shark bit facet but the other side of the wall is under the kitchen sink with no room to work.
@HowToHomeDIY can you do a article on how to replace the connector on the bottom of your faucet in your article? My connector has a “feature” that when I have a hose connected to a handle or sprinkler, and turn off the water, the back pressure causes water to spray out of that connector and get me all wet. The guys at Home Depot say that is a feature but I can’t understand why this is a good idea to make me all wet each time I stand by the faucet and turn the water off!
🎯Your complete and truly thorough explanations throughout this article compelled me to leave this brief comment. I have not read any other comments and have yet to follow through with your instructions, although i am completely confident that when the time allows, i will be able to follow this task at hand to its full fruition. Also i will be sure to peep the full scope of your other instructive articles in hopes of feeling the same positivity as this article about tackling the next hiccup our home has. :face-turquoise-covering-eyes: Thank You.👏
Another trick too, is if the brass nut won’t turn because of corrosion. Take a propane torch, like the ones they use for soldering and heat up the outside of the faucet a bit to get the metal to expand. Heat it for a few seconds. That’s all it takes. It’ll break up the corrosion between the threads and it’ll loosen it enough to unscrew them.
Here we go again?? 1:40 – Notice that by turning the stem nut he is also turning the stem (the handle turns) which in turn compresses the seat washer, possibly damaging it by over compression? To alleviate this circumstance the valve should be opened, then the procedure he demonstrates might work. Older sillcock stems are packed with graphite cord. Newer ones with Teflon. If cranking them down doesn’t work the problem could be old packing OR a bad seat washer. It’s not rocket science. Turn the water off, open things up, replace both items and be done with it!!
1:43 You should have tightened the packing nut to stop the dripping. That’s the closest to the valve handle. 6:01 Also you should have used a slightly smaller washer one that fits inside the valve stem lip. The only part of the washer it’s touching the valve stem it’s on the edge of the lip there’s a gap under most of the washer and it will eventually Bend out of shape.