Expert Advice on Home Improvement

After years of daily use, a faucet may develop a leak around the handle when it is turned on, or drip constantly from the faucet no matter how hard you try to turn it off. Both problems can often be solved by replacing the washer and sealing the valve threads with Teflon tape.

Start by turning off the water, then remove the screw in the handle of the faucet.

Next, pry off the faucet handle. If corrosion has it frozen in place, you may have to use a spray lubricant like WD-40 and slowly work it loose.

After the handle is off, use a deep well socket and wrench to unscrew the valve from the housing.

Once the valve is loose, take it out of the housing.

Remove the screw in the end of the valve, and take out the washer.

Replace the old washer with a new one of the same diameter and thickness and tighten the screw holding it on.

Wrap the housing threads on the outside of the valve with Teflon tape to prevent it from leaking at the handle.

Screw the valve back into the housing, being careful not to strip or over tighten the threads.

Replace the handle, turn on the water, and you should be ready to go.

Comment on this articlePrint text-onlyEmail to a friend Submit to StumbleUpon Share on other sites

11 Comments on “How to Repair a Leaky Bath Faucet”

You can follow comments to this article by subscribing to the RSS news feed with your favorite feed reader.

1. Joe Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 2:06 am

   I have water leak under my bathtub. water coming down the drain pipe. i can’t find where is the leak coming from.How can find my problem. Please help

2. John Cannamela Says:
   November 5th, 2007 at 6:13 pm

   Joe ,Infrared can find it.If Danny doesn’t mind,
   tell me what part of the country you live in and I can get somebody that can help.

   John Cannamela
   http://www.infraredsurvey.com

3. JANICE MILLER Says:
   November 11th, 2007 at 8:37 pm

   I have a leak behind my bathtub faucet that has caused the drywall to get wet and the tiles are loose. Whenever we shower the water drips in my laundry downstairs. can you help me?

4. Betty Ford Says:
   December 17th, 2007 at 3:32 pm

   Hi, I am trying to repair the drain pipe under my sink in the bathroom. This is an old 1939 Spanish house and it has rusted thru and leeks in the elbow. I have purchased the items and bot a wrench. Is there anything I should be aware of when taking off and replacing the new one. I was told not to use plumber’s tape. Thanks, Betty

5. Kimberly Says:
   May 4th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

   We tried the fix described in this article, but the tub and showerhead faucets still leak from both hot and cold taps. One of the valves broke when we removed it, so we took the whole set up of both handles to a trusted plumbing supply for replacement parts and advice. When we followed directions but still had a leak, we tried taking it apart to re-do it, but of course that only made things worse. Any ideas?

6. nelson Says:
   November 30th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

   I have attempted to repair my leaky tub faucet in the recommended fashion, however it continues to leak a lot and it is the hot water that is leaking. We have to turn the water off from the circuit box so the water pump does not run and burn out. Will we have to replace the pipes and the valve? I hope not, that may be expensive. Help.

7. vicky Says:
   January 25th, 2009 at 10:07 am

   I had leak from my hot water faucet on the bathtub and had someone come in and fix it, but that person couldn’t and made it worse by taking out the o rings and not replacing them and now the nob won’t turn the water off or on. The plastic tube that’s inside the metal tube could be put on wrong also cause the water is running and the nob is not working. Please help me. Urgent

8. Sally Chattin Says:
   June 18th, 2009 at 6:45 pm

   Thanks so much for the pictures! I’ve read several articles on fixing leaky bathtub faucets but for a non-plumber, this was much easier to understand with pictures included.

9. alex schooler Says:
   July 7th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

   Am cursed with a old style brass single handle tub/shower dripping faucet(probably from ’60s or ’70s). Removed brass cartridge, with 2 o-rings. Replaced o-rings, using plumbers grease. Reassembled, but still leaking. Old brass cartridge cannot be replaced. What can I do, short of cutting into the fiberglas surround (one piece tub and surround)and trying to replace old with new tub/shower fixture, or calling a plumber?

10. 

    Ben Erickson Says:
    July 7th, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    Hi Alex,
    If the faucet isn’t fixable, try to gain access to the back side of it so you can replace it without tearing up the fiberglass tub.

11. Lou Fejes Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 8:43 am

    I keep having the same problem over and over. I have to replace my valve stems every 3 months because the tub starts to drip. This time I replaced them and the drip is still going !!! Can you please help me out here cause I’m at my wits end !!! By the way my valve stems are gerber 11B 1HC

    Thank you,
    Lou Fejes

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Your website (optional)