At just one drip per second, a faucet wastes over 3,000 gallons annually—EPA data. That’s roughly $20 in water costs per year, per faucet, before accounting for hot water heating. More relevant: the drip usually signals a worn part worth a few dollars. Most homeowners call a plumber anyway. Plumber rates for a faucet repair run $100 to $300 for work that takes about 40 min.
The repair itself isn’t complicated. What trips people up is not knowing which faucet type they have or what’s actually failing inside it. Once those two things are clear, the fix is just a parts swap with basic tools.
What Kind of Faucet Is in the Sink
Four types show up in American kitchens and bathrooms. Check the handle configuration and how it moves to identify which one is on the sink.
- Compression: Two separate handles—one for hot, one for cold—that physically screw down when turned off. Common in homes built before 1980. If the handle takes multiple full turns to shut off, it’s a compression.
- Ball: Single handle mounted in a rounded cap or dome. The handle swivels left and right for temperature and lifts up and down for flow. Very common in kitchen faucets.
- Cartridge: Single handle (or two separate handles) where the lever moves in a defined arc—up for on, down for off, left for hot. Moen, Delta, and Price Pfister use cartridge designs widely.
- Ceramic disc: Single lever on a wide, flat cylindrical base—often on higher-end bathroom faucets. The lever sweeps left and right; the base looks broader than a standard faucet body.
What’s Actually Leaking—and Why
Where the water appears is as important as the faucet type. Spout drip—the internal seal has failed. Water pooling at the base—the O-rings around the body are worn. Moisture around the handle stem—the packing is going, which is a different component and a different repair.
Each faucet type has a specific failure point. Compression faucets wear out a small rubber washer at the bottom of the stem—it costs under a dollar and gets replaced in 30 minutes. Ball faucets have several small components (springs, seats, O-rings, a cam) that tend to wear together, which is why a rebuild kit is more reliable than replacing individual parts. Cartridge faucets fail when the cartridge itself—a self-contained plastic or brass unit—cracks or warps. Ceramic disc faucets rarely crack; the drip is usually mineral buildup on the disc surfaces that can be cleaned away with vinegar.
The Table at a Glance
| Faucet type | How to spot it | What’s actually failing | Part cost |
| Compression | Two handles that screw down to close | Rubber seat washer at stem tip | $0.25–$1 |
| Ball | Single handle that swivels in a dome | Springs, seats, cam, or O-rings | $10–$15 (kit) |
| Cartridge | Single lever moves up/down or side to side | Plastic or brass cartridge inside body | $10–$30 |
| Ceramic disc | Single lever on a wide flat base cylinder | Mineral buildup on discs (rarely cracked) | $20–$40 if cracked |
Step One for Every Repair: Cut the Water
Look under the sink for two valves on the supply lines—one hot, one cold. Turn both clockwise until they stop. Open the faucet to release any remaining pressure and confirm nothing is flowing before touching the faucet itself.
If the under-sink valves are corroded or spin freely without closing—common in older homes where they haven’t been touched in decades—shut off the main supply to the house instead. While the water is already off, replace those valves. They’re $8 to $15 each. A valve that can’t close in an actual emergency (burst supply line, cracked fitting) is a much bigger problem than the drip that prompted the repair.
Compression Faucets: The Simplest Fix
Pop off the decorative cap on top of the handle—flathead screwdriver in the gap. The screw underneath holds the handle. Remove it and pull the handle straight up. Below is the packing nut; unscrew it counterclockwise with an adjustable wrench. Pull the stem out. At the very bottom of the stem is a rubber washer held by a small brass screw—this is the part that’s failing.
Take the washer to a hardware store and match it exactly—diameter and shape both matter. Seat washers come in flat and beveled profiles; using the wrong shape leads to another drip within days. They sell in assortment packs for $3 to $5. The USGS Drip Calculator confirms worn seat washers are the leading cause of dripping compression faucets. If the new washer fails again within a month, the brass seat it presses against is worn and needs resurfacing with a seat grinder tool ($10 to $20 at any hardware store).
Ball Faucets: Replace Everything at Once
Replacing a single spring or O-ring on a ball faucet rarely stops the leak for long—the other components have the same wear history. Delta, Moen, and Price Pfister all sell brand-specific rebuild kits for $10 to $15 that include springs, seats, the cam, O-rings, and often the ball itself. Using a kit instead of matching individual parts saves time and reduces the chance of a repeat repair within a year.
The handle lifts off after loosening the set screw at the base—usually a 1/8-inch Allen wrench. Remove the cap and collar. The ball, cam, and packing lift out from the top. Before pulling the ball, note exactly how it sits: a slot on the ball must align with a metal pin inside the faucet body when reassembled. Get that wrong and the faucet won’t control temperature correctly. Use needle-nose pliers or a flathead to remove the springs and rubber seats from their seats in the body. Replace everything in the kit. Apply plumber’s grease to any O-ring before it goes back in. Reassemble in reverse.
Cartridge Faucets: Swap the Cartridge
Cartridges are model-specific. Before pulling the old one out, either photograph the faucet model number (usually on a sticker under the sink or stamped on the faucet body) or plan to bring the removed cartridge to the hardware store to match it. An incorrect cartridge won’t seat properly and will leak from the start.
Remove the handle screw—under a cap on top for most single-handle cartridges. Pull the handle straight up. The cartridge sits in the faucet body, held by a retaining clip or nut. Moen’s cartridge replacement guidance shows the specific clip locations for their common models. Pull the cartridge straight up—pliers work if it’s stuck. Note the orientation before it comes out: tabs on the cartridge must align with slots in the body, and if the cartridge goes in rotated 180 degrees, hot and cold will be reversed. Drop the new cartridge in with the same orientation, reinstall the clip, replace the handle, restore water.
Ceramic Disc Faucets: Try Cleaning First
The lever is removed after loosening the set screw — usually under a small cap on the side or top. The cartridge cylinder below is held by two or three mounting screws. Remove it and take it apart to access the upper and lower ceramic discs. Inspect both for visible cracks—a cracked disc needs replacement. Without cracks, cleaning is the fix.
Soak the discs and their seats in white vinegar for 30 minutes, then scrub with a soft brush—an old toothbrush works. American Standard and Kohler both publish repair guides for their ceramic disc models. Replacement disc cylinders run $20 to $40 if cleaning doesn’t resolve it. Reassemble, restore water, and test. Ceramic disc faucets that drip again after cleaning usually have etching on the disc surface from abrasive cleaners—that’s a replacement situation.
When the Leak Is at the Bottom, Not the Tip
Water pooling at the faucet base is a different problem from a spout drip. The O-rings wrapped around the faucet body are failing—not the internal valve components. For ball and cartridge faucets, these O-rings are accessible during the standard disassembly process and should be replaced whenever the faucet is opened up. They cost under $5 for a pack and require only plumber’s grease to install correctly.
If the leak appears at the connection between the faucet and the supply lines rather than at the base of the faucet body, that’s a supply line problem. Tighten the connection with a wrench first. If it still drips, replace the supply line—braided stainless supply lines run $5 to $15 and screw on by hand, with a final quarter-turn with a wrench.
Bottom Line
Most faucet repairs cost under $30 in parts and finish in under an hour. The decision tree is short: identify the faucet type, locate the drip, match the worn part, and swap it. The EPA estimates that fixing common household leaks saves the average home 10% on water bills. The part that’s failing in nearly every dripping faucet is designed to wear out and be replaced—the faucet body itself almost never needs replacement unless it’s cracked or physically damaged.
