How To Repair A Hose Spigot

Repairing a dripping outdoor faucet is ofttimes at the bottom of a homeowner's to-do list, since the leak is exterior the house.

But left unchecked, it doesn't take long for fifty-fifty a small leak from a hose bibb to waste hundreds of gallons of h2o — and quickly raise your water neb.

Easy Repairs for Your Outdoor Faucet

Over time, outdoor faucets, also known as hose bibbs, begin to drip or leak around the handle, and it's important to repair them as soon as you notice the problem.

Another common trouble on exterior spigots is leaking effectually the valve stem when you turn the water on.

You can easily repair both of these issues. Simply use pliers or an adjustable wrench to tighten the packing nut backside the handle with a i/8 to 1/4, clockwise plough.

Dripping outdoor faucet — Outdoor faucets tin be easily repaired or, as a last resort, replaced. (©GolfC, Adobe Stock Photos)

When You Need to Replace the Washer

Near leaky outdoor faucets tin be repaired with a unproblematic turn of the wrench, simply if the faucet all the same leaks after you lot've tightened the packing nut, you lot'll need to supercede the rubber washer on the cease of the valve stem.

Here's how to go near information technology:

Turn the water off at the water meter using a cut-off key.

Unscrew the packing nut beneath the handle of the faucet.

Grasp the faucet handle, and pull the valve stem out of the hose bibb.

Remove the spiral on the valve stem holding the faucet washer.

Replace the washer with one of the aforementioned size and thickness.

Push the valve stem dorsum into the hose bibb housing.

Tighten the packing nut on the hose bibb until snug.

Use the cut-off key to turn the water back on at the meter.

Turn the spigot back on to remove any air from the line.

Check for leaks effectually the packing nut on the valve stem.

Turn the faucet off and check the spigot for leaks.

Watch this video to detect out more than.

Still Have Issues Fixing the Leak?

Sometimes, you may still have a leak, despite trying the usual repairs for your outdoor faucet. That'southward the case for this homeowner, who wrote to Today's Homeowner for more communication:

Danny,

I tightened the packing nut almost a whole turn or more than; the outdoor faucet hose bibb still leaks, only non every bit badly. Notwithstanding have space between the packing nut and the side by side slice of spigot.

Should I continue tightening information technology until it is snug?

Robert Northward. Lewis

Robert,

I would propose tightening it a petty more and that probably will solve the trouble.

However, sometimes, an outdoor faucet, or hose bib, that has been tightened by hand a lot has affected the sealing ability of the "seat," and it'south across repair.

The all-time matter to do in that case is to simply supervene upon the hose bibb itself.

Doing this will crave y'all to turn the h2o off to your home.

Danny

Further Data

Repairing a Leaky Faucet (video)
How to Repair a Leaking Cutting-Off Valve (commodity)
How to Find a Plumbing Leak (article)
How to Check a Water Meter for Plumbing Leaks (article)

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Now, here's a pretty common home repair: a leaky outdoor faucet or water bibb. If yous've got i of these, I tin tell you 3 things without even looking at information technology.

First of all, left unchecked, it's going to waste hundreds of gallons of water, even with a wearisome drip.

Number 2, information technology's what I consider one of the most doable practise-it-yourself projects that you tin tackle.

And number three, in most cases all it's going to take is about 30 seconds of your fourth dimension and a pair of adjustable pliers, cause all you need to practise is tighten the packing nut that's correct behind the handle. Nigh a quarter to an eighth turn is all it takes.

Now, unfortunately, I've already tried that with this one, so I'm going to have to wait at a couple of other items. Merely again, it'south pretty simple, and it starts with turning off the water supply.

Now looking at this one, I can tell that nosotros have a really worn washer, and so we're going to unscrew the washer from the handle.

This ane's a picayune stubborn to become out, so I'm going to have to use a little actress effort with a utility knife to pull this washer out of the fashion.

One time we do, it's time to find a replacement, and I always similar to continue a pack of washers on hand of all varieties, so I can observe what I demand.

Once we've got the washer back in identify, we reassemble the hose bibb, turn the faucet off, get back and turn your water supply back on.

And then come up back to the outdoor faucet, open information technology up release any air, let some h2o flow, turn information technology off, and we've repaired our leak.