Faucet Dripping? What It Means and How to Stop It

What a dripping faucet usually means

When water keeps escaping from the spout after you have shut the handle off, the seal that is supposed to stop the flow has failed. Faucets work by pressing a soft part (a washer, a seat, or a cartridge) against a hard surface to block water. Over years of use those parts wear, crack, or get gritty with mineral buildup, and a thin trickle sneaks past. A drip from the spout is a worn internal seal; a drip or puddle from the base or under the sink is usually a loose connection or a bad O-ring — the fixes are different, so noticing where the water comes from is the first useful step.

The most likely causes, most common first

• Worn washer or seat (compression faucets): The classic cause on older two-handle faucets. The rubber washer that presses down to stop the water hardens and no longer seals. Cheap part, common fix.
• Bad cartridge (single-handle and many two-handle faucets): Modern faucets use a cartridge that controls flow and temperature. When it wears, you get a drip that no amount of handle-tightening stops.
• Damaged O-rings or seals: Small rubber rings that dry out or tear, most often behind a drip at the base of the spout rather than the tip.
• Mineral or debris buildup: Hard-water scale on the valve seat keeps parts from closing flush, so water weeps past even a good washer.
• Too much water pressure: If a faucet only drips at certain times (often at night), unusually high household pressure can force water past seals that are otherwise fine.
• Worn valve seat: The metal surface the washer presses against can corrode or pit, so no new washer will fully seal until the seat is cleaned or replaced.

Safe checks you can do yourself

None of these involve tools you cannot buy at a hardware store, and every one starts by shutting off the water so you never work against pressure.

1. 1Find the two shutoff valves under the sink and turn both clockwise until they stop. Open the faucet to release leftover pressure and confirm the water is off.
2. 2Watch where the drip actually comes from — the spout tip, the base of the spout, or a connection underneath. Note it before you take anything apart.
3. 3Plug the drain or lay a towel down so no small screws or parts disappear.
4. 4Check the aerator (the screw-on tip of the spout). Unscrew it, rinse out any grit or scale, and reattach — a clogged aerator can mimic or worsen a weak, dribbling stream.
5. 5Look under the sink with a flashlight for moisture on the supply lines or connections. A drip you assumed was the spout is sometimes a slow seep below.

Danger signs — stop and get help

A spout drip is low-stakes. These are not, and they mean stop the do-it-yourself checks and get a professional in:

• Water spraying, gushing, or a supply line that will not stop even with the shutoff valves closed — go to the main water shutoff and call a plumber.
• A shutoff valve that is seized, crumbling, or leaks worse when you turn it — old valves can break off in your hand.
• Water pooling inside the cabinet, warping the base, or a musty smell that suggests a hidden long-term leak.
• Any sign of water reaching an electrical outlet, a garbage disposal connection, or wiring under the sink.
• A drip paired with brown, rusty, or foul-smelling water, which points to a bigger plumbing problem than the faucet.
• Discolored water stains spreading on the ceiling or wall below an upstairs faucet — that is water traveling somewhere it should not.

When it is a pro-only job

Swapping a washer, cartridge, or aerator is within reach for many homeowners. Call a licensed plumber when the fix reaches past the faucet itself: a corroded or leaking shutoff valve, a worn valve seat that needs resurfacing or replacement, supply lines that will not seal, suspected high household water pressure, or any leak inside the wall or below the floor. It is also simply reasonable to hand off a job you would rather not do — a good plumber will have the right cartridge and seat parts on the truck and be done quickly. The goal is a faucet that seals cleanly, not a weekend lost to a part that turned out to be the wrong size.

When you would rather it just get handled, the hard part is not the repair — it is finding someone trustworthy. We verify each plumber's state license for the plumbing trade, confirm active general-liability and workers-comp insurance, and audit their review and complaint history for patterns before we ever coordinate the work. You can read exactly how in our vetting standard.