Diagnosing Faucet Leaks – A leaking faucet is one of the most common plumbing leaks in the home. Faucets have a lot of moving parts inside and their handles are switched on and off several times. With the amount of usage faucets see, it is normal that they would leak at some point.
But the thing about a faucet leak is it doesn’t present an immediate problem; it may not even feel like an emergency. As long as the leak doesn’t leave your kitchen or bathroom floor flooded, you think you can afford to fix it at your convenience. But as Alotta Properties warns, that’s a big mistake.
A single faucet in your home, leaking at the rate of one drop of water per minute, will waste 34 gallons of water in a year. If the rate at which the faucet leaks increases to one drop of water per second, the total amount of water lost in that single year becomes 2,100 gallons.
For perspective, you only use around 17.2 gallons of water when you take a shower. What does that tell you? That harmless faucet leak may be the reason your home’s water bill is spiking. If you are serious about taking control of your utility bills, you must stop faucet leaks.
How to diagnose faucet leaks
Most people are only familiar with one type of faucet leak. We know a faucet is leaking when we see water dripping from its spout after the faucet handle is turned off. But this is not the only way a faucet can leak. In addition to leaking from the spout, faucets can leak from two other places.
Faucets may leak at their base or under the sink. But these two other types of leaks are less easy to detect than when the faucet leaks at the spout. However, since those other types of faucet leaks are harder to detect, they may even be more damaging to your pocket.
When a faucet leaks from its spout
This is the most common type of faucet leak, and it is easy to notice because you see water coming from the spout. In addition to being annoying because of the constant dripping sound, this kind of leak will damage your sink by staining it.
Also, the leaks tend to get worse with time. At first, you may be able to stop the leak by turning the faucet handle a little harder, but eventually, that quick fix stops working. Over time, if you do not take steps to remedy the problem, the rate at which the faucet drips also increases.
What causes this kind of leak? Depending on the type of faucet, either the washers on the end of the faucet stem (if it is a compression faucet) or the cartridge inserts (for modern faucets) are damaged. To fix the problem, you need to disassemble the faucet and replace these components.
Compression faucets are more susceptible to this problem. If you still have them in your home, you may want to replace them with cartridge faucets.
When the faucet leaks around its base
Leaks around the point where the faucet meets the sink are harder to detect. That’s because water will normally splash around your sink deck and the base of the faucet when the faucet is running. It is hard to tell when that water comes from the base of the faucet.
But if you consistently find small puddles of water sitting on your sink deck, near the base of the faucet, you may suspect a leak. This kind of leak only happens when the faucet is running, one more reason why you may not see the problem right away.
To know if your faucet is leaking at the base, dry up your sink and turn on the water (both handles if you have a double-handle sink). Watch to see if water will seep from the base of the faucet. If the water slowly collects at the base of the faucet, there is a leak.
This problem is caused by an old or damaged O-ring inside the faucet or a worn inner cartridge. Replacing these components will stop the leak.
When the faucet leaks from under the sink
This is potentially the most damaging type of faucet leak because water from the leak goes directly to your floor or vanity. Moreover, since it happens underneath the sink, where you may not think to look for a leak, it can go on for a while before it is discovered.
A faucet leak under the sink is caused by loose connections. Common areas where you may have loose connections are where water supply lines meet shut-off valves, where valves connect to the flexible water supply tubes, and the connection between the tubes and the faucet tailpiece.
To determine the exact source of the leak, empty the vanity and dry the area thoroughly. Run the water and watch to see where the leak is coming from (you may need to feel with your hands). In most cases, you only need to tighten the connections to stop the leak.