How to fix a leaky hose faucet

A leaky hose bib (also called a sill cock, outdoor faucet, tap or spigot) can lead to exterior and interior water damage to your Ottawa home.

Take our advice; don’t ignore this problem (even if it’s a very slow drip), or you may face costly repair bills. Instead, keep your eye open for the telltale signs you’ve got a leak.

Signs You Have A Leaky Outdoor Faucet

If the “amount due” printed on your Ottawa water bill seems too high, that’s a red flag you should definitely investigate; the culprit could be a wasteful leak.

Check your water meter to discover what’s causing your high water bills. Start by ensuring all water sources in your home are off (i.e. appliances, faucets, toilets, ice makers, etc., are not running). Then, head to the basement to locate the water meter. (It’s usually on the front wall.) If a little red triangle continually moves, you have a leak somewhere within your plumbing system.

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Evidence of an outdoor leak can be more obvious and may include:

Puddles Of Water

If you find damp soil or puddles of water around your foundation, it’s often related to a leaking hose bib. When too much water saturates one area, it can’t naturally drain quickly. Instead, it builds up and accumulates, leaving the area wet.

Mould & Mildew

Mould and mildew thrive in moist, humid environments. If your foundation is constantly wet due to a leaky faucet, you may see signs of mould growth. And, once you have it, it isn’t easy to get rid of. Not only that, under the right circumstances, it can spread throughout your entire house.

Cracking Foundation

Water has a sneaky way of getting into crevices. Drips stemming from an outside faucet can cause water to get into tiny cracks in your foundation and make them much worse. When excess moisture in these spaces expands, it wreaks havoc on your foundation and weakens it. In addition, the cracks may eventually make their way into your basement, causing more damage.

What Causes A Hose Bib To Leak?

You can probably blame your leaking faucet problem on one of two things: our terribly frigid Ottawa winters or good ‘ole wear and tear.

It’s important to troubleshoot the source so that you can address it and prevent it from happening again in the future. These are the causes we commonly see:

Frozen Hose Bib

If the water within your pipe isn’t properly drained, it can freeze and burst. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t usually think about outdoor faucets when temperatures drop below freezing, so an existing water pipe problem isn’t identified until spring rolls around.

A frozen pipe can change the water pressure and crack the assembly, causing water damage outside or inside your home. If your hose spigot isn’t working correctly when you start to use it again, contact Out of This World Plumbing to help identify the outdoor faucet problem and avoid costly repair bills. One way to prevent this problem is to have one of our techs replace your standard outdoor faucet with a Frost-Free hose bib.

Old Outdoor Faucet

A faucet won’t last forever. Just like everything, age will eventually start to show and impact its performance. If your hose bib appears old and weathered, it probably looks very similar inside. Mineral deposits build up over time, trapping water. This, plus small cracks, can cause leaks.

Worn-Out Washer

Inside your outdoor faucet is a valve stem holding a small rubber packing washer at the end of it. When the washer wears out, the seal it forms is compromised. If the flow of water cannot be stopped completely, you’ve got a leak. These washers wear out due to use, heat, cold, and age.

Loose Packing Nut

Occasionally, a piece of your faucet fixture has become loose, specifically, the packing nut. It is located right behind the faucet handle and, if loose, might be the source of your leak.

How Do I Stop My Hose Bib From Leaking?

If you’re up for a little DIY, you can try tightening the packing nut. Use an adjustable wrench and make a small 1/8-1/4 inch turn to see if that makes a difference. (Don’t go any further than that, or you might break the fitting.)

If the leak persists, it’s quite possible that the rubber washer, or another internal component, needs to be replaced.

At this point, things become more involved, so we advise that you hire a licenced and experienced plumber to avoid any costly mistakes.

If you do plan to proceed, do so with caution! Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Use the shutoff valve to turn off the water supply completely (you may need a cut off key to do this), and fully drain the faucet.
• Turn the packing nut counter-clockwise to take the assembly apart. (If needed, use a screwdriver to loosen the handle screw to remove the handle.)
• After removing the valve stem, you should see a screw holding a worn washer in place.
• Detach the washer and bring it to a hardware store to purchase an exact replacement.
• Take some time to clean the area where the previous faucet washer was before attaching the new one.
• Reassemble all the parts and then tighten the packing nut, being careful not to over-tighten and risk damaging the fixture.

Fix It Right the First Time and Prevent Future Leaks

If you suspect that you have water leaking anywhere in your home, give Out of This World a call today to diagnose the problem. We’ll ensure there are no leaks or faults in your exterior spigot, internal parts or the waterline and safely make any needed repairs for you.

We can also show you how to winterize your outdoor plumbing so you can get ahead of any potential plumbing problems brought on by our cold Ottawa weather.

Install a Frost Free Faucet

For the added peace of mind that comes with a guarantee and an extended warranty, have a trained Out of This World professional install all new Woodford frost proof faucets. Since the pipes leading to outside faucets are often the first to burst, you won’t regret it!

Book an Appointment for Outdoor Faucet Repair Today

Is your outdoor hose spigot leaking or cracked? Learn how to keep your outdoor faucet in good condition, no matter how cold or how warm the weather is.

With the depths of winter approaching, it’s a good idea to get your outdoor faucets, also called hose spigots or hose bibs, ready for plunging temperatures. Leaking outdoor faucets can cause your pipes to freeze and crack, creating plumbing issues inside your home as well. 

Before the first freeze arrives, take steps to weatherize your outdoor faucets. And, if you're looking for suggestions on how to fix a leaky hose bib, taking a few DIY-friendly measures can help.

Why Do Pipes Break When They Freeze?

You might be surprised to learn that ice forming in a water pipe typically does not cause it to break where the ice blockage occurs. Although water increases in volume (by approximately 9 percent) when it freezes, and ice does put pressure on your pipes, it may not cause direct damage. Instead, an ice blockage increases the water pressure "downstream" — that is, between the ice and a closed faucet. 

Related: A Homeowner’s Guide to Frozen Pipes

This increase in water pressure is what typically leads to pipe failure, and if your pipes burst, they usually do so far from the site of freezing. That means that any ice that forms due to a leaky outdoor faucet can cause a pipe to rupture inside the walls of your home, leading to thousands of dollars in water damage.

Weatherizing Your Outdoor Faucets

Protect your outdoor faucets against those "downstream" breaks in your water pipes by taking the following measures.

• Conduct an inspection. Check your outdoor faucets for any leaks or drips and repair them before cold weather arrives. Also, inspect your exterior walls and foundation for cracks or holes near your hose bibs. Caulk or otherwise seal them to prevent cold air from reaching your pipes. 
• Disconnect and drain all hoses attached to your hose spigots. Not removing hoses and any other connections from the hose bib can trap water and cause the fixture to freeze.
• Drain the faucet. If possible, close the outdoor supply valve and drain the pipe leading to the faucet. By draining all water from the faucet system, you can prevent ice from forming. Before freezing weather sets in, locate and close the valve supplying water to the outside faucet, and then open the faucet outside and drain the pipe. (If your outdoor faucets do not have a dedicated supply, turn off the main water supply to drain them). 
• Insulate. Protect your outdoor faucets from extreme temperatures using faucet covers, available at most hardware and home improvement stores. They’re inexpensive, easy to install (usually with no tools required) and have a lifespan of several years. If you live in a climate that turns especially frigid in winter, you might want to install some insulation inside the faucet cover to provide extra warmth.

Related: Protect Your Home Against Snow

If you discover that one of your hose bibs is leaking, you may be able to repair it yourself. Here are step-by-step instructions for diagnosing and correcting the source of your leak.  

• Tighten the packing nut. Use pliers or a wrench, and tighten the packing nut next to the faucet's handle. Take care not to tighten the packing nut so much that the handle is hard to turn or you damage the fixture. Turn the water on and off, and if the dripping stops, nothing else needs to be done.

If the hose spigot continues leaking even after you've tightened the packing nut, you may need to replace the packing washer.

• Turn off the water supply. Before replacing the packing washer, turn off the water supply. Next, drain the faucet. Be sure to do this before taking the handle assembly apart.
• Remove the handle assembly. Use pliers or a wrench to turn the packing nut counterclockwise until you can remove the handle assembly.
• Remove the packing screw inside the handle assembly. With the packing screw removed, use a standard (or slotted) screwdriver to pry the packing washer out. It’s a good idea to take the old washer to the hardware or plumbing supply store to make sure you purchase a replacement washer of the proper size.
• Replace the packing washer and screw. Insert the new washer and screw it in place.
• Reassemble the faucet handle and tighten the packing nut. Again, take care not to overtighten and possibly damage the packing nut. 
• Restore the water supply. Turn on the water supply and turn the faucet on and off a couple of times to test your repair.

Whether you're dealing with a leaking faucet or a plumbing issue of much greater seriousness, you can save money on home maintenance costs with a Plumbing Home Warranty from American Home Shield®. We offer a variety of flexible plans to help cover the repair and replacement of your essential appliances and equipment, including those outdoor hose bibs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help protect your home, as well as your household budget. 

Related: Maintenance Tips Every New Homeowner Needs to Know

AHS assumes no responsibility, and specifically disclaims all liability, for your use of any and all information contained herein.

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