Garden spigots begin to leak when the washer or the packing around the handle becomes worn. The fix is fairly simple – replace the washer – and it needs to be done sooner rather than later or your tiny leak will really start to rack up on your water bill. Follow the steps below to fix your leak.
What you will need
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Flathead screwdriver
- Wrench or adjustable pliers
- New washer
- Tray or pan
Steps
- First, check to see if the leak can be fixed simply by tightening the housing with a wrench. If your spigot or attachments have come loose the tightening them back in should solve your problem.
- If tightening your spigot didn’t work, you will need to turn off your water supply – either the direct supply to the spigot or your main water supply to the house.
- Using a wrench or adjustable pliers, unscrew the packing nut located under the handle.
- Pull the nut off and place it on the tray that you brought out to keep from losing all of the little pieces.
- Remove the valve from the faucet housing. Flip it over to locate and unscrew the washer using a Phillips screwdriver.
- Use the flat head screwdriver to pry out the washer and replace it with a new one.
- If the leak occurred in the handle, unscrew the handle with a Phillips screwdriver and pull off the packing nut.
- Replace the packing washer and the packing string (if there is one). Use a new graphite-treated string when replacing the packing string.
- Replace the valve back into the faucet housing, screw the nut back on and tighten it with a wrench.
- Put the handle back on and tighten down the screw.
- Turn your water back on to test that you have fixed the leak problem.
Why outdoor spigots fail more often than indoor faucets
Garden spigots take more abuse than any other faucet on the house. They sit outside year-round, exposed to sun, rain, freezing temperatures, salt air and the occasional kick from a passing lawnmower. The same washer that lasts 15 or 20 years inside the kitchen often gives out in five outside. That’s not a defect, just the reality of where the fixture lives.
On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the salt in the air is a particular concern. It corrodes brass and chrome from the outside in, and any leak that runs down the wall behind the spigot can cause hidden damage to the siding or framing over time. Catching a small drip early is one of the best ways to avoid that.
Where the leak is coming from changes the fix
A leaky garden spigot can drip from a few different places, and the fix depends on which one. Before tearing into anything, watch the spigot with the water on for a minute and note where the water is appearing:
- From the spout when the handle is closed. The internal washer or seat is worn. Follow the steps above.
- From the handle stem while water is running. The packing or the O-ring under the handle is the culprit.
- Between the spigot body and the wall. The seal or thread sealant where the spigot screws into the wall pipe has failed.
- From a hose attached to the spigot. The hose washer at the connection is worn or missing.
- From the wall itself, with no visible source. The water line behind the spigot may have cracked, often from a freeze. This one needs a plumber.
The first three are usually a 30-minute project. The last two get serious quickly and call for professional eyes.
Frost-Proof vs Standard Sillcocks
Newer homes often have what’s called a frost-proof sillcock, which is a longer spigot that places the actual valve seat 6 to 12 inches inside the wall, away from cold outside air. Older homes typically have a standard hose bib, which sits the valve right at the wall surface.
The repair process is similar between the two, but a frost-proof sillcock has a longer stem that has to come all the way out of the wall during the repair. If the leak is coming from a frost-proof unit, expect to pull a stem that’s a foot or more long. The seat at the inside end is what needs cleaning or replacing. If the spigot drains backward toward the house when shut off, the unit may be installed without the right slope, and that’s worth correcting at the same time.
Winterizing Outdoor Spigots
Even on the Gulf Coast, winters can bring a stretch of below-freezing temperatures that catch unwinterized spigots off guard. A frozen line behind the wall can crack and won’t reveal the damage until water is turned back on in the spring. By then a small repair has turned into wet drywall.
Before any forecast that includes a hard freeze:
- Disconnect every garden hose from every spigot
- Drain the hose and store it indoors or in a sheltered spot
- If you have an interior shutoff for outdoor spigots, close it and open the outside spigot to let the line drain
- Cover the spigot itself with an insulated foam cover, available at any hardware store
- If you have known weak points, leave the inside cabinet doors open and consider letting an indoor faucet drip overnight
When DIY isn’t the right call
Most spigot repairs really are weekend projects. A few situations belong with a plumber:
- The spigot won’t shut off, even with the handle fully closed
- The leak is coming from inside the wall and you can hear water running with no fixture on
- The threads where the spigot screws into the wall are cross-threaded or stripped
- You’ve replaced the washer and the leak is still there
- The pipe behind the spigot is older galvanized steel and looks corroded
- The wall siding around the spigot is wet, soft or showing mold
Any of those can mean the issue is bigger than the spigot itself. Catching it before water gets a chance to soak into framing is what keeps the repair small.
If you are unable to fix your leak, or if you find that your plumbing needs to be repaired, contact ASAP Plumbing today at 228-865-ASAP or visit www.plumbinggulfportms.com and request a free estimate! We can handle all your plumbing needs including installation, repair and full water heater replacement.