A dripping faucet is easy to ignore until you add up what it costs. It also rarely fixes itself. The worn part behind the drip keeps wearing, and a slow drip at the spout can turn into a leak at the handle or under the sink.
Most faucet drips come from a worn washer, O-ring, seal or cartridge. A leak at the handle usually means a failing O-ring or cartridge, and water under the sink usually means a supply line or connection. Low flow is often a clogged aerator. Repair makes sense when the faucet body is sound and parts are available. Replacement makes sense when the finish is corroded or the faucet keeps failing.
The EPA’s WaterSense program estimates that a faucet dripping once per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year. On a hot water tap, you are also paying to heat water that goes straight down the drain.
The repair part is usually small. The cost of ignoring it is not.
How a faucet is built decides what wears out and how it gets fixed. Most kitchen and bathroom sinks have one of these four types.
| Type | How to spot it | What usually fails |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Separate hot and cold handles that you turn until they tighten | Rubber washers and the valve seats they press against |
| Ball | A single handle on a rounded cap, common on kitchen sinks | Springs, seals and O-rings around the ball |
| Cartridge | One or two handles that move smoothly with little resistance | The cartridge itself |
| Ceramic disc | A single lever over a wide, round body | Seals and inlet gaskets; the ceramic discs themselves last a long time |
Most homeowners notice a problem at the faucet, but some plumbing issues that show up there actually start somewhere else in the plumbing system. Sorting that out first saves you from fixing the wrong thing.
Water under the sink deserves extra attention. A leaking supply line or a cracked drain trap can soak a cabinet, then the floor, then the subfloor, and water damage like that costs far more than the repair that would have prevented it. In older homes in Republic, the shutoff valves and supply lines under the sink are often original, so a faucet repair is a good time to replace them too.
Repair is the better choice when the faucet body is solid, the finish is in good shape, and replacement parts are available for the model. A new cartridge or a set of seals can give a quality faucet years more service.
Replacement is the better choice when the finish is corroded or pitted, when the same faucet keeps failing, when parts for an older or discontinued model are hard to find, or when you want better features anyway. If that is where you land, our faucet installation service covers what a proper replacement includes.
Either way, you get a clear answer on which option makes sense and what it costs before any work begins.
A faucet repair is a small job, and it should feel like one. That means a clear diagnosis, a price you see before the work starts, and a technician who leaves the sink working properly.
Republic homeowners usually call about the faucet, but our plumbing technicians look at the whole sink while they are there. A dripping spout is often one of several small plumbing problems in the same cabinet.
A quick inspection like this can help prevent future leaks and costly repairs. If the faucet is beyond saving, we can install a new one instead. It is always fair to ask a plumber about their license before work starts, and our plumbers in Republic are fully licensed and insured. Contact us online or call (417) 241-5687 today to schedule service.
Sometimes. Replacing a washer on a simple compression faucet is a reasonable do-it-yourself job. Cartridge and ball faucets need the exact replacement part, and a stripped fitting or a cracked valve body can turn a small job into a bigger one.
The valve seat that the washer presses against may be worn or pitted. A new washer cannot seal against a damaged seat, so the seat needs to be resurfaced or replaced.
Most faucet repairs are finished in a single visit once the right part is on hand.
Not usually. A steady drip can wait for a scheduled repair. Water leaking into the cabinet, or a supply line that is spraying, is different, so shut off the valves under the sink and call.
The cartridge is the valve inside most single-handle and many two-handle faucets. It controls how much water flows and how hot and cold mix, so a worn cartridge causes drips, stiff handles and trouble getting the temperature right.
If the shutoff valves under the sink are old, stiff or already weeping, replacing them during the faucet repair saves a second trip later.
Faucet repair is one of the everyday fixture jobs in the plumbing service in Republic we offer homes and businesses, along with toilet repair, drain cleaning and leak repair. Our plumbers serving Republic handle plumbing repairs of every size. Call (417) 241-5687 to schedule, 7 days a week.
24 hour service from a team based in Republic, not driving in from somewhere else.
(417) 241-5687
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, including holidays.
Two tune-ups a year on every system you own, 10% off all repairs and priority scheduling, from $14 a month.
Approved financing spreads the cost of a replacement, so the timing of the work is your decision rather than the equipment’s.
A plumbing problem leaves you guessing at both the cause and the bill, and most people find out the price only after the work is done. We find the cause, show you what we found, and agree the cost with you before anything is touched. Call (417) 241-5687 or book online.