Largo, FL plumbing guide
How to Stop a Dripping Faucet (and When to Call a Plumber)
A dripping faucet is almost always caused by a worn or scaled internal part: a cartridge, a washer, an O ring or a valve seat. In a Florida home, hard water speeds that wear, so drips are common. Most are a straightforward fix once you identify the faucet type and replace the worn part. The catch is turning off the supply and matching the right replacement.
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It is not urgent, but it is worth fixing, because a steady drip quietly runs up a metered county water bill. Here is how, and when to hand it to a plumber.
Why faucets drip faster in Florida
The mineral content in Pinellas County water is hard on the small moving parts inside a faucet. Cartridges, washers and valve seats scale up and wear, so the faucet no longer seals fully and a drip starts. Outdoors, salt air adds corrosion to the mix, which is why coastal hose bibs seize and weep sooner than inland ones. Neither means a bad faucet; it means the local conditions are hard on fixtures.
That is also why a drip that you fix can return in a year or two if the water is left untreated. A water softener slows the wear across every fixture in the house, faucets and toilet valves alike.
The DIY fix, step by step
- Turn off the water at the shutoff valves under the sink
- Plug the drain so small parts do not disappear down it
- Identify the faucet type: cartridge, compression, ball or ceramic disc
- Disassemble, and replace the worn cartridge, washers or O rings
- Clean scale off the parts and aerator, then reassemble and test
Matching the replacement part to your exact faucet is the step people trip on. Taking the old part to the store, or noting the brand and model, saves a second trip.
When repair beats replacement, and vice versa
| Situation | Usual call |
|---|---|
| Worn cartridge or washers, sound body | Repair, quick and cheap |
| Corroded base or failing finish | Replace the fixture |
| Discontinued parts | Replace; parts hunt is not worth it |
| Outdoor spigot seized from salt air | Usually replace the hose bib |
If only the internals are worn, faucet repair is fast and inexpensive. Replace when the body is corroded, the finish is going, or the fixture is dated enough that a new one costs little more than a fiddly repair.
Why fixing a drip is worth it
A single dripping faucet does not feel urgent, and it is not, but it is not free either. A steady drip wastes water continuously, and on metered county water that shows up on the bill month after month. The worn part also tends to deteriorate further, so a drip becomes a stream. Because it is cheap to fix, a drip is the ideal thing to fold into a visit you already have booked rather than a call on its own.
When a drip becomes a plumber's job
Call when you cannot identify the faucet or find the right parts, when a shutoff valve is stuck or leaks, when the drip is inside the wall at a shower valve rather than at a sink, or when an outdoor spigot leaks back toward the wall. That last one matters in coastal homes across the beach communities, where a corroded hose bib can track water into the structure. A plumber also fits lever handles, which are easier on the hands, a common request in the area’s many 55 and over households.
Tools and parts worth keeping on hand
A dripping faucet is one of the most satisfying small repairs precisely because a modest kit handles most of them. Worth having in a drawer: an adjustable wrench and a set of hex keys for handle set screws, a pair of slip joint pliers, a small flat and Phillips screwdriver, plumber’s grease for O rings, and white vinegar for dissolving the scale that hard water leaves on every part. A basin wrench earns its keep the first time you have to reach the nuts behind a sink.
For parts, the trick is matching the exact faucet, so noting the brand and model, or taking the old cartridge or washer to the store, saves a wasted trip. Many manufacturers sell repair kits with all the internal parts for a given faucet. Keeping a spare flapper and fill valve for the toilet in the same drawer means the two most common household drips are both a quick fix rather than a call out. What is not a DIY job is a stuck or leaking shutoff valve, a corroded fixture that will not come apart, or an outdoor spigot leaking back into the wall, all of which are worth handing to a plumber before you round off a fitting or flood a cabinet.
Common questions
Why does my faucet keep dripping after I replaced the washer?
Often because the valve seat the washer presses against is worn or scaled, so a new washer still cannot seal. On hard water the seat itself corrodes over time. It may need resurfacing or the cartridge assembly may need full replacement. If a new washer does not hold, the seat or cartridge is the next thing to address.
Is a dripping faucet really worth fixing?
Yes, for two reasons. It wastes water continuously, which adds up on metered county water, and the worn part tends to get worse until a drip becomes a stream. Since the fix is usually cheap and quick, it is worth doing, ideally bundled into another visit rather than paid for as its own call.
Why do my outdoor faucets fail faster than indoor ones?
Salt air. Near the coast, salt laden air corrodes the exposed brass and chrome of hose bibs and outdoor spigots faster than indoor fixtures ever see. They seize, stiffen and weep over time. Replacing a corroding outdoor spigot before the leak tracks back into the wall behind it is the sensible move.
Can hard water be causing my faucet problems?
Very likely. Hard water scales up the cartridges, aerators and valve seats inside a faucet, causing drips, stiffness and reduced flow. It is one of the most common reasons fixtures wear early here. Fixing the faucet solves the immediate issue; a water softener slows the wear on every fixture going forward.
What tools do I need to fix a dripping faucet?
For most faucets, an adjustable wrench, hex keys, slip joint pliers, a screwdriver, plumber's grease and some white vinegar to dissolve scale will do it, plus a basin wrench for the nuts behind the sink. The harder part is matching the exact replacement cartridge or washer, so note the faucet's brand and model or bring the old part to the store.
Why does hard water make faucets fail sooner?
The minerals in hard water leave scale on the cartridges, washers, aerators and valve seats inside a faucet, so they stop sealing and start dripping earlier than they would on soft water. It is the same wear that affects toilets and shower valves. Fixing the faucet solves the immediate drip; a water softener slows the wear on every fixture in the home.
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