Why Is My Faucet Dripping?

The main cause for your leaking faucet is worn out gaskets, washers and/or O-rings. Over time these parts tend to become rigid and will start to develop small cracks that allow the water to drip from the faucet. This is an easy fix and just requires your local plumber or that you, replace the worn parts. If you leave this kind of drip un-repaired it can and will lead to corrosion over time. Corrosion is a much bigger problem and will cause the faucet structure as a whole to fail. This in turn will cause the need to replace the faucet and also tends to create many costly structural repair issues in your home.

Some other issues that can cause drips in your faucet are hard water and improper installation. Hard water will over time cause mineral deposits in the internal sections of your faucet leading to drips. To deal with the mineral deposits someone will have to take the faucet apart and clean it. It is highly recommended to replace all gaskets, washers, and O-rings when doing this. Lastly, sometimes during installation an O-ring or washer may not have been seated properly. In this case the installer should go back and make sure that all the parts are in the faucet properly and that everything is tightened down to the proper specification.
Now that you have learned about the issues that may cause a faucet to drip you can get the problems corrected. The faucets in your home should be checked at least four times a year to prevent problems from becoming major headaches. Once a season take a look at the faucet and see if it is operating properly. Make sure to also look under the faucet, if you are able to, and look for signs of water damage. Taking a few minutes every season to spot problems with your plumbing will save you from having a lot of headaches in the future.
Is your Salt Lake City home in need of a faucet repair? Call Valley Plumbing today at (801) 487-4770 for immediate solutions!