Name the leak before you buy a single part. A spout that runs after you shut it off, a ring of moisture around a handle, and a puddle inside the cabinet each trace to a different component, and most of them cost $10 to $30 to replace. Leaks below the countertop might involve the drain or disposal, so check garbage disposal repair too.
Which part of the faucet is wet?
Wipe everything dry, then watch for a minute. A spout that dribbles means the washer, cartridge or seat has worn. A damp handle collar points at the stem ring or packing nut. Wetness around the spout's swivel base blames the spout rings. A damp cabinet could be the supply hoses, the drain or the faucet's mounting hardware.
Use this cheat sheet:
| Symptom | Likely culprit |
|---|---|
| Spout drips while the faucet is off | Washer, cartridge or seat |
| Handle sweats | O-ring or packing nut |
| Spout swivel weeps | Spout O-rings |
| Thin or splattering stream | Aerator clogged with scale |
| Cabinet floor wet | Supply hose, drain or mounting nuts |
With two handles, test the drip's temperature to find the side. A single lever works both sides, so the cartridge or ball takes the blame as a whole.
For scale, the EPA reckons a steady drip every second wastes more than three thousand gallons in a year.
What is the routine for a single-lever faucet?
Close both valves beneath the sink then run the faucet until it quits flowing. Pop the handle off, take out the retaining nut or clip, then draw out the cartridge, or lift out the ball and seats. Fit exact replacements, reassemble, reopen the valves gently and test.
Single-lever designs fall into three families:
- Cartridge: a tube-like insert that slides out. Remember its orientation and seat the new one identically.
- Ball: a rotating sphere with rubber seats and springs. One repair kit changes the seats, springs and rings together.
- Ceramic disc: a pair of ceramic plates inside a cylinder. Swap the cylinder, or clean the seals if scale is the culprit.
If a brand is stamped on the faucet, shop that brand's parts, which spares you a second trip. A drip that survives a new part usually means a damaged valve body, and then a new faucet beats a third repair attempt.
What belongs in my toolkit before I start?
Collect an adjustable wrench, a screwdriver, needle-nose pliers, silicone plumber's grease, a flashlight and a towel, then buy the exact washer, ring, cartridge or kit by carrying the worn piece into the store. Close the shutoffs and cover the drain hole with a rag so no screw rolls away.
Photograph each step while you disassemble. The pictures are your map for reassembly, and they also help a plumber later if you decide to stop halfway. Sort parts on a towel in the order they came off. Cheap universal kits often miss on unusual faucets, so a model number from the faucet's body or a manual saves guesswork.
And with two separate handles?
Two handles mean two washers or two cartridges. Fix only the dripping side: close the valves, remove its handle, back out the bonnet nut, extract the stem and renew the washer and rings, or the cartridge. A roughened seat in the body needs smoothing or replacing before a new washer can seal.
The full sequence has its own page, repairing a two-handle faucet. Briefly: grease new rubber, test before the handle goes back on for good, and replace whichever part the old one most resembles.
The faucet is not dripping, but the water sprays strangely or trickles. Now what?
Blame the aerator first, that small screened cap at the end of the spout. Wrap it in a cloth, unscrew it, leave the screen in white vinegar until the crust loosens, rinse, and refit. Spray that stays wrong afterwards suggests a tired cartridge, or debris loosened by recent work on the pipes.
Mineral crust is a regional habit, and hardness shifts with Long Beach's supply zone. Scale control, from cleaning to prevention, is the subject of hard water scale. Weak flow at one faucet is local; weak flow everywhere is a house-wide matter, handled on low water pressure help.
When does it make sense to pay a plumber, or buy a new faucet?
Phone a plumber if shutoffs will not seal, parts will not match, the body is cracked or corroded, the leak sits below the sink, or a swapped part changed nothing. A faucet under roughly 20 years is normally worth repairing; an older, battered one often is not.
Cost guides list a plumber's faucet repair near $100 to $350 and replacement near $175 to $375 before the fixture price. A parts kit for a do-it-yourself job runs $15 to $30. Those numbers come from other publishers rather than from us, and the plumber's own price follows a look at the faucet.
Long Beach requires a permit for installing or altering fixtures but not for routine work like a new washer. Exchanging one faucet for a matching one is usually uncomplicated, and the plumber will say if supply piping gets involved.
A burst supply hose, or any spray you cannot stop, means shutting the whole-house valve first, then reading our emergency page.
Common questions
How many minutes should a beginner expect?
A first-timer usually needs 30 to 60 minutes to swap a washer, ring or cartridge, and longer when a shutoff is stuck or the part must be tracked down. A plumber often finishes within an hour. Unusual models cost extra time because the right cartridge may take a shop visit.
Which points need agreeing ahead of the plumber's visit?
Pin down the trip fee, whether it reduces the repair bill, and whether parts are inside the price. Ask why repair beats replacement, or the reverse. Verify the contractor through the licensing board's public lookup, and hold on to the figure in writing.
Should an adult be around?
Someone responsible should be, to answer the door and indicate the faucet. Empty the cabinet beneath the basin beforehand, explain which faucet leaks and where, and shut pets in another room, since tools will be out and the water briefly off.
Does a small drip deserve a repair?
It does. The EPA's count for one drip per second is over three thousand gallons yearly, and hot-side drips also throw away heating energy. Parts are cheap, and a constant drip leaves stains on the basin and ages the faucet faster.
For the wider picture, start with plumber across Long Beach.
References
- US EPA WaterSense, fix a leak
- City of Long Beach, plumbing permit requirements
- Published faucet repair guides and cost guides from several home improvement and plumbing sites, checked November 2026
Updated