Wipe the faucet and basin dry, turn the water on and watch closely. Water beading at the spout tip, gathering at the spout base and trickling down the handle are three different repairs. Pinning down the spot first spares you a return trip with the wrong part. Under-sink work in general, disposals included, is grouped on our garbage disposal installation page, and under-sink lines get their own section below.
Which part is leaking, going by where the water shows?
Most kitchen faucet leaks fall into three zones: the spout tip, the joints around the handle and spout base, and the connections in the cabinet below. Each zone implicates a different worn part, so identify the zone before shopping for anything.
- Beads at the spout tip. A worn cartridge, or, on older faucets with two handles, a tired washer or seat.
- Seepage near the handle. Worn O-rings, a loose handle assembly, occasionally the cartridge.
- Wetness where the spout meets the deck. The spout O-rings that seal the swivel.
- Damp cabinet floor. Supply hoses, stop valves or the drain, with the faucet innocent.
Moen's own troubleshooting says leaks are usually caused by a scratched or torn cartridge, O-ring or grommet, and that the cure depends on where the leak shows.
What has to be turned off before I start?
Rotate each of the two stops beneath the sink to closed, then open the faucet and let the last water and pressure escape. A stop that will not close completely means going to the main valve, since a live line floods a cabinet quickly. Block the drain opening with a rag in case a screw slips.
Take a picture of the faucet before dismantling it, and line the pieces up in order on a towel. Moen reminds owners that different models use different cartridges and O-ring sizes, so identify the faucet's model first. The brand and model are often stamped on the underside or printed on the box or manual. If you cannot identify it, a plumber can usually do so from the shape.
What does swapping a cartridge involve?
Single-handle faucets first: lever off the handle cap, back out the screw under it, remove the handle and loosen the collar or retaining nut. The cartridge then pulls straight up, with a puller or needle-nose pliers if it resists. Match the replacement by shape and brand, grease it lightly, seat it with the notch aligned and rebuild.
Moen's instruction sheets add detail. A 1225 cartridge sits behind a pivot retainer, retainer nut and clip, and working its shell back and forth with pliers helps loosen it. If the hot and cold sides end up flipped after reassembly, the instruction sheet for your cartridge shows how to turn it. Two-handle faucets have a cartridge or stem behind each handle, and both should be replaced if one is worn.
Hard water is part of why cartridges wear in this area. The City of Anaheim lists its water hardness at about 300 ppm, and scale on the seal surfaces roughens them, which means a cartridge in a house without a softener may wear out sooner than the packaging implies.
How do you fix a leak at the handle or spout base?
Seepage here tends to mean worn O-rings. With the water off, take off the handle or lift the spout, ease the old rings out with a small flat screwdriver, and fit identical new ones in the same grooves. Use the silicone lubricant that comes in the kit, and a thin film is plenty.
Moen warns that too much grease on a cartridge's small O-rings can cause handle drop, where the handle will not stay open, and that O-rings placed in the wrong grooves will leak. For a swivel spout on a non-pull-out faucet, the spout O-ring kit steps are to leave the cartridge in place, lift the spout off, replace each ring and set the spout back. Marking a groove with a marker helps you see where the old ring sat.
Does a faucet with a pull-out spray head leak differently?
Spray head leaks call for cleaning the screen and confirming that the hose is seated in its quick connector until it clicks. Water from the hose itself, or from the weight and fittings underneath, means the hose may need replacing. Leaks at the base are still the spout O-rings or the cartridge, so follow the same location rule.
Weak flow on a faucet like this has separate causes, covered in kitchen faucet low water pressure. An older faucet with scarce parts can end up cheaper to replace than to repair; faucet installation pricing gives a comparison.
And if the drip is in the cabinet below?
Blot every connection dry with a paper towel, then touch each one to find the wet joint. A supply nut may need a quarter turn, but overtightening splits washers. Cracked hoses and corroded stop valves should be replaced, and the trap or disposal joint can drip as well. Those parts are the focus of fixing a leak in the pipe beneath the sink.
Cabinet floors rot and grow mold quietly, so look now and then. Water use that climbs without a visible leak deserves the EPA's meter test: record the dial, avoid water for two hours, then compare.
Where does the do-it-yourself job end?
It ends when a stop valve refuses to close or leaks as you turn it, when the faucet body is corroded, when the pipe is buried in a wall, or when the model is a mystery. A repair that fails twice usually calls for a new faucet. Similar steps for other fixtures appear in fixing a leaky faucet and the notes on shower faucets.
For a plumber's help, use the quote form and mention the faucet type and where the water appears.
Common questions
What is the price of this repair?
A cartridge or O-ring kit usually runs from a few dollars up to a few tens of dollars, with labor added if a plumber does it. A complete new faucet costs more. Request the quote in writing, with parts and labor itemized.
Why does it keep dripping once the handle is off?
Something in the valve no longer seals: a cartridge, washer or seat lets a trickle through. Minerals from hard water can scratch the sealing surface. A new part generally ends it, and the EPA points out that even modest drips waste water across a year.
Must the main be closed for this?
Not when both stops under the sink shut fully. Close them, open the faucet to prove the flow has stopped, and get to work. A stop that leaks or will not turn means closing the main and asking a plumber to replace that valve.
Is plumber's grease fine for the O-rings?
Use what the maker supplies. Moen's spout O-ring kit includes a silicone lubricant to apply in a thin layer, and Moen warns that too much on a cartridge's small O-rings can cause handle drop. Other brands may differ, so check the maker's instructions before choosing a lubricant for yours.
The rest of our guides start from the plumber guide for Anaheim.
Sources
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