Read the drip before you pick up a wrench
The leak location points at the part, and each part has a different repair.
| Where it leaks | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Around the handle stem | Worn packing or loose packing nut | Tighten, then repack |
| From the spout when closed | Worn washer or damaged seat | Replace washer, or the whole faucet |
| From the vacuum breaker cap | Worn breaker diaphragm or washer | Replace breaker or cap parts |
| At the wall or inside the house | Split pipe behind the faucet | Shut off, call a plumber |
| Only after winter | Freeze crack in the barrel | Replace the faucet |
Fix a leaking handle
This takes about the length of a coffee break and needs an adjustable wrench and a new packing washer or graphite string.
- 1
Close the faucet and relieve pressure
Shut the indoor valve that feeds the line if there is one. Open the outdoor tap to drain the line.
- 2
Tighten the packing nut
A quarter turn on the nut behind the handle often stops a stem drip. Do not overtighten, since the handle will bind.
- 3
Repack if it still weeps
Remove the handle and packing nut, pull the old packing, wrap graphite string or fit a new packing washer, and reassemble.
Fix a spout that drips when closed
A spout drip means the washer at the end of the stem no longer seals against the seat. Shut the water off, unscrew the packing nut, pull the stem and replace the rubber washer held on by a small brass screw.
Run a finger around the brass seat inside the body. If it is pitted or rough, a new washer will not seal for long, and replacing the whole faucet is the better repair. A seat-dressing tool can smooth a mildly worn seat, but frost-damaged barrels cannot be saved.
Why a freeze split looks like a different leak
Water expands when it freezes, and a hose still attached holds water in the barrel. The ice splits the pipe wall, often inside the house wall where you cannot see it. The tap holds all winter because the ice is plugging the crack, and then spring thaw turns it into a spray.
This is why a tap that worked in fall can leak in March. A frost-free sillcock reduces the risk by moving the valve seat inside the warm wall, but only if the hose is removed and the barrel is allowed to drain.
Water showing inside the house when the outdoor tap is on? Call (317) 740-1302 and shut the valve first.
☎ Call (317) 740-1302Before the first freeze
These steps keep next spring's repair bill down.
- Remove and drain every hose and splitter
- Close the interior shutoff to the outdoor line, if there is one, and open the outdoor tap to drain
- Check that a frost-free sillcock tilts slightly downward so it drains
- Fit an insulated cover over a standard spigot
- Look for drips on the inside wall in the room behind the faucet
When to stop and call
Stop if you see water on the inside wall, a stain on the ceiling below, or a drip that continues when the faucet is closed and the line is shut off. Those point to a split pipe or failed soldered joint behind the wall, which requires opening the drywall.
Our faucet repair plumbers handle stem, seat and sillcock replacement, and a leak detection visit can trace a hidden wet spot before the wall is opened. Neighbors in Plainfield and Brownsburg get the same help.
Outdoor faucets and the water service in Avon
The Town of Avon lists Citizens Energy Group (Citizens Water) as the water provider. Homeowners own the service line from the main to the building, so a leak between the meter and the house is your repair, while a problem in the main or at the meter itself is a call to Citizens.
If a leak shows up in the yard or around the meter box, shut the house main and call Citizens to ask which side it is on. Call 811 before digging to repair a buried line. Indiana licenses plumbers, and you can verify a license at mylicense.in.gov.
Source type: utility water quality and service line page, and Indiana Professional Licensing AgencyWhat affects the price of a hose bib repair
A packing nut is quick, but a wall leak is a different job. Ask for an itemized written price in either case.
Faucet type
A standard spigot, a frost-free sillcock and a faucet with a vacuum breaker use different parts.
Wall access
Brick, siding and finished interior walls change how the plumber reaches the pipe.
Pipe material
Copper, PEX and older galvanized pipe need different fittings and tools.
Hidden damage
Water inside the wall can mean drywall and insulation work after the pipe is fixed.
Homeowners policies typically respond to sudden and accidental damage like a burst pipe and typically exclude wear and the failed faucet itself, so ask your carrier.
Call (317) 740-1302 for the real number on your faucet.
Codes, licensing and 811
Plumbing work in Indiana follows the state plumbing code (675 IAC 16), and the Indiana Plumbing Commission licenses plumbing contractors and journeyman plumbers. You can check any plumber through the license lookup at mylicense.in.gov before work starts, and you should call 811 before any digging.
Codes and standards decide what is allowed on a given job, so ask which ones apply to yours.
Outdoor faucet questions
If it threads on or sweats on at a visible joint, a handy homeowner can do it with the water off. Soldering inside a wall is a different matter, so call a plumber for anything you cannot reach safely.
It is a vacuum breaker, a backflow preventer that stops hose water from siphoning back into the house supply. If it leaks from the cap, the internal washer has worn out and the part is replaceable.
A slow drip wastes water and adds to the bill, and it can mean a bad washer that will worsen. A drip with water inside the wall needs a plumber the same day.
Our line at (317) 740-1302 is answered 24/7, and we offer same-day appointments when available. If water is spraying, close the valve that feeds the outdoor line, or the house main if you cannot find it.
Water at the meter itself is a Citizens Water call. If the pipe leaks on the house side of the meter, the service line belongs to the property owner, so a plumber handles it.