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What is Causing My Faucet to Leak?

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Melbourne Plumber

It may sound innocuous enough, but a leaky faucet could spell bad news for the homeowner. For one, it could be a sign that there is a much bigger underlying plumbing problem. But even if that isn’t the case, a single leaky faucet could increase your water bill by 10%.

The constant flow of water could cause damage to sealants and cause long term buildup in the pipe. Not to mention, a leaky faucet is enough to drive a person trying to sleep mad.

But what causes leaky faucets? What happens to a faucet to make it go from its pristine working condition to an appliance that is malfunctioning? There are actually three things it could be:

1 – High Water Pressure – Does your faucet only leak during certain times of the day? Is it especially noticeable when no other plumbing is being used? This could be due to high water pressure. High water pressure doesn’t seem like a problem but over time it stresses faucets and pipes and will cause them to break or burst.

2 – Damaged or Worn Parts – Just like everything on the planet, a faucet becomes victim to heavy use. The seals and connecting pieces can become damaged or worn down over time causing water to leak. Sometimes its as simple as replacing an O-ring and others times its just best to replace the entire faucet. You get what you pay for so if you have a cheap faucet, odds are it won’t last terribly long.

3 – Cracks in Plumbing – When this happens it can drive a home owner bonkers. They see the leak ad replace the O-ring or the faucet. A few days later the faucet is leaking again. What gives?! Unfortunately, cracks in plumbing will cause a leak at the pipe location as well as the faucet nearest to the crack. This is just the nature of water pressure. Getting that pipe sealed or replaced is imperative.