How to Fix a Leaky Hose Bib in 4 Steps

A typical household leak can account for 10,000 gallons of wasted water each year.

Your hose bib sits on the exterior of your home and makes it easy for you to take care of various gardening tasks. While they’re fairly reliable, leaks can occur.

If you have a leaky hose bib, you should have it repaired as soon as possible. To do so, you can follow the steps in this guide.

1. Turn Off the Water Supply

Hiring a professional plumber will always be the easiest solution, but you may want to take on a leaking hose bib yourself. The first thing you need to do is turn off the water supply using the water shutoff valve. This is most likely inside your home near where the hose bib is located.

If your hose bib doesn’t have a shutoff valve, you’ll need to shut off the water to your entire home. The main shutoff valve is usually in the basement. Once you’ve shut the water off, open the spigot to allow any remaining water pressure to dissipate.

2. Disassemble the System

Use pliers or a Channellock to rotate the packing nut counterclockwise. This will allow you to remove the faucet handle.

Below will be a screw, and after removing this, you can detach the washer from the faucet stem. You’ll probably discover that the washer is broken or warped, which is causing the leak.

3. Replace the Stem Washer and Packing String

Put the new washer in place. It should fit snugly on the stem — if it doesn’t you have the wrong size.

Re-fit the screw, assuming it’s not damaged in any way. If it is, you’ll need to replace this too.

There will be old packing string below the bonnet nut which you can get rid of. Replace this, wrapping it clockwise. Depending on the faucet model, you may be able to use a packing washer instead.

4. Reassemble and Test

Twist the stem back into place, secure the bonnet nut, and reattach the handle. Once everything is secure you should be done. At this point, you want to test it to make sure there aren’t any other issues.

Turn the water supply back on and open the faucet. It should flow properly without any leaks. If there are any, try tightening the packing nut a bit more. After this, turn the faucet off and give it a few minutes to make sure it’s not dripping.

If the issue seems to persist, there could be a bigger problem. At this point, you should hire professional plumbing services to help deal with it.

Dealing With a Leaky Hose Bib

Outdoor faucet repair can be tricky to deal with. If you’re quite handy, you might be able to manage it yourself, but hiring a professional plumbing company is the best way to make sure things are done right. Whether it’s a leaky hose bib or something else, a qualified plumber will always produce the best results.

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