Outdoor Faucet Repair: Fixing a Dripping Hose Bib
An outdoor faucet, or hose bib, that drips from the spout, leaks around the handle when it's open, or has gotten stiff and squeaky is a common spring discovery. Beyond the wasted water, a faucet that won't seal properly or a pipe that wasn't drained can split in a freeze and leak inside the wall, where you won't see it until water shows up indoors. The handle area and the spout each leak for different reasons, which points to different repairs.
A standard hose bib is a simple valve: turning the handle drives a stem down onto a rubber washer that seals against a seat to stop the flow. When the spout drips, that washer or seat has usually worn. When water seeps from around the handle while it's open, the packing or O-ring on the stem has failed and needs repacking. Many homes also have frost-free hose bibs, which have a long stem that shuts the water off well inside the heated wall so the exposed portion drains and resists freezing. Knowing which type you have, and whether a worn washer, fresh packing, or a full replacement is the right call, is what makes the repair stick.
How the job is done
- 1
Shut off the supply to the faucet
We close the dedicated shutoff for the outdoor line if one exists, or the main supply, then open the faucet to drain it and confirm the water is off.
- 2
Diagnose where it's leaking
We note whether it drips from the spout, which points to the washer and seat, or weeps from the handle when open, which points to the stem packing.
- 3
Remove the stem assembly
We unthread the packing nut and back the stem out of the body, keeping track of the order of the washer, retainer, and packing parts for reassembly.
- 4
Replace the washer and packing
We fit a new seat washer on the stem end and renew the stem packing or O-ring, and inspect the seat inside the body, dressing or replacing it if it's pitted.
- 5
Reassemble and snug the packing nut
We thread the stem back in and tighten the packing nut firmly enough to seal around the stem without making the handle hard to turn.
- 6
Restore water and test both leak points
We turn the supply back on, run the faucet, and check that the spout shuts off fully and the handle stays dry while open and closed.
What a pro checks
- A drip from the spout points to the seat washer; a leak around the handle points to the stem packing, and the two are fixed differently.
- Frost-free hose bibs shut the water off deep inside the warm wall, so they must be installed with a slight downward slope to drain and resist freezing.
- Leaving a hose connected over winter traps water in the bib and is a leading cause of a split that leaks inside the wall during a freeze.
- We inspect the seat inside the valve body, since a pitted seat will chew up a fresh washer and bring the drip right back.
- Hard water in our region can scale up the stem and seat, so cleaning those surfaces is part of making a new washer seal properly.
- If the valve body itself is cracked or a freeze has already split the pipe behind the wall, that's a replacement or in-wall repair, sometimes a job for a licensed plumber.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does my outdoor faucet drip from the spout even when it's closed?
That's almost always a worn seat washer at the end of the stem, sometimes paired with a pitted seat inside the valve. Replacing the washer and dressing the seat usually stops the drip. If the body itself is damaged, the faucet may need to be replaced instead.
Water leaks around the handle when I turn my hose bib on. What's wrong?
That points to the stem packing or O-ring rather than the washer. As the packing wears, water escapes up around the stem when the valve is open. Repacking the stem or replacing the O-ring and snugging the packing nut typically seals it back up.
What's a frost-free hose bib and do I need one?
A frost-free hose bib has a long stem that shuts the water off well inside the heated wall, so the exposed pipe drains and is far less likely to freeze and split. It's worth considering for pipes on exposed walls, and it must be installed with a slight slope so it drains properly.
Should I disconnect my garden hose in winter?
Yes. Leaving a hose attached traps water in the faucet and prevents it from draining, so a hard freeze can split the bib or the pipe behind it. Disconnecting the hose and draining the faucet before a freeze is one of the simplest ways to avoid a hidden in-wall leak.
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