How to Fix a Leaking Outdoor Faucet
Stop water waste by replacing the worn stem washer, packing washer, and vacuum breaker seals on a leaking outdoor hose spigot.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Adjustable wrench (10-inch)
- ✓ Tongue-and-groove pliers (Channel locks)
- ✓ Phillips head screwdriver
- ✓ Flathead screwdriver
- ✓ Small pick or dental tool
- ✓ Old rag
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Multi-size faucet washer assortment kit
- ✓ Replacement packing string or Teflon packing washer
- ✓ Plumber's silicone grease
- ✓ Replacement brass bibb screw (optional)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Confirm main or branch water shutoff valve is fully closed before loosening any faucet components.
- • Open the faucet fully to drain residual line pressure before applying high wrench torque.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Shut Off Water and Relieve Pressure
Locate the indoor shutoff valve dedicated to the outdoor spigot or close the main home water shutoff. Turn the outdoor faucet handle fully counterclockwise to drain any remaining water and confirm the supply is completely dead.
- • Water flow completely ceases from the faucet spout
- • Faucet handle is turned fully open
- • Skipping the indoor shutoff and relying only on the outdoor valve
- • Failing to wait for the pipe to fully drain
Remove Handle and Packing Nut
Unscrew the center screw on the faucet handle using a Phillips screwdriver and pull the handle off the stem. Use an adjustable wrench on the packing nut (just behind the handle) while stabilizing the faucet body with tongue-and-groove pliers to turn the nut counterclockwise.
- • Handle removed and set aside
- • Packing nut unthreaded completely from the valve body
- • Failing to counter-hold the faucet body, risking twisting or breaking the copper pipe inside the wall
Extract the Valve Stem
Turn the threaded stem counterclockwise by hand or thread the handle temporarily back on to back the stem out of the valve housing. Pull the entire brass stem assembly straight out of the faucet body.
- • Long brass stem assembly fully removed from the valve housing
- • Visible interior chamber free of foreign debris
- • Yanking violently on a stuck stem instead of unthreading it
Replace the Seat Washer and Screw
Remove the brass screw at the end of the stem using a flathead or Phillips screwdriver. Pry off the old, hardened rubber washer, clean the brass seating cup with a rag, match the washer to an exact size replacement from your kit, and secure it with a new or cleaned brass screw.
- • New flat or beveled rubber washer seated flush in the end of the stem
- • Brass screw tightened firmly down without deforming the rubber
- • Overtightening the retaining screw causing the rubber washer to warp or mushroom outward
Replace Stem Packing and O-Rings
Slide off the packing nut and pick out the old degraded packing washer or graphite string from inside the nut and stem shaft. Wrap new Teflon packing string around the stem or install a new matching rubber O-ring, applying silicone grease lightly over the seal.
- • Old crusty packing material cleared completely
- • Fresh packing washer or neatly wrapped Teflon packing string seated around the stem
- • Adding too much packing material so the packing nut cannot catch threads
Reassemble, Restore Water, and Test
Insert the stem back into the housing, thread it halfway in, and tighten the packing nut snug with your wrench while counter-holding the body. Turn on the indoor water supply, close the outdoor faucet handle firmly, and inspect both the spout and the packing nut area for leaks.
- • Packing nut securely tightened
- • Handle reinstalled with retaining screw
- • Zero water dripping from spout or seeping from behind the handle when turned on and off
- • Overtightening the handle when closing, which crushes the new rubber washer immediately
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Everyday Home Repairs — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Tongue-and-groove pliers (Channel locks)? Second adjustable wrench or pipe wrench
- No Teflon packing string? Teflon thread seal tape rolled tightly into a thin cord
- No Small pick or dental tool? Straightened metal paperclip or small pocket knife tip