May 2026 — Handled Home, Moon Township, PA
A dripping faucet is one of those things that's easy to tune out. It's not a flood, nothing's broken, it's just a drip. But a faucet that drips once per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons of water per year — enough to fill a small swimming pool. In older homes throughout Moon Township, Coraopolis, and the broader Pittsburgh area, worn-out faucet internals are one of the most common and most ignored household problems.
The good news: most dripping faucets are caused by a single worn part that costs a couple of dollars to replace. If you can use a screwdriver and a wrench, you can probably fix this yourself in under an hour.
The cause depends on what type of faucet you have. There are four main types:
This guide focuses on compression faucets — the most common type in older Pittsburgh-area homes and the most straightforward to repair. The principles for the other types are similar, but the parts are different.
Look under the sink for the shutoff valves — usually two oval handles or knobs, one for hot and one for cold. Turn them clockwise until they stop. Then turn on the faucet to release any pressure and drain the remaining water from the line. Put the stopper in the sink drain so small parts don't disappear if you drop them.
Most compression faucet handles have a decorative cap on top covering a screw. Pry the cap off with a flathead screwdriver, remove the screw underneath (usually Phillips), and pull the handle straight up. Some handles are stiff from age and mineral buildup — wiggle gently rather than forcing it. If it's really stuck, a handle puller tool (available at any hardware store) makes this much easier and avoids cracking old handles.
Underneath the handle you'll see a hexagonal packing nut. Use an adjustable wrench to turn it counterclockwise and remove it. If it hasn't been touched in years it may be stiff — a little penetrating oil and patience will loosen it without damaging anything. Once the nut is off, the stem will pull straight out.
Look at the bottom of the stem. You'll see a rubber washer held in place by a brass screw. This is the seat washer — the part that presses against the valve seat to stop the water flow. If it's visibly worn, flattened, cracked, or has a groove worn into it, that's your drip.
Remove the brass screw, take out the old washer, and press the new one in. Make sure it sits flat and completely fills the recess. Put the brass screw back in — snug but not gorilla-tight, since overtightening can crack the washer.
Look down into the faucet body where the stem sits. You're looking at the valve seat — the brass ring the washer presses against. If it feels rough, gritty, or has visible pits and corrosion, it will chew through new washers quickly no matter how good they are.
A smooth valve seat: reassemble and you're done. A rough valve seat: you have two options. A seat wrench can remove the seat so you can replace it (seats are inexpensive). Or a seat dresser tool can grind the seat smooth in place. Both tools are available at hardware stores. If the seat is severely corroded and won't clean up, the faucet body itself may be the issue — see the section below.
Slide the stem back in, thread on the packing nut and tighten it snugly (no need to crank it). Replace the handle, tighten the screw, and pop the cap back on. Slowly turn the shutoff valves back on under the sink, and turn on the faucet to test. The drip should be gone.
If the drip is reduced but still there, the valve seat likely needs attention. If the drip is exactly the same as before, the washer may not be seating against the valve seat properly — double-check that the washer is the right size and is fully seated.
Most dripping faucets are just a washer. But a few signs point to something that goes beyond a simple DIY fix:
A lot of the housing stock in Moon Township, Coraopolis, and the surrounding Pittsburgh area was built in the mid-20th century. These homes often still have the original compression faucets, and while those faucets can last decades, the rubber components inside don't. Seat washers harden and crack, O-rings flatten out, and valve seats get corroded by Pittsburgh's mineral-heavy water supply over time.
If you've got an older home and a faucet that's dripped for years, don't assume it's complicated. It's almost always just a washer. The fix is simple — the main reason it gets put off is that nobody gets around to it.
If you open it up and find corroded supply lines, a seat that won't clean up, or shutoff valves that won't close, that's the time to call someone. Those are the parts of the job that can turn into a bigger problem if handled wrong.
A dripping faucet is almost always a worn seat washer. If you shut off the water, pop the handle off, and replace the washer and O-ring, there's a very good chance your drip is gone in under an hour. The hardest part for most people is just getting started.
If you take it apart and find something that doesn't look right — corroded supply lines, a seat that's pitted past saving, shutoff valves that won't cooperate — that's the right time to stop and hand it off.
If you're in Moon Township, Coraopolis, or anywhere in the Pittsburgh area and would rather just have it handled, that's what we're here for. We do leaking faucet repairs and faucet replacements throughout the area. Call or text 412-353-5341 or fill out the form at Contact us for a free estimate.