How Do You Stop a Dripping Faucet Temporarily?

Ever wonder how many gallons an inconspicuous leaky faucet drips out water? Well, The EPA or The Environmental Protection Agency have estimated that on average a household’s leak can account for 10,000 gallons of wasted water every year. To put that in perspective about 10% of all household leaks waste at least 90 gallons of water per day, talk about throwing your money down the drain. On average household leaks account for 1 trillion gallons of water wasted annually in the United States alone. The leaks itself may seem small scaled at first but could be the culprit of high water bills when left unattended. Many of these leaks are common and require a simple washer replacement or a light sealant around the affected area. Need a temporary quick fix here’s how you can stop the dripping while your plumber arrives to the rescue.

First identify where the leak is occurring from, this part may be tricky if the leak is not so obvious. Then you’ll want to identify what type of faucet you’re dealing with. There are four main types of faucets each of which function differently and break differently, so it’s important to know how your faucet functions. Here’s how you identify what type of faucet you have whether it’s a compression faucet, ball faucet, disk faucet or cartridge faucet. 

• A compression faucet is the oldest of them all, they consist of separate hot and cold turnable handles usually they need to be turned quite some bit before a considerable amount of water flows out. Compression faucets work with screws and washers sitting above the faucet’s valve seat which is where the water flows through and into the faucet. The washer will rise when the water is flowing.
• A ball faucet is pretty straightforward, the “ball” sits in a socket that has 1 handle that allows it to be moved up down and around in a smooth motion all at which adjusts the pressure and temperature of the water. Ball faucets don’t use washers to cut off the flow of water.
• A disk faucet is a recent design that does not rely on washers as well. Disk faucets are notably more durable with a wider more cylindrical body than the two faucets above. Although disk faucets have lots of mobility it is not as free range of motion as a ball faucet. The cylindrical body of a disk faucet holds two ceramic disks each of which help to create a watertight seal when locked in place.
• Lastly a cartridge faucet has either one or two handles. Cartridge faucets are similar to compression faucets, however, cartridge faucets function by turning the handle slightly to allow the water to flow out and to close the faucet turn in the opposite direction. The name comes from the hollow metal cartridge found inside the body of the faucet that adjusts the temperature and pressure of the water and it also seals the faucet when not in use.

Now that you’ve identified the type of faucet you’re working with you can do a quick google search to find out the common areas your particular faucet leaks from and ways to mitigate the leak. Keep in mind that implementing a quick fix will not end the leak completely but can slow the progression of a leak. You should consider speaking with a plumber to have your faucet professionally sealed or replaced. In the meantime to stop a faucet from continuously leaking you’re able to shut off the water supply to the faucet by shutting off the water valve that supplies the water to it either inside your home or outside. Sink valves are often the easiest to find as they are usually beneath the sink counter or exposed if you do not have a counter. Shower water valves are usually hidden in plain sight or behind a panel. Once the valves are found make sure to turn off both hot and cold water valves. When ready to use the faucets again go back to the valves and this time turn both valves on or off when needed. This method should not be used for long periods of time as the valves themself may stop functioning properly from the constant movement.

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