A faucet drip looks small until you count it. The EPA says an average household loses about 180 gallons a week to leaks, and a leaking faucet is one of the easiest sources to stop. Our faucet repair in Willoughby, OH covers kitchen, bathroom, tub, shower, laundry and outdoor faucets, plus the sink plumbing under them.
If water is pooling under a vanity or spraying from a handle, close the small oval-handled stop valve under the sink and call. Our emergency line runs 24/7, and a failed faucet at midnight gets the same attention as one at noon.
A faucet is spraying or the vanity is flooding
Water that sprays from a handle, a loose spout or a snapped supply line can empty a surprising amount into a cabinet before anyone notices. The faster you cut the supply, the smaller the repair becomes. Closing the stops takes seconds, and it is the right first move every time.
Reach under the sink and turn both small oval handles clockwise. If one spins freely or will not move, do not wrench it, since a seized stem can snap. Go to the main shutoff, usually near the water meter, and close that instead. Then call us and describe where the water comes from.
If the water has reached a floor or ceiling
If water is near outlets or the electrical panel, stay clear and call an electrician or the utility. Move rugs and electronics out of the splash zone. Photograph the wet areas before you clean, since your insurer will ask for them.
Find where the water comes from
A flashlight and a dry paper towel save you from guessing the wrong part.
- 1
Dry everything
Wipe the faucet, the supply lines and the sink bottom. Dry surfaces make the first new bead of water obvious.
- 2
Run only the cold side
Watch the base, the spout joint and the stops. Then repeat with hot. A leak on one side points to one cartridge or one supply.
- 3
Press a dry paper towel along each line
Wet paper wicks leaks you cannot see. Check the stop valve stems and both compression nuts.
- 4
Check the drain side
Fill the basin, then release it and watch the P-trap and the tailpiece. A drip only while draining means a slip nut or washer, not the faucet.
- 5
Note when it drips
A leak only when the handle is on is internal. A drip from the spout when the handle is off is a worn seat or cartridge.
Faucet leaking or stuck?
Call and tell us the brand, the handle type and where the water shows up.
Cartridge, ball, disc or compression
Faucets fall into four mechanisms, and each wears differently. Compression faucets have separate hot and cold handles that screw down onto a rubber washer. Ball, cartridge and ceramic disc faucets are single-handle designs that mix water inside a replaceable core.
The right repair depends on which one you have. A compression washer is a small rubber part. A single-handle cartridge must match the model, because cartridges from different brands do not interchange. Ceramic discs rarely wear but crack if a hard particle gets between the plates.
Why imported and premium faucets are different
European and designer faucets often use proprietary cartridges that a general hardware store does not stock. If you want repair rather than replacement, give us the brand and model stamped under the sink or on the packaging. We will tell you whether the part is practical to get.
Stripped handles and stuck stems
A knob that spins without turning the stem usually has a stripped set screw or a worn splined adapter. A stem corroded into the body takes patience and a puller, not force, because a cracked body means a new faucet.
What leaks where, and how it gets fixed
| Where it leaks | Usual cause | Typical repair |
|---|---|---|
| Spout drips when off | Worn seat, washer or cartridge | Replace the washer or cartridge |
| Base of the handle | Worn O-ring or loose packing nut | New O-rings, tighten the nut |
| Under the spout swivel | Dry or cut spout O-rings | Replace spout O-rings |
| Supply line connection | Cracked washer or tired braided line | New supply lines |
| Stop valve stem | Packing worn out | Replace the valve |
| Cabinet only when drain runs | Loose slip nut or cracked trap | Reset or replace the trap |
A leak that returns right after a repair often means mineral damage to the seat, not a poor repair.
Low flow, spitting and the aerator
The aerator is the small screen at the spout tip. It mixes air into the stream and catches grit. When it clogs, the water sprays sideways or drops to a trickle on only that faucet.
Unscrew it by hand or with a rag over pliers, rinse the screen, and soak it in vinegar if white crust is present. If low pressure persists at every faucet, the problem is upstream, in a stop valve, a supply line or the service line, and we look there.
WaterSense labeled bathroom faucets and aerators are capped at 1.5 gallons per minute, against about 2.2 for a standard flow. That is a quiet way to cut a hot water bill without changing how the faucet feels.
Hard water, mineral crust and what we do not know
White crust on spouts and slow-closing cartridges are the usual signs of mineral buildup. Lake County's report does not list a hardness figure, so call the utility lab at 440-918-3420 or test your own tap before you decide a repair is mineral related.
That matters because it changes the advice. If you test hard, cleaning and a softener or filter protect new cartridges. If you test soft, look for a worn seat or a bad part instead. Our water softener and filtration work starts from a test, not a guess.
Repair it or replace it
A ten-year-old faucet with a failing cartridge is often worth a rebuild, especially if the finish is still sound. Replace when the body is pitted, the finish has worn through to brass, or a cartridge costs more than a basic new faucet.
Replacement also gives you a chance to renew the supply lines and stops under the sink. Those parts age with the faucet, and a new faucet on a seized stop only moves the problem.
Sink bowls, drains and traps
A sink repair is separate from a faucet repair, and we handle both. We replace basket strainers, pop-up drains, tailpieces, P-traps and slip nut washers. Most under-sink drips come from one loose or cracked fitting rather than a failed pipe.
A sink that fills slowly or holds water is usually blocked in the trap or the branch line. Our drain cleaning service clears those, using a hand auger or sectional cable. If the kitchen sink backs up into the laundry, the cause is farther down the line.
Cracked porcelain, a loose sink bowl in the countertop and failed caulk need other fixes, and we tell you which trade handles them.
Outdoor spigots before the first freeze
The Cleveland area's average first fall freeze arrives around October 28, according to National Weather Service normals. A hose left on the spigot traps water in the barrel, and it can split the pipe inside the wall. The first sign is often a spray inside the basement in spring.
Disconnect the hose, shut the interior valve for that line, and open the outdoor spigot to drain it. A frost-free sillcock has a long shaft that places the seat inside the heated wall, but it only works if it slopes slightly down and the hose is off. If a pipe has already split, our burst pipe repair crew handles the repair after the water is off.
What drives faucet repair cost
A cartridge swap, a supply line replacement and a new faucet installation all take different parts and time. We give a clear price before work starts, so you can decide on repair or replacement with the number in hand.
Part availability
Common cartridges are quick. Specialty brands may need an order, which adds time but rarely changes the labor.
Condition of the stops
A stop valve that will not close can add a valve replacement to the visit.
Access under the sink
A tight vanity with a garbage disposal and a filter takes longer than an open pedestal sink.
Faucet type
Wall-mounted, widespread and tub-shower valves need more disassembly than a single-hole kitchen faucet.
Time of the call
Night and weekend dispatch is priced differently from a scheduled visit. Ask when you call.
Insurance note. Homeowners insurance usually responds to sudden water damage, like a supply line that bursts, but not to a drip that went unnoticed for months, so call for your number and photograph the cabinet.
Before the plumber arrives
A few steps limit damage and speed the repair.
Close the stops
Turn the small oval handles under the sink clockwise. If they stick, do not force them, and shut the main.
Empty the cabinet
Pull cleaners and stored items out, then dry the floor with towels. Wet particleboard swells fast.
Put a bowl under the drip
Catch the water and check the level. Tell us how fast it fills.
Photograph the faucet
A clear picture of the brand and the handle helps us bring the right cartridge.
Keep the old parts
A worn cartridge or washer shows us the failure and the exact size.
Questions about faucets and sinks
Yes. Call (440) 468-0237 any time and we dispatch from the 24/7 emergency line. A spraying faucet, a failed stop valve or water running into a cabinet counts. Close the stops under the sink, or the main valve if they stick, and we confirm the next step when we answer.
Yes. A drip usually comes from a worn washer, seat or cartridge. We match the part to your brand and model, replace it and test for leaks at the handle, spout and stops. If the body is corroded, we say so before starting.
It depends on age and finish. If the faucet is under about ten years old and the body is clean, a cartridge replacement is reasonable. If the finish is flaking or the faucet leaks from the base, replacement is usually the better value. Call for your number on either path.
Yes. Many tub and shower leaks come from a cartridge or trim, and those are accessible from the front. If the valve body inside the wall has failed, we explain access first, because that repair involves opening the wall or entering from the back.
A clogged aerator or a partially closed stop valve is the likely cause. Unscrew the aerator and rinse it. If every faucet is weak, the issue sits upstream, and scale or corrosion inside old pipe may be the cause, and repiping is the fix when it is.
Yes. Bring the box or the model information so we check the hole count and the mounting. We supply new supply lines when needed. We install the part but cannot warranty a fixture we did not supply. If the faucet has a defect, the manufacturer handles that claim.
Yes. We serve Wickliffe, Mentor, Eastlake, Willowick and Willoughby Hills, as well as Willoughby. Call (440) 468-0237 with your address and we confirm availability. We offer same-day appointments when available, and the 24/7 line covers night leaks in every one of these towns.