Faucet Repair in Greensboro, NC

Where is the water coming from?

Where a faucet leaks tells you most of what you need to know.

• From the spout when it's off: a worn washer and seat on older compression faucets, or a worn cartridge or seals on newer single-handle faucets
• Around the handle or base: worn O-rings or packing
• Under the sink: a loose or failing supply line, shutoff valve or drain connection
• Weak or uneven flow: debris in the aerator or cartridge
• Hard to turn or won't shut fully: a worn cartridge or stem

A slow drip adds up

EPA's WaterSense program estimates that a faucet dripping once per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year. It's one of the easier leaks to fix, and it's easier to deal with now than after the seat or cartridge wears further.

Greensboro water and your faucets

Greensboro's water comes from Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend, and the City's water quality report describes it as moderately soft, with average hardness of 43 to 46 milligrams per liter. That means less mineral crust on aerators and cartridges than in hard-water areas, so a drip here is more often worn rubber and seals than scale. If flow drops suddenly, unscrewing and rinsing the aerator is a good first step.

The same report says lead in drinking water comes mainly from service lines and home plumbing, not the City's source water, and the City offers lead testing on request. About 43% of Greensboro homes were built before 1980, so if yours has an original faucet, replacing it rather than rebuilding it may be worth considering. Current faucets are made to much stricter lead limits than older ones.

Before you call

Close the shutoff valves under the sink by turning them clockwise. In older homes those valves often haven't moved in years and may not close fully, or may start leaking when turned. If that happens, use the main shutoff and mention it when you call, since the plumber may need to replace the valves too.

Repair or replace?

A drip from a quality faucet is usually a parts job. Replacement makes more sense when the finish is corroded, parts aren't available for an older or off-brand model, the body is cracked, or you want a different style anyway.

What affects the cost

The faucet type and brand, whether parts are on hand, the condition of the shutoff valves and supply lines, and whether you're supplying a new faucet all affect the price.