# Compression Faucet Repair

Stop a dripping compression faucet by replacing its worn washer, step by step

By Jere

Topic: Home & DIY

[Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/g69mlLWy7rL0)

## Guide

### 1. Compression Faucet Repair

This tap drips because a small rubber washer inside it has worn out\. Turning the handle screws a rod called the stem down until the washer presses on the valve seat, the ring that water flows up through\. A tap dripping once a second can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year, enough for about 180 showers\.

You need a screwdriver, a wrench or slip\-joint pliers \(pliers whose jaws open wider for big nuts\), and a new washer\. Tap a part to see its name\.

### 2. 1 · Water Off, Button Off

First turn off the water at the shutoff valve, the small tap on the pipe under the sink, or at the main shutoff for the house\. Then lift the button off the top of the handle\. It hides the handle screw\.

Some buttons are threaded and unscrew instead\.

### 3. 1 · Undo the Handle Screw

Turn the tiny screw anticlockwise with a screwdriver until it comes out\. If it is stuck, a drop of penetrating oil, a thin oil that creeps into tight threads, helps loosen it\.

### 4. 2 · Lift Off the Handle

Pull the handle straight up\. Underneath is the top of the stem, cut with ridges called splines that let the handle turn it\.

### 5. 2 · Remove the Packing Nut

The packing nut holds the stem in and squeezes a seal, the packing, around it\. Turn it anticlockwise with a wrench or slip\-joint pliers\.

Wrap the jaws in a cloth so they do not scratch the shiny metal\.

### 6. 2 · Twist Out the Stem

Turn the stem the same way you would to turn the tap on, anticlockwise\. It climbs up its thread and lifts out, with the washer on its end\.

### 7. 3 · Remove the Washer Screw

Stand the stem upside down and undo the small brass screw that holds the washer\. Look at the screw and the stem, and replace either one if it is damaged\.

### 8. 4 · Take Off the Old Washer

Every time the tap closes, the washer is squeezed against the seat\. After years of this it goes flat and hard, and water sneaks past\. Lift it off\.

### 9. 4 · Fit the New Washer

Use an exact replacement, the same size and the same shape, flat or bevelled \(with a sloped edge\)\. A washer that almost fits will almost stop the drip\. On a hot tap, use a washer made for hot water, because cold\-only washers swell when they get hot\.

### 10. 5 · Fasten the New Washer

Drive the brass screw back in clockwise until the washer is held snug in its cup\. Stop when it feels firm, so the soft rubber is not squashed out of shape\.

### 11. 5 · Screw the Stem Back In

Lower the stem into the faucet and turn it clockwise until it stops\. Now the new washer sits right on the valve seat\.

### 12. 5 · Refit the Packing Nut

Slide the packing nut down over the stem and screw it on clockwise\. Tighten it gently, protecting the metal with a cloth again\.

### 13. 6 · Refit the Handle

Push the handle back down onto the splines of the stem\. The ridges lock together, so turning the handle turns the stem\.

### 14. 6 · Drive the Handle Screw

Drive the handle screw in clockwise\. It holds the handle on the stem so it cannot pull off\.

### 15. 6 · Snap the Button Back On

Press the button back into the top of the handle\. It hides the screw and keeps water and dirt out\.

### 16. 6 · Water On, Check for Leaks

Turn the water back on slowly and watch the spout\. With a fresh washer pressing on the seat, the drip is gone\.

A leak around the handle instead points to the packing, not the washer\.