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If you get sprayed every time you try to turn on your outdoor faucet, then keep reading and I will walk you through a simple fix that takes less than 15 minutes.
Outdoor faucets will start to leak over time. Usually the cause is something simple like a worn out washer. Sometimes, the problem is even simpler, like just tightening up a bolt. After watching a few Youtube videos I decided that repairing the faucet would be much more cost effective, and just as easy as replacing it. Besides, faucets that are old that have built up sediment can sometimes be difficult to remove. I have provided a link to the videos that I used for a reference to fix my two faucets if you want to see them. I’ve tried to apply what I learned in those videos to fix the faucets.
Both of my faucets had the same problem. They would leak, actually spray, water when the faucet was opened. The other typical leak that is seen is when the faucet leaks out of the handle when it is closed. For that case, a different washer needs to be replaced, and I have linked the Youtube video that can help you with that fix as well.
The first faucet that I tried to fix was in the front yard, next to my sprinkler valves. Each time that I would use the faucet, I would get drenched from the spray when I turned it on. I knew from the video that this leak was caused by a worn out washer that was underneath the packing nut, which is what I have the wrench on in the following picture.
loosening Packing nut from the faucet
In order to remove this packing nut, I would first need to remove the faucet handle, then use a wrench to remove the nut, exposing the washer tucked away under it.
So, first things first, I shut off the water to the house. Unfortunately, there was no shutoff valve just for the sprinklers and faucet, so I shut the valve for the whole house. I then removed the screw that held the faucet handle in place. Things were going smoothly. The next step was to remove the faucet handle. Unfortunately,through years of corrosion and hard water build up, I wasn’t able to pull off the faucet handle. I didn’t want to start hammering on it, or using wrenches since I didn’t want to damage the faucet, or the pipe feeding the faucet. The project was at risk of coming to a screeching halt.
Step one is to remove faucet head – If you can
I decided to go ahead and loosen the packing nut off of its thread to see if I could at least accomplish that. I used a crescent wrench, and surprisingly, that nut loosened without any trouble. I would use another wrench to hold the faucet in place while you try to loosen the nut. You don’t want to damage the pipes while you’re trying to loosen it.
Use a second plier to secure faucet while loosening the packing nut
I remembered that in some of the videos, instead of using a washer, they had used valve packing string to accomplish the same thing. Basically, valve packing is thick squishy string that can be shoved into a space to seal it in place of a washer.
Valve packing takes the place of a washer for this job
I had bought some of this string, thinking that it might come in handy. It occured to me that I could use this valve packing material without actually taking the faucet handle off. I unscrewed the packing nut off of it’s threads, giving me about an eighth of an inch of clearance. I wound some of the packing string onto the stem holding the nut. I tightened the packing nut back over the stem. I could tell that there was a bit more tension as I screwed the nut back on.
Adding valve packing with minimal working clearance
Now for the moment of truth, I turned the water back on and opened up the faucet. I had an initial drip or two, but for the most part, the faucet was fixed.
So, even though I wasn’t able to see the washer under the packing nut, I was able to accomplish the fix by using the valve packing string. If I took the time to get the handle off of the faucet, I could have also just replaced the washer. Either strategy would have worked as long as the space under the packing nut is sealed. The key is that it’s not an exact science. Just getting something there to provide a better seal is all it takes.
So, now on to the backyard where I had a faucet with the same problem. This time, I was able to remove the faucet handle. As I removed the packing nut, I noticed that it wasn’t hard to remove, and could have been tighter. I made a note of that since some of the video fixes claimed that most of the time, the only fix that was required was to tighten this nut.
Removing packing nut from backyard faucet
Packing nut and faucet stem removed
After removing the nut, I examined the washer. It had sediment built up on the edges, but otherwise looked fine. I looked through my newly purchased washer kit, and found that I didn’t have a washer that matched this one. Well, that was a waste, and it’s an argument for holding off on buying something without knowing if it’s what you need. I’m sure my washers will come in handy some day, just not today. Since this washer looked relatively good, I rinsed off the built up deposits on the washer and slipped it back into the packing nut.
Washer in good shape
I assembled everything back together, and this time, tightened the packing nut an extra quarter turn. I turned on the water and opened up the faucet. The leak was fixed! I apologized under my breath to the Youtube video that declared that most of the time all you needed to do was to tighten this nut. I assumed that nothing was ever that easy, but in this case it was. Cleaning the washer of all of the built up deposits probably didn’t hurt either.
Well, this project was successful, as I was able to fix both faucets with only a small purchase of the valve packing string which was only a few dollars. That was definitely better than hiring a plumber to come out to fix it.
Video References
Here are some reference videos that we used to fix our outdoor faucets
Great video that shows you how the faucet is fixed. He makes his own packing string using Teflon tape!
Covers the case where the leak happens when the faucet is off. Also covers the simple case where tightening the packing nut fixes the case where it leaks when opened
