How To Fix a Leaking Bathtub Faucet

We've had a leaking bathtub faucet for awhile and never realized just how much water we were wasting until we placed a canister underneath which filled up overnight. Our dog had gotten used to water always being in the tub and now considers it an alternate source of water beyond her bowl. At this point we realized we had to do something about it.

First make sure to shut off your water, both your main line and your water heater line. Our main line shut-off is located in our front yard near the wall and the water heater shut off is located at the water heater.

The process of removing the faucet handle is straightforward. Open the faucet a but to relieve the pressure then use a screwdriver to pop-off the end cap which gives you access to a screw that holds the faucet handles in place.

Remove that screw and the faucet handles should pull off nice and easy.

You'll then notice a fitting that secures the handle in place and this can be removed with a wrench. Behind that fitting is a second fitting that secures the faucet stem and this also needs to be removed to see where and why the leak is occurring. Removing the faucet stem can take a bit more force and many times a faucet remover is needed.

When we removed our stem we noticed the seat came out with it!!! Our faucets were so old and the leak so bad that over years of cranking on the handles to turn the water off it had forced the threads in the seats to break and the seat had firmly implanted itself to the shaft and washer! So the water was never being sealed off thus the constant leak.

Unfortunately this required a replacing the pipes since the threads were bare and this work was beyond our technical abilities so we called in the plumber.

But if all had gone normal we would have just replaced the seals which were pitted and worn then put the handles back on which should have fixed the leak. But in the course of home improvement you never know what curveballs you'll be thrown, it's just a matter of knowing when to swing and when to walk.

Charles & Hudson | Comments () |

Kkendall55

This is a great post. No plumbing experience myslef and i had a leaky faucet with the exact fittings above. Pulled up this post, followed it, pulled out stems and discovered our washer was totally mauled. Got replacement stems for both sides anyway that came with new washers and our bathtup is running perfectly again. Thank you.

Michaelroddgers

This article is so informative for me. I have problem in my bathroom shower faucet. This post explaining very nicely how can I repair it.
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vessel faucets

That looks like a pretty simple fix. Thank you. Mine has been acting up the same way as yours for a few months now, and I haven’t had the money to call anyone. I’ve been searching the net recently for info and I think I have all the information I need. Thanks a lot.

jb bartkowiak

Hi guys -- I link to this post here. Thank you. Your friend @BMoxieBMore jb

Tami

I believe this is what happened to my tub handles. I had a plumber replace the handles that looked exactly like photo #1 but noticed a year later that the tub had blistering and cracking not to mention dicoloration below the faucet. I kept trying to patch it with fiberglass but no luck. I called in another plumber and he said the seat had broke off the hot water and it was leaking behind the tub causing tons of water damage - the steam causing the fiberglass to blister and crack. Is this true? Would hot water cause that? If it was the cold water would that have happened? Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Tami

Lucy O'Neill

Great post. Very informative. Hope your dog is staying hydrated without his alternate source of H2O.

Best,

Lucy O'Neill from the Old house Web

Water damage

That's for sure, you never know what to expect until you start the project. Things could have been a lot worse for you though had it been leaking into the wall.

Tim

Thanks! Was this a Waltec faucet?

Krystal

Our faucet does not leak but when the water is on hot water runs out of both handles?? How do I fix this?? Any info would help!! Thanks

Charles & Hudson

You are in a similar situation as we were. It sounds like the seats for the knobs are leaking so hot water will always flow around the seat when any water is pulled. Have you pulled the knobs yet to see what is behind?

Harold

I could really say that this article is a two-thumbs-up. This is very informative and one good source for those who want to know more about fixing broken faucets and water plumbing.